Always embodied strong personalities on the screen: October 3 marks 91 years since the birth of Armen Dzhigarkhanyan

October 3 - birthday of People's Artist of the USSR Armen Dzhigarkhanyan

People’s Artist of the USSR Armen Dzhigarkhanyan, according to various sources, starred in a record number of films (about 250-300), almost 30 years served in one of the leading Soviet theaters – named after Mayakovsky under the direction of director Andrei Goncharov. In the 1990s, when many colleagues were unemployed, he created his own theater, which he called his name. A unique teacher and master in the broadest sense: master of the word, screen, stage, life. Fans and relatives of the artist will remember him on October 3 – his birthday.

Hello, it's me! They say that from the Armenian language "Dzhigarkhanyan" can be translated as "the ruler of souls." Armen Borisovich himself did not like pathos in all its manifestations and often in a conversation with journalists added that the surname can also be interpreted as the “owner of the liver”. But above all, the actor was the master of his own destiny. Always left from where it was bad or did not work with full dedication, did not like inconsistencies and ambiguities, reproached the acting workshop for ineradicable craving for cabotism and intrigue. He tried to diversify any, even the smallest role with new colors, complexed in his youth because of his small growth and short neck, but over the years he happily said goodbye to all the complexes. Interest in the theater, as the actor later admitted, was instilled in his mother Elena Vasilievna, with whom he reviewed many performances of the Armenian theater, including with the participation of the legendary actor, People's Artist of the USSR Vagram Papazyan. The flame under the ice Famous made him a role in the film “Hello, it’s me!” directed by Frunze Dovlatyan. In this picture also debuted actress Margarita Terekhova. In 1966, the film was shown in the competition program of the Cannes Film Festival. Added to the popularity of “Operation Trust” and “Crane”. In the melodrama Victor Tregubovich played in a duet with actress Lyudmila Gurchenko. On the screen, the characters of Dzhigarkhanyan, as a rule, concealed all their feelings, they are a classic “flame under the ice”. Gradually, the acting palette expanded: an unsmiling man with a strict face began to be invited to comedies. It turned out that this element is subject to him.

Many images of Dzhigarkhanyan have become favorites for millions of viewers. This is Staff Captain Ovechkin in Edmond Keosayan's heroic film stories about the elusive avengers, the scandalous Judge Kriegs ("Hello, I'm your aunt!"). Victor Titov), the leader of the gang Humpback (“The meeting place cannot be changed” by Stanislav Govorukhin), lackey Tristan (“Dog in the hay” by Jan Frid), terrorist Max (“Tehran-43” by Alexander Alov and Vladimir Naumov), crook Billy Kyou (“Kings and cabbage” by Nikolai Rasheev) and many others. A separate line are the wonderful roles that the actor played in the cheerful masterpieces that have not faded with the years “The Chefs Came to the Competition”, “Men”, the drama “Lonely Hard”, filmed at his native film studio “Armenfilm”. After stories of the elusive, the actor once again worked with director Edmond Keosayan on Mosfilm in the family film When September Comes. At the International Film Festival in Belgrade in 1977, the actor was awarded the award for Best Actor, and in 2011, a bronze statue of actor Armen Dzhigarkhanyan preparing a barbecue was opened in the city of Akhtala. There are now a little forgotten, but no less interesting works in the filmography of the great actor. For example, dissatisfied with his position, the manager of the estate Shamraev from the film adaptation of Chekhov’s “The Seagull” directed by Julia Karasik, the life-loving Viktor Skobkin in the melodrama of Andrei Smirnov “Autumn”, the silent but principled manager of the construction trust Grigory Frolovskiy in the production drama “Prize” by Sergei Mikaelyan, later awarded not only numerous prizes at international and all-Union film festivals, but also the real State Prize of the USSR. Principal heroes managed Dzhigarkhanyan easily: he himself tried to adhere to the principles in everyday life and in his profession. About something deeply personal was able to say the actor in the roles of truck driver Viktor Kartsev in the melodrama “Three on the highway” and businessman Anatoly Krupanin in the detective film “Profession – Investigator”. Both of these heroes in pursuit of material wealth and benefits are not able to establish harmonious relations with their loved ones. His gangster Tommy Farichetti from the political detective “Rafferty”, the eccentric billionaire Phil Stone from the psychological drama Tatiana Lioznova “The end of the world followed by a symposium”, ordering a poor playwright about the end of the world, police inspector Richard Foss from the detective “Physics” on the play Friedrich Durrenmatt show that the actor felt organically in both Western dramaturgy and absurdist aesthetics. "I don't like this goose..." It is impossible not to add to the portrait of Armen Borisovich the business-like foreman Papashin from the comedy “Not once at once” and a truly tragic figure – an emigrant, frontline scout in the past Semyon Kline from the tragicomedy of George Danelia “Passport” with his immortal phrase: “I do not like this goose.” True drama was shown by the actor in the philosophical role of the Head of Rhode in the film Two Arrows. Detective of the Stone Age" based on the play by Alexander Volodin. In the movie saga of Viktor Titov “Life of Klim Samgin” the actor brilliantly played one of the key heroes of this work of Maxim Gorky – Timothy Varavka. Temperament cannot be taught The strong side of Dzhigarkhanyan’s acting talent is temperament and innate male magnetism. Armen Borisovich is always effective in outbursts of rage on the screen, no less beautiful silent, brooding Dzhigarkhanyan. But what swallows the screen will not pass on stage. Here, in front of the audience, you need to go a long way, overcome a marathon in three hours and be convincing all the time. On the stage of the Mayakovsky Theater Dzhigarkhanyan created images that entered the history of the Soviet theater. The role of Mendel Crick performed twice: in the play by Andrei Goncharov “Sunset” based on the play of the same name by Isaac Babel and the musical “Bindyuzhnik and the King” by composer Alexander Zhurbin and director Vladimir Alenikov. Interesting images were created by the actor and in creative collaboration with director Karen Shakhnazarov. Let’s remember the pictures “City of Zero”, “King’s Assassin”, “American Daughter”, “Dreams”, “Gone Empire”.

Armen Dzhigarkhanyan, who left us in 2020, continues to live in his roles, the enjoyment of which for true connoisseurs is truly limitless.

QUOTED BY THE COLLEGE

Honored Artist of the Republic of Belarus, People's Artist of Belarus, Artistic Director of the Theatre-Studio of the Film Actor Alexander Efremov recalled working with Dzhigarkhanyan on the set of the film "The German": "Armen Dzhigarkhanyan was charming! He starred in my picture “German”. "You are my favorite director!" Dzhigarkhanyan told me in the end.

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The TV channel “Belarus 3” will show Victor Titov’s comedy masterpiece “Hello, I am your aunt!” on October 3.