Emmanuil Vitorgan Actor Date of Birth: 27.12.1939 Country: Azerbaijan

Biography of Emmanuil Vitorgan

Emmanuil Gedeonovich Vitorgan was born on December 27, 1939, in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, in a Jewish family. His parents were originally from Odessa. His father held a high position in the flour milling industry, while his mother was a homemaker. Emmanuil, named after his uncle, was the youngest child in the family. Besides him, his parents raised an older son, Vladimir. Due to his father's work, the Vitorgan family often moved, so Emmanuil finished school in Astrakhan. When he expressed his desire to study theater, his parents supported his decision. However, he was rejected by all theater universities in Moscow. So Emmanuil went to Leningrad, where he was accepted into the Leningrad Institute of Theater, Music, and Cinematography. Studying in Leningrad became the first major challenge in the actor's life. He had to learn to take care of not only himself but also his first family. In his student years, Vitorgan married his classmate Tamara Rumyantseva, and soon their daughter Ksenia was born. The responsibility that fell on Emmanuil's shoulders shaped his strong character. In addition, during these years, the course leader Boris Vulfovich Zon had a great influence on him. According to Vitorgan, Zon laid the foundation for his acting profession. Thus, in 1961, when Emmanuil graduated from the institute, he already had a great life experience. After graduating, Emmanuil Vitorgan was hired by the A.S. Pushkin Theater. However, in 1963, he was enrolled in the Drama and Comedy Theater. Here, the actor played his first significant roles, which brought him fame in theater circles. And then Georgy Tovstonogov offered him a job at the Leningrad Komissarzhevskaya Theater. Lenkom, as it was called in theatrical circles, played a significant role in Vitorgan's career and life. Here he first met actress Alla Balter, whom he fell in love with at first sight. When they were cast as lovers in the play "West Side Story," many immediately realized that it was more than just acting. And so it turned out. After some time, Emmanuil and Alla were called the most beautiful couple in Leningrad and compared to Alain Delon and Romy Schneider. According to the actor, getting divorced was difficult. His wife did not want to see him and asked him to leave the city. He had to move to Moscow. There, he suffered for a long time. As Vitorgan said, this act is the biggest sin in his life. Not only because he got divorced, but also because he left his child. But he didn't want to lie to his family either. Lying only made things worse. In 1970, Emmanuil and Alla got married, and two years later, their son Maxim was born. This event became one of the few pleasant ones in the actor's recent years. The newlyweds settled in the K.S. Stanislavsky Moscow Drama Theater, where they continued their artistic career. In the Stanislavsky Theater, Emmanuil Vitorgan played many outstanding roles. These include Ivchenko in the play "An Adult Daughter of a Young Man," Christian in "Cyrano de Bergerac," and Sheriff's Assistant File in "The Rainmaker." Thanks to his good looks, versatile artistic talent, and incredible charisma, the actor managed to achieve remarkable results. In 1982, Emmanuil Gedeonovich moved to the Drama and Comedy Theater on Taganka, and two years later, he became an actor at the V.V. Mayakovsky Theater. It was here that he played his best roles, which earned him fame and recognition. Among them, it is worth noting the roles of Klim Samgin in the play "The Life of Klim Samgin," Mark Antony in "Game of Shadows," Admiral Nelson in "Victoria?", and Krogstad in "A Doll's House." Emmanuil Vitorgan made his film debut in 1960, but until the late 1970s, he remained virtually unknown. He preferred to work in the theater and only occasionally appeared in small roles in films. His first, more noticeable work was the role of Nikitsky in the television film "Cortik" (1973). This was followed by episodic roles in films such as "The Hottest Month" (1974), "Time Does Not Wait" (1975), and "It's Easy to Be Kind" (1976). Only in 1978 did Vitorgan truly shine in the multi-episode television film "And That's All About Him." The character of the criminal Gleb Zavarzin, which Emmanuil created on the screen, brought him his first recognition in the film industry. Interestingly, he personally came up with Zavarzin's style of clothing and his specific way of speaking. After the role of Zavarzin, Vitorgan started to be consistently cast in films. Moreover, he was mostly offered negative roles: fascists, spies, and CIA agents. According to the actor, his appearance largely contributed to this. At that time, it was customary to depict villains as tall, imposing figures, while heroes were portrayed as big-eared and long-nosed. Naturally, he fell into the first category. Emmanuil became memorable for his portrayal of Baron Wrangel in the adventure film "Foreign Center Emissary" (1979), the leader of a gang, Viktor Lykin, in the detective film "Investigator's Profession" (1982), and other negative characters in his career. At the same time, the actor also looked harmonious in the role of positive characters. For example, he brilliantly played the role of Commissioner Fomin in the historical film "The Battle for Moscow" (1985), film director Prokudin-Gorsky in the film "Anna Karamazoff" (1991), and investigator Boris Zotov in the comedy "Don't Wake the Sleeping Dog" (1991). In the second half of the 1990s, Emmanuil Vitorgan almost stopped acting in films, only occasionally appearing in small roles. As the actor himself revealed, during this time, he spent time with his wife Alla, who was diagnosed with cancer. Despite extended treatment, they were unable to save her, and she passed away in 2000. Alla Balter's death knocked Emmanuil out for a long time. However, he found the strength to return to work. He was helped through the grief by his new life partner, Irina Mlodik. She is the head of a theater agency and is ten years younger than Emmanuil. Emmanuil and Irina first met in 1993 when she helped him and his son Maxim release the production of "The Shaman of Broadway." Since then, they became friends, and in the early 2000s, a romance blossomed between them. Emmanuil and Irina got married in 2003 and have been living together since then. They are inseparable even at work, where they jointly manage the "Emmanuil Vitorgan Cultural Center." The actor performs a monospectacle called "Exit" and organizes meetings with actors, concerts, and evenings. According to Vitorgan, Irina saved him from the torment of loneliness. Emmanuil Gedeonovich continues to act in the theater and actively participates in films. In recent years, he has played many memorable roles. These include Prince Peter Dolgoruky in the TV series "Poor Nastya" (2003), Sergey Spiegelglas in the drama series "Children of Arbat" (2004), and Chief Physician Mikhail Iosifovich Breslavets in the TV series "Skifyosofsky" (2011). In 2014, he appeared in the film "Elki 1914." Emmanuil Vitorgan spends his free time with his children and grandchildren. In 2003, he finally reconciled with his daughter from his first marriage, Ksenia. Now, he regularly visits his grandchildren, Nikita and Alexander, as well as his great-grandchildren, Alisa and Mark. His son, Maxim, from his second marriage to Alla Balter, also gave Emmanuil Gedeonovich two grandchildren, Daniil and Polina. According to the actor, he works so that people who come to the theater understand why they are alive. The meaning is not to enrich oneself or fight with each other but to create and help others. That is why theater and art exist - to open people's eyes to their true purpose. Emmanuil Gedeonovich has been on stage for half a century and has no regrets. As the actor says, he never could have imagined that he would do anything else.