Vitaly Solomin - Soviet and Russian actor, one of the most significant figures in the national theater and cinema. For most viewers, he is associated with the role of Dr. Watson in the film adaptation of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson. Also in his biography are famous paintings like "Winter Cherry", "Silva", "Bat" and many others. For great achievements in the field of art, Solomin was awarded the title of People's Artist of the RSFSR, and was also a member of the Union of Theater Workers and the Union of Cinematographers of Russia.
Vitaly was born in Chita, and both of his parents were directly related to creativity. Mother Zinaida Ananievna and father Methodius Viktorovich were music teachers who not only instilled in their son a love for this art form, but also taught him to play the piano. However, Vitaliy did not really strive for many hours of lessons in black and white keys, since as a child he liked to engage in various sports sections. He devoted a lot of time to boxing.
In 1959, following his older brother, Vitaly left for Moscow to study at the Shchepkin Higher Theater School. He got on the course of Nikolai Annenkov, and future stars of Russian cinema and became his classmates. It is curious that the world could not recognize such an artist, because being a maximalist, he almost left the university after the first year. The thing is that Solomin, accustomed to studying only with “excellent”, received only “good” at one of the exams of the next session, and his first impulse was to quit classes.
Theatre
Already in his 2nd year, the young actor makes his debut on the professional stage of the Maly Theater in the play Your Uncle Misha. After graduating from college, Vitaly Solomin becomes a full member of this troupe. In the theater, he mainly played the bright heroes of Russian classics - Chatsky, Astrov, Khlestakov, Protasov. In the 70s, Solomin began to try his hand at directing. His productions of "The Living Corpse" based on the play and "My Favorite Clown" based on the story by Vasily Livanov were highly appreciated.
In addition to the Maly Theatre, Vitaly Mefodievich collaborated with the Mossovet Theater for about two years. Also, the actor is well known as an excellent literary reader. Until now, detective novels from the series "The Adventures of Father Brown" and the famous monument ancient Russian literature"The Tale of Igor's Campaign" performed by Vitaly Solomin.
Movies
The first film work in the career of Vitaly Solomin was the role of the young philologist Boyartsev in the student drama Newton Street, Building 1. He had few scenes, but the experience was useful, and soon he played Zhenya, the son main character in the melodrama "Women". This role gave him his first popularity.
But the all-Union fame was brought to the actor by the role of the right hand of the famous deduction specialist in the serial film The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. The legendary actor became Solomin's partner. The first film, consisting of 2 parts, was released in 1979. Then director Igor Maslennikov shot 4 more films, consisting of several series. In general, Livanov and Solomin recreated 12 works on the screen.
The Soviet film adaptation was recognized not only by the domestic audience, but throughout the world, and in the homeland of Sherlock Holmes, the duet of actors was officially recognized as the best of all who tried to reproduce the images of famous detectives in the cinema. In recognition, the British government initiated the installation of a monument to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson on Smolenskaya Embankment in Moscow, opposite the British Embassy. Moreover, in the appearance of the characters of the monument, the figures and faces of Vitaly Solomin and Vasily Livanov are unmistakably guessed.
Another cult film with the participation of Vitaly Methodievich is the melodrama "Winter Cherry". The actor in this picture has an ambiguous, diverse and interesting role as a married egoist-lover Vadim Dashkov. But Solomin managed to bring a piece of himself into this image and made Dashkov also a charming person. The popularity of the picture, especially among the female half of the audience, led to the fact that two sequels to this dramatic story were shot at intervals of 5 years.
Also, the popularity of the actor was enhanced by his comedic roles in the film adaptation of the classic operettas Silva and Die Fledermaus directed by Jan Frid. In these films, the comic talent of the actor is fully revealed, which brings lightness and humor to the whole dramatic plot line.
Personal life
Vitaly Solomin was married twice. His first wife was actress Natalya Rudnaya. They met in 1962 at one of the student performances, and a year later they became husband and wife. However, this marriage was not long, and after the divorce, Vitaly promised himself not to go down the aisle again. The paths of Rudnaya and Solomin did not intersect again, and they never saw each other.
A few years later, the actor auditioned for the film "Urban Romance". There, the assistant director invited a student of the textile institute, whom she saw on the street and offered to try herself in the cinema. Solomin did not get into the cast of the picture, but he noticed the girl, proposed to her, and in 1970 they got married.
In this marriage, two daughters were born - Anastasia and Elizabeth. The youngest daughter followed in the footsteps of her parents and also became an actress. Vitaly Solomin was known for his love of parties and holidays. For example, once, in order to cheer up all his friends, he organized a New Year's Eve meeting in the middle of spring.
Death
The actor suffered from hypertension for a long time, and this disease made itself felt on April 24, 2002, when Vitaly Solomin was on the stage of the Maly Theater, playing a role in the play "Krechinsky's Wedding". He felt a bad state that day even earlier, but nevertheless decided to go on stage. Vitaly Methodievich played the first act, after which he had to be carried away from there in his arms. In the hospital, he was diagnosed with a stroke, and the doctors fought for the life of the great actor for more than a month, although Solomin was in a coma for most of this time.
Vitaly Methodievich repeatedly said that he would like to repeat the path and, implying that they died on stage. We can assume that the desire of the great actor was fulfilled, since he was devoted to the theater until the last minute of his life. May 27, 2002 Vitaly Solomin died and was buried on Vagankovsky cemetery in Moscow.
Filmography
- 1966 - Women
- 1971 - Dauria
- 1978 - Siberiada
- 1979-1986 - Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson
- 1979 - Bat
- 1981 - Silva
- 1985 - Winter Cherry
- 1992 - Black Square
- 2000 - Memories of Sherlock Holmes
- 2002 - Casus Belli
People's Artist of the USSR Yuri Solomin"woke up famous" after the role of Captain Koltsov in the film "His Excellency's Adjutant". In total, he has more than 50 films and dozens of images on his account. theater stage. Recently, the 82-year-old actor became a guest of Boris Korchevnikov's Fate of a Man program, where he spoke about his life and competition with his younger brother.
While studying at the Shchepkin Theater School, Yuri Solomin met his fate for life. He met his future wife Olga, who was his classmate.
“We sat in the same auditorium, one seat was free. She was late for class and sat next to me. This was our first meeting. Since then, we have not parted for 60 years, ”said Yuri Methodievich. In the second half of the 50s, students lived in poverty, and the actor in love gave Olga sugar and other tasty things that he managed to get.
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The roles of Yuri Solomin in the cinemaYuri Solomin said that he and Olga did not have a wedding, dress or suit. “We know the value of every penny. Now everything is fine with us, we do not need anything, but even then we were happy. They didn’t play a wedding: together after the painting they went to Stoleshnikov Lane and sat together in a cafe. In 1965, the only daughter Daria was born to the spouses, who in 1990 gave them a granddaughter, Alexander.
After the appearance of her daughter, Olga left her acting career and became a housewife, devoting herself to her husband and child. It was Yuri's wife who took his younger brother Vitaly by the hand to the Shchepkin Theater School.
Sometimes the Solomin brothers even went on stage in one performance. But after some time, Yuri Solomin stopped playing with Vitaly: “I decided for myself, I realized that I couldn’t play with him as a partner, because I’m older. It seemed to me that he was doing wrong, ”the actor recalled. At the same time, he denied rumors that he allegedly envied the success of his younger brother, Dr. Watson from the series about Sherlock Holmes: “How could I, as an older brother, envy? Well, look at us, we are quite different people and actors. He played his, I played mine.
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Brothers Yuri and Vitaly Solomin - in life and in cinema
Yuri Mefodievich spoke about the experience of clinical death. On tour, the artist felt sharp pains in the stomach. Doctors at an elite clinic decided it was poisoning: “I was flushed and my appendix was torn. Then an ambulance picked me up from the hotel. They saved my life. I experienced something similar to clinical death, there was a feeling of flight. When I woke up, I saw my wife: she felt something and came to me in Kiev.
Shortly after miraculously escaping death himself, Yuri lost his younger brother. April 2002 Vitaly Solomin during the performance he lost consciousness, barely finishing the first act. Colleagues said that he became ill before the performance, but the actor took the medicine and went on stage.
“I was told that he played to the last, until the curtain closed. I arrived at the theater during the intermission, he was already in bed. He was taken to the hospital, ”Yuri recalls. The doctors of the Sklifosovsky clinic fought for the life of the artist, but failed to save him. Yuri Solomin spoke about the mystical moment associated with the departure of his brother: “I woke up in the country and see my father standing and looking at me. I close my eyes - it's gone. At that moment, Vitaly was gone.
Vitaly Solomin has played more than 50 film roles, but most viewers associate him with Dr. Watson from the Soviet adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes stories. Surprisingly, in real life, the actor looked a little like a well-bred and cold-blooded Englishman: legends were made about the absurd character of the “guy from Chita”. On the anniversary of Solomin, AiF.ru recalls what the favorite artist of the Soviet screen really was.
On a white horse
Solomin's parents were music teachers and dreamed of seeing their youngest son as a new Richter. However, the boy did not justify their hopes: he patiently learned to play the piano, and he hurried to classes in sports sections. In Chita, there was no such sports circle where the future Dr. Watson would not be engaged: volleyball, basketball, gymnastics, athletics, especially the young man liked boxing. But these hobbies were never destined to grow into a profession.
Vitaly said that he always envied his older brother, Yuri Solomin, who from the very beginning decided that he would become an artist, and stubbornly walked towards the intended goal. “At school, he was a choir soloist. And one day I decided to kill everyone with my talent. I learned the words of one children's song, but when the music started playing, I could not, from excitement, make at least some sound similar to a song. This was my first appearance on stage, ”the future people’s artist recalled.
Brothers Yuri and Vitaly Solomin. Photo: www.globallookpress.com
Yuri entered the theater school when Vitaly was only 11 years old. And when the future Watson graduated from high school, he hurried to follow his brother to Moscow to the Shchepkinskoye school. The ambitious young man received parting words from his father: “Everything is right, son. Fall - so from a white horse! But Solomin did not have a chance to fall, on the contrary, he “drove on a white horse”, first to the Shchepkinsky Theater School, and then to the big cinema.
Photo: www.russianlook.com
Bad hero
Already from the second year, Solomin played at the Maly Theater, and the film career of the novice artist was no less successful. His first serious work on the big screen was the sentimental melodrama "Women", which once and for all brought the 25-year-old artist the love of the audience. “A few days after the start of the rental, I realized what popularity is,” the actor recalled. And ahead of him only expected roles in 30 performances and more than 50 films. Vadim Dashkov from the melodrama "Winter Cherry", the rogue Pasha from the film "Sincerely yours ...", Falk from "The Bat" - Solomin equally easily tried on a wide variety of masks and images, from an absurd simpleton to an elegant hero-lover.
Vitaly Solomin in the film "Women" (1965) Photo: Frame from the film
The audience was fascinated by the charm of the Soviet star, and new acquaintances were impressed by his complex character. In private life, the artist was a gloomy and thoughtful person, he was often unrestrained during rehearsals, and thanks to his categorical attitude, he made many problems and enemies. Andron Konchalovsky, who filmed Solomin in Siberiad, even called him a “stone flower”: the actor seemed so uncompromising and firm in disputes. And Solomin himself did not hide his shortcomings: “Everyone who knows me close enough believes that I have a very difficult character. I am stubborn, and sometimes even harmful.
Vitaly Solomin in the movie " The Cherry Orchard» (1976) Photo: Still from the film
Jealous ladies' man
The difficult nature of the artist was best studied by his second wife - Maria(from the first wife - actresses Natalia Rudnaya- Solomin left in his youth, taking with him only a suitcase with clothes). The famous artist met her at the audition for the film "Urban Romance", and although he did not get a role in the film, he found his love.
After an unsuccessful first marriage, Watson decided that he would never marry an actress, and he kept his promise to himself, putting an ultimatum before Mary: no cinema. His arguments were as follows: “If you start filming, you will need to go somewhere. There are few women on trains, and men are stubborn. No one will buy an entire compartment for an actress, which means that in order for me to be calm, I will have to pay extra for three seats from my own money. Then they will put you in a hotel. You can't go out at night: beautiful woman, one. Yes, and it would be for the sake of what to shoot: they pay a penny, and you have to give all the best. But, being a terribly jealous person, he himself seemed quite loving and always bathed in female attention.
Maria and Vitaly Solomin in the film "Silva", 1981. Photo: Frame from the film
"Like Andrei Mironov"
Despite his bad character and constant disagreements with the leadership of the Maly Theater, Solomin “changed” his native stage only once, leaving for two years at the Theater. Moscow City Council. There he played in the play based on Astafiev's play "The Sad Detective". But when the artistic director of Maly became Yuri Solomin, Vitaly succumbed to his brother's persuasion and returned "home".
V last years Solomin worked especially hard during his life: he played himself, staged performances as a director. “When he staged Krechinsky's Wedding, he literally glowed with happiness. He basked in his role, doing incredible things on stage, for example, he sat down on the splits from a run. And this is at the age of 60, ”recalled actor Vasily Livanov who warned a friend against manifestations of such excitement.
Once Solomin said that he wanted to die on stage, as Andrey Mironov. And these terrible words turned out to be almost prophetic.
That same "Krechinsky's Wedding" was the last performance for the artist. April 23, 2002 Solomin took the stage for the last time. During the first act, the actor suddenly became ill, and he was taken to the hospital. Later it turned out that Solomin suffered an ischemic stroke, and a month later he died in the hospital.
Frame from the film "Women"
Shot from the movie "Big Sister"
Frame from the movie "Die Hard"
Shot from the film "Dauria"
Shot from the film "Siberiada"
The charm of Vitaly Solomin on stage and on the screen had no limits, but in life he set strict rules for himself and for others, including those closest to him.
In 1966, a 17-year-old Leningrad student Masha Leonidova together with her mother excitedly, like the whole Soviet country, watched the film "Women". Despite the name, there was an important male role there: a son who, contrary to an authoritarian mother, decided to marry a woman with an "illegitimate" child.
strength in brother
Yuri and Vitaly Solominy- a rare occurrence in our cinema. You won’t surprise us with relatives in art, but for two siblings from a deep province to become favorites of the USSR, spoiled by actors, such cases can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Each in the track record of the role, called cult. Yuri Solomin is loved for the films "His Excellency's Adjutant", "Criminal Investigation Inspector", "An Ordinary Miracle", "Walking Through the Torments". Film " Dersu Uzala" (dir. Akira Kurosawa) with his participation in 1975 received an Oscar.
Vitaly was rated immediately after "Women" and "Big Sister". Then there were "Siberiada" (dir. Andrey Konchalovsky, Special Grand Prix of the Cannes Film Festival), “Yours Sincerely…”, unfading “Winter Cherry”, but most of all the audience adore Solomin – Dr. Watson.
There were films where the brothers played together - for example, the light "Bat" and the dramatic "Dauria", which was filmed just in their native places, not far from Chita.
Yuri is older than his brother by six and a half years. Together with his father, he walked through the snowdrifts to pick up the boy, born on December 12, 1941, from the hospital. Although the war was far away, life was difficult. Parents, Methodius Viktorovich and Zinaida Ananievna, were music teachers and wandered throughout the region, earning money wherever possible.
Yuri from childhood read poetry well, studied at the Palace of Pioneers. From the younger mother dreamed of making a pianist. Vitalik hated classes, but he carried his love for music and the dream of staging a musical performance, not an operetta, but a serious thing, through his whole life. He realized his dream by the age of 60, and at this performance he was struck by a fatal stroke.
Yuri was the first to enter Moscow. A handsome talented young man was accepted into Sliver, and from there he had a direct road to the Maly Theater, all the more, the “old people” treated him very favorably. Vitaly hesitated for a long time what to choose: he had noticeable success in sports, and he did not like to speak with poetry. But either following his brother, or after watching the film "The Fate of a Man", he decided to show himself to the visiting commission, which came to Chita in search of young talents. The younger Solomin liked it and left to enter - also in Sliver. The already experienced Yuri helped him prepare.
Rules for the wife
In Moscow, Vitaly was uncomfortable, he did not get close to anyone. He was especially surprised by the idle life of the capital's "golden youth". It happens - from what you promise, on that you will get burned. He fell in love with a student at the Shchukin School Natalya Rudnaya the writer's daughter. They got married, but family life was not like the one that young Solomin had planned for himself: a hot dinner, leisurely conversations at the table, and always two children. Natasha spent time at parties. The marriage quickly fell apart, and Solomin vowed not to marry for 10 years.
But at the very end of the 60s, the director Petr Todorovsky launches with the movie "Urban Romance". The big-eyed and very touching student of the textile institute Masha Leonidova was approached right on the Leningradskaya street and offered to act in films. And Masha timidly asked that Vitaly Solomin, the same one from the film "Women", be tried for the male role. By the way, this was almost the only case when Solomin was not approved for the role, he was filmed Evgeny Kindinov. But Masha remained in Vitaly's life forever.
They met infrequently - they lived in different cities. But the meetings were unforgettable: flowers, restaurants. Masha did not know that her gentleman spends almost all that he earns on this. Eventually they got married. And the beginning family life was completely different from the previous ones. Solomin escaped from Moscow for a few days and simply invited Masha to go to the registry office. When the young wife saw off Vitaly, already at the station he said: "Give me your word that you will no longer act in films." For a year they went to visit each other.
Solomin believed that a young beautiful woman on the set was too much of a temptation, and he learned the lessons of his first marriage well. Masha happily agreed to do as her beloved wants. Only occasionally did she still manage to be on the set. Together with her husband, she played in "Silva" and in one of the series about Sherlock Holmes.
Maria Antoninovna did as Vitaly dreamed: her work never interfered with the family. She bore him two beautiful daughters. The authority of Vitaly Methodievich was so unquestioning that she herself felt like a child compared to her husband.
Not everything in their family was always perfect. A period came when Solomin withdrew into himself and in solitude wrote a diary that he kept all his life and in which he mercilessly judged himself for his actions. Maria realized that he had someone appeared. She gathered her strength and invited her husband to make a choice. What was it like for a woman who lived behind her husband like behind a stone wall? For two days she painfully waited for an answer, and finally Vitaly announced that he was staying in the family.
As Maria Antoninovna herself said, she had to “forgive” her husband twice. Rumor attributes Solomin novels with the beauties of the Maly Theater - Elena Tsyplakova and Svetlana Amanova. But, whatever it was, the family survived. Their marriage lasted 30 years. Solomin was a wonderful father and grandfather, a real master. He managed to build a dacha, equipped a workshop there and taught his grandson himself Kirill carpentry.
"To you Alexander Andreyich Chatsky"
Many people wonder how two outstanding Solomin brothers got along in the same theater. Probably not always easy, they were very different, both externally and in character. But, as a close friend of Vitaly testifies Vasily Livanov, the younger never said a single bad word about the older. The wife of Vitaly Solomin recalled that in the first years of family life she heard from her husband only admiring reviews about her brother.
Another thing is that the Maly Theater is one of the most conservative, and Vitaly Solomin did not always like the roles that he was offered. At 34, he seemed to have waited for his finest hour. On his Chatsky, who at the beginning of "Woe from Wit" flew out onto the well-deserved stage, splashed, scattered felt boots and adjusted "Lennon's" glasses on his nose, all of Moscow fell. But then there was a break again.
In 1986, Vitaly Solomin even left Maly for the Theater. Moscow City Council. And what is interesting - as soon as the artistic director of "House Ostrovsky” became Yuri Methodievich, immediately returned. True, Solomin Sr. did not hide the fact that his mother, Zinaida Ananyevna, who highly appreciated Yuri and believed that he knew exactly what was best, played a big role in this.
death on stage
Fate gave Solomin the role of Dr. Watson. But it wasn't the role that made him famous, it was he who made her famous. No film about the great detective until that time had such a bright Watson (Watson).
by the way : At the very beginning of filming, Vasily Livanov went on a spree a little. Solomin, who was outraged by this, offered his partner in the Maly Theater for the main role - Boris Klyuev. A few scenes were even filmed. Then Klyuev played a cameo role Mycroft Holmes.
They did not want to claim Solomin, saying that Watson cannot be red and snub-nosed. But the director Igor Maslennikov showed the "experts" a photo Conan Doyle and they were forced to shut up.
Livanov and Solomin, who did not get along at first, gradually became soulmates. Not only they were friends, but their wives and children. Solomin, who seemed to many to be withdrawn, unsociable, a person who really could pass without saying hello, was very generous to those he loved. He could arrange for his theatrical associates New Year with Christmas tree and gifts in April. He invited only his closest relatives to the anniversary - and there were 300 of them. Although most of his friends were not artists. There were many doctors among them.
It was they who warned Vitaly Methodievich to seriously take care of his health. Solomin was tormented by hypertension from his youth. But the actor brushed it aside, and his wife generally forbade conversations on this topic.
In recent years, life literally smiled at him: he starred a lot, and the theater was allowed to stage the musical "Wedding Krechinsky". In this performance, Solomin played the main role, sang, danced, in his almost 60 years he sat down on a twine with a swing. Often during the intermission he was given an injection to relieve pressure. But on April 24, 2002, he played out the first act already semi-paralyzed. Until now, those who were on stage with him that evening cannot understand: how did he manage to finish the words of the role. Then he was taken to the Sklifosovsky Institute.
Yuri Methodievich bitterly recalled: “I, as the artistic director of the theater, was forced to go out to the audience, say that we could not finish the performance, and offer those who wished to return the money. More than half lined up at the checkout.” The actor and director still cannot understand this.
Vitaly Solomin fought for his life for another 34 days. He had an operation. Sometimes he regained consciousness, and then it seemed that everything was still fixable. But on May 27, 2002, he was gone.
\u003d In memory of Vitaly Solomin \u003d \u003d Between Watson and "Winter Cherry" \u003dOn December 12, 2012, Vitaly Methodievich Solomin would have turned 71 ... He starred in the films: "Women", "Big Sister", "Dauria", "Siberiada", "The Bat", "Silva".
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, as well as Winter Cherry, directed by Igor Maslennikov, brought him particular popularity.
Vitaly Solomin had the last blow at the play "Krechinsky's Wedding" staged by him. He, like Moliere or Andrei Mironov, finished the first act and ... He was taken from the stage to the Sklifosovsky Institute. “If it weren’t for these 34“ Sklifosovsky ”days, the girls’ hearts would have broken,” Maria Solomina, the wife of the actor, will later say about her daughters. And he prayed. Having been baptized two years before his death, he came to God and received the unction sincerely (so says his confessor).
In one of the interviews, Vitaly said: “I don’t understand such plots in which there is no love story. Because everything is in it.” In his life, love was called Mary. Solomin left his first wife, taking with him only a suitcase and vowing never to marry. On the set of the film "Urban Romance" he met Masha Leonidova and corrected his words - not to marry an actress. And so it happened. After they explained and finally signed, Masha stopped filming. There were reasons for resentment in their lives ... But in the end, Maria took responsibility for the family and agreed that "a man should be in love, especially a creative man." Vitaly at about the same time said to a friend: "I will not leave Masha under any circumstances."
Solomins are from Chita. In 1937, on December 31, their grandfather was arrested. Since then, the family has not put up a Christmas tree for a long time. And this means that there was no holiday, there were no sweets and tangerines that can be furtively plucked from a tree smelling of pine needles; which the little boy began to do when the pain in the family subsided a little. He did not calm down until he had eaten all the sweets. And so he remained sweet. (In his deserted dressing room, behind a mirror, they will find an open jar of jam).
From childhood, he had a desire to arrange a holiday for everyone both in life and on stage. The stories about them are innumerable among people who knew him closely.
At the same time, he had a complex character and a difficult relationship with his brother. Yuri Solomin does not like and does not want to talk about this. And Vitaly, when asked if he consults with Yuri, answered in one interview in such a way that he gave rise to various guesses and versions: he usually consults at night when he finds a revelation, therefore, only with his wife.
The six-year difference in childhood is significant. "What common interests could a ninth grader have with a third grader?" - admitted the eldest, Yuri. Their paths run parallel. Yuri dreamed of acting since childhood. Vitaly - was not going to go to drama school. But fate had its own way. The younger Solomin did not even have to go to Moscow: in the year of his graduation, the Shchepkinsky school was gaining a course in Chita. The elder joined the party, and then grew up to the minister, and to the artistic director of the theater. The younger one did not think about the party. When party organizer Elena Nikolaevna Gogoleva was sent to him, the wise actress whispered to Vitaly: "I will tell" them "that you are underage." The elder became famous for the role of adjutant of His Excellency. The younger one is Dr. Watson. As a child, Yuri beat his brother in loto, and then with a smile he confessed that he had cheated a little. Vitaly absolutely did not know how to lose and therefore was offended to tears, to gloomy sitting under the table. Growing up, he almost dropped out of school in his first year, getting "good" instead of "excellent" in the exam.
They are both wonderful actors. But! Yuri is revered, but Vitaly was loved. A conversation overheard on Theater Square: "I'm going" to Solomin "-" To which one? - "To the talented one - to Vitaly" (In Maly they gave Ostrovsky's "Not All the Cat's Carnival").
At the mention of the name of Vitaly Solomin, everyone first of all remembers the charming and naive Dr. Watson from the series about Sherlock Holmes. Then Igor Maslennikov will shoot Solomin in "Winter Cherry", which so captivated the female audience.
The heroine of Tatyana Doronina in "The Elder Sister" recites Belinsky's words about the theater: "Live and die in it, if you can! .." Vitaly Solomin, who played Kirill in this film, could. If only he could live longer...
At that performance "Krechinsky's Wedding" there was a spectator who decided that the artist went on stage drunk and went to return the ticket ...
There are roles, having played which, the actor may no longer act - he becomes famous and loved for many years. Vitaly Solomin appeared on the screen to the brilliant chords of almost Victorian music written by composer Vladimir Dashkevich. In a long English coat, in a bowler hat, with a cane. In his neatly groomed mustache was hidden the lightest and most charming smile in the world of Russian cinema.
Dr. Watson is, of course, Vitaly Solomin's calling card. For millions of viewers, frozen for the hundredth time in front of the TV screen, on which the English gentlemen performed by Livanov and Solomin unravel the next intrigues of the villains, he will remain Watson. True, Solomin for the role of Watson, surprisingly today, was not claimed for a long time - because of the absolutely non-English appearance. Fortunately, the director managed to convince the management that Solomin is a typical Scot. And Solomin played the Englishman Dr. Watson so accurately that even the subjects of the British crown would not protest.
The most vivid childhood memory is snow-white cotton wool between wooden window frames, decorated with multi-colored fragments. Christmas decorations. New Year for Vitaly will be a special holiday. Indeed, even before his birth, one day on the night of January 1, his grandfather was arrested, which is why the family did not put up a Christmas tree for many years.
The Solomin family lived in a 40-meter room in an old house: father, mother, grandmother, older brother Yuri. Father Methodius Viktorovich was a choirmaster, led the House folk art. Mom Zinaida Ananyevna is a pianist in the House of Pioneers. They never managed to teach their youngest son, unlike their elder Yura, to play musical instruments, which Vitaly regretted, having already become an actor.
Until graduation, Vitaly did not think that he would become an actor, he was good at mathematics. And it is not known how life would have turned out if the Shchepkinsky school had not recruited in Chita in the year of graduation. And he decided to try himself, especially since before his eyes was the example of his older brother Yuri, who by this time had already successfully graduated from this famous theater university.
This course is unanimously called unique. He was recruited by the great artist Nikolai Annenkov. There were almost no Muscovites on the course. But, in addition to Vitaly Solomin, a record number of stars came out - Oleg Dal, Viktor Pavlov, Mikhail Kononov. At that time, students of theatrical universities were strictly forbidden to act in films. However, Vitaly, despite the prohibitions, spent almost all the nights at the film studio - he starred in extras and small episodes. He was already trying to understand what cinema is and how to shoot.
Having received a "four" for acting, Solomin even wanted to leave Shchepkinsky, but painful pride did not allow him - he did not like to lose. Vitaly constantly proved that although he followed in the footsteps of his older brother, he still had his own path. Vitaly began to enter the theater stage as a student. Next to the great old men of the Maly Theater, learning from them, the young actor knew how to remain himself.
He was independent and always defended his point of view. Perhaps that is why he liked the Moscow beauty - daughter famous writer Natalia Native. Once Anatoly Efros invited a group of fourth-year students to his play "Dancing on the Highway", where Vitaly and Natasha were to play the main roles. But the performance was not released, Vitaly and Natasha became husband and wife, but then separated.
It is possible that Vitaly, with his views on life, simply could not match the standard of living of Natalya's family. Or maybe, oddly enough, creative jealousy affected, because Natalya became more popular before her ambitious husband. In 1964, the film-opera "Iolanthe" was released, and the whole country was captivated by the beauty of the main character. But they say that Solomin had jealousy of a different order - Natalya had an affair. Upon learning of this, Vitaly left, giving himself a vow never to marry again, especially an actress.
The first success came to Solomin in 1966, when the film "Women" was released. A film about love - simple, reliable, tender. Without intimate scenes, but, nevertheless, the real one, for which the female half of the population yearns so much at all times. In one interview, Vitaly said: “I don’t understand the plot at all, in which there is no love story. Everything is in it.” In the story called "Life" his love was called Mary. It was a completely unexpected gift of fate, clearly destined from above. Despite all previous disappointments.
In 1970, Pyotr Todorovsky began work on his charming film "Urban Romance". Then the charming student of the Leningrad Textile Institute, Masha Leonidova, was invited to appear almost without trial. But a partner was chosen for her for a long time. Moreover, Masha herself was offered to choose from two artists. Everyone knew the actor who played the main male role in Women. And Masha, of course, called Vitaly.
Friendships developed between the young people, and the acting duet promised to be very successful. But the director decided to replace the too positive Solomin with the ambiguous Kindinov. This was the first and last time that Vitaly was removed from the role. Vitaly and Masha might not have met, but after a chance meeting with the film's sound engineer, he called her.
The romance began. Solomin courted on a grand scale - flowers, restaurants, noisy companies and, of course, going to the theater. Masha has never seen such a talented, secular, witty and generous person as Vitaly. Soon he proposed to Masha. There was practically no place for young people to live. Vitaly for a long time could not decide to offer Masha to move to Moscow, to a hostel, to the room where he then lived.
After the wedding, Masha saw Vitaly in a different light. Solomin turned out to be rather withdrawn, he could be silent for weeks, thinking about something of his own. But Masha, by nature, is a very accommodating and understanding person, she accepted him with all her heart. And even despite the harsh conditions that he set her. Vitaly had a very clear family model, and he immediately said: "You will not be an actress. Of course, you will do something for the soul. But so that I come and I have a hot dinner." Masha loved him and therefore easily abandoned her career as an actress for Vitaly. She became just a wife and mother. His ideal of a family, at first sight old-fashioned, became a way of life for them. It brought happiness and was simply called love.
The coming 70s can be called the time of his theatrical triumph. "Not all the cat's carnival" is a cheerful, mischievous performance, which will be specially attended by Solomin. Every intonation, every gesture of his caused sincere laughter in the hall.
Soon Tsarev invited Solomin to play Chatsky. The performance for years became calling card theater. They were opened every season. There were many original solutions in the performance - these were felt boots flying on the stage, and round glasses that resembled either Griboyedov himself, or the idol of the youth of the 70s, John Lennon. And although Tsarev did not like all the ideas, he gave Vitaly carte blanche.
"Woe from Wit" will be followed by "The Fiesco Conspiracy in Genoa", and then "Mamura". In this performance, he will appear with the great Elena Gogoleva, the legend of Maly, who, oddly enough, turned to Vitaly for help. She really wanted not to look like a mastodon, a lady from the last century. And he worked with her, rehearsed.
Solomin's path to directing was not accidental for him. He always carefully thought out and directed his acting work, correctly offering his version of work, which usually helped a performance or a film a lot, and sometimes saved it. His first work was nothing less than "The Living Corpse". Suddenly the theater learns that it is starting to rehearse on its own, absolutely without any plan, without any order, and a very large group of artists arrive at 9 and rehearse with Solomin Leo Tolstoy until 11. It was, according to various reminiscences, an unexpected reading of Tolstoy. One could agree and disagree with this, but this work added problems to Solomin. Tsarev practically forbade this interpretation of The Living Corpse. And then he allowed it, but Yuri played the main role. Vitaly was very worried. Probably, since that time he had problems with hypertension.
Following The Living Corpse, he will stage My Favorite Clown, Wild Woman, Krechinsky's Wedding, Ivanov. Much was said about these works, they were perceived ambiguously. But, one way or another, each of them was noticeable. Today, unfortunately, none of these performances are in the theater's repertoire. It's a pity, because they were truly Solomin's suffering, which is characteristic only of a true master.
Alas, I had to think about money. And Vitaly grabbed everything. A little later, he began to stage private performances. In the meantime, in the 70s and 80s, cinema helped to survive. Solomin starred in "Siberiade" by Andron Konchalovsky, then there was a mischievous, light, like Strauss's music itself, "The Bat", where the Solomin brothers played together.
And finally, director Igor Maslennikov has begun work on the film "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson", the shooting of which will last 7 years intermittently. The work gave Solomin, of course, pleasure, but also exhausting. He had to spend a day in Leningrad, a day in Moscow, so it turned out that sometimes for 10 days he slept on the train.
In the same period, Igor Maslennikov shot the legendary film - "Winter Cherry". A love story that even today, especially today, does not leave the female audience indifferent. At first, another actor starred in the film, but after some time Maslennikov appointed Vitaly. He said, "I need some red spot, some amorphous mass." According to the director's idea, this film is a male exposure, about male insignificance.
What the actor was like in life - subtle, without falsehood - only the closest people and friends knew about it. For friends, the Solomins' house was always open. The reason for the collection could be anything - for example, just a well-purchased herring. Vitaly was very fond of cooking, loved to receive guests.
But life is not always a holiday. Especially the actors. The time of success is over, a period has come when there were no roles in performances for him. It was real drama. Downtime lasted for five years, and, tired of waiting, he went to the Mossovet Theater for two years, where he played in Astafyev's "The Sad Detective". As always, masterful.
In 1988, Yuri Methodievich Solomin was appointed artistic director of the Maly Theater. They say that the mother of artists, Zinaida Ananyevna, always wanted her sons to work together. And Vitaly returned to his native theater. Vitaly had a difficult relationship with his brother, but Yuri always supported him.
At the same time, Solomin was offered to be the artistic director of the course at VGIK, and Vitaly agreed. VGIK, rehearsal of "Ivanov", entreprises, filming a movie. The work was satisfying. Vitaly Methodievich dreamed of a dacha, saved up money. Somehow, a wonderful artist of the Maly Theater, Viktor Ivanovich Khokhryakov, presented Solomin with a workbench. And when they bought a dacha in Khlebnikov, Vitaly made a workshop out of an old barn, in which he dreamed of teaching his grandchildren various useful male deeds.
On his 60th birthday, having played "Ivanov", Vitaly danced like a young man, in no way inferior to his students. His face was flushed, indicating pressure. To the warnings, the actor laughed it off: "I'm skipping bars." Five months remained before the final curtain of his life. They say that Solomin got used to the image of Ivanov so much that his psychophysical state in this role exhausted him completely. As you know, Ivanov voluntarily passes away in the final. It was Solomin's last acting job.
And on that fateful April day, Solomin played Krechinsky. And, it would seem, nothing foreshadowed trouble. During the rehearsal, Vitaly Methodievich said: "There is a performance ahead, and I'm so tired, as if I played it in its entirety." Nobody gave it any importance. In the middle of the act, Lyuda Titova says: "Vitaly's left hand is icy. He does not raise it." But Solomin finished the act, they gave the curtain, and he said: "Something is very bad with me."
Vitaly Methodievich was taken to the hospital. In the hospital, he came to his senses, wrote a letter to Masha for some reason on English language. For many years he tried to learn this language, but he was not given it. And suddenly, who knows, maybe the beloved Dr. Watson came to his aid at such a difficult moment for him.
34 days the actor was between life and death, between heaven and earth. For 34 days, his family and friends, and the whole theater, prayed for him. In the hope that he will return to them. But he left.
