Gurzo Sergei Safonovich is an outstanding Soviet actor, director, poet, twice winner of the Stalin Prize. His life was short, like a flash of a star, he left the same bright and unforgettable mark in the cinema.
Childhood and youth
The future film actor was born in 1926. He spent his childhood in a communal apartment in the capital on the Kuznetsky Most. Severity and patriarchy reigned in the family. The boy's grandfather is a confessor, his father was engaged in medical practice, his mother taught students. Only my uncle had a creative profession - People's Artist served in the Moscow Art Theater.
As a seventeen-year-old boy, Sergei went to the front. During the liberation of Poland, he was seriously wounded, and this was the end of the war for him. He spent a whole year in the hospital, then was demobilized to Moscow. He did not choose a profession for long, and he entered VGIK the first time.
Film work
The film debut took place while still a student. The aspiring actor brilliantly coped with the role of Sergei Tyulenin in the film "Young Guard". With bated breath, the audience watched as the young patriot hoisted the red flag on the eve of the Great October Revolution in the city occupied by the Nazis. The team of authors, headed by Sergei Gerasimov, received the Stalin Prize for this work, and Gurzo was also awarded his own award. Suddenly, recognition came to the young artist. Dozens of female fans chased him to get his long-awaited autograph. After his first great success, the directors invited him every year to shoot: "Far from Moscow" (1950), "On Peaceful Days" (1951), "Towards Life" (1952), "Outpost in the Mountains" (1953).
On the set of the film "Brave People" (1950), the artist refused the help of an understudy. His desperate hero Vasya Govorukhin rode a horse masterfully and fired back from the pursuit. The famously twisted plot of the Soviet militant pleased Stalin himself. In the year of its release, the tape was watched by a record number of viewers - more than forty million. This actor's work was again awarded the most prestigious state prize. The rapid success dizzy the young artist, now he was a regular at noisy actors' feasts. But, even at the peak of his fame, he never forgot about true friendship and mutual assistance. He gave his bonus money to his mother and the orphanage.
Creative turning point
The end of the 50s was marked by a crisis in the artistic life of Gurzo. On the screen he managed to create several more images: Andrey Ptakha in the film Born by the Storm (1958), Filka Nail in the film Two Lives (1961), and in the film Restless Spring (1956) he tried himself as a second director. The words often began to sound that the actor was playing half-heartedly and his images were not vivid enough. Wanting to change his life, Sergei changed Moscow to the northern capital. There, new roles and a new family awaited him. The powerful actor was again talked about after the film "It All Starts with the Road" (1959). His hero, a thief, Shurka, goes to build a road after prison. In the film "The Diplomat" (1961) Gurzo again tested himself as a director.
In addition to film roles, Sergei Safonovich was remembered as a poet and songwriter, which were often sounded at his concerts. They were included in the collection of poetry "Far, close …". For the last decade, the artist did not act in films, they simply forgot about him, no one was interested in how the former movie star lives. The handsome and charming actor could not cope with a terrible disease - alcoholism. He died in a hospital bed, not even living until 48 years old. And although this fact went unnoticed in official sources, many people came to see their pet off.
Personal life
The actor was officially married several times. For the first time he married while studying at Nadezhda Samsonova. The wife gave him twins Natalia and Sergei. Both of them followed in the footsteps of their father and devoted themselves to the acting profession. The son also tried himself as a director and founded his own studio. In Leningrad, Sergei met Irina Gubanova. The actress became his new wife, a daughter, Anna, appeared in the family. This was followed by several de facto marriages and divorces, twice more the actor became a father. Sergei Gurzo loved women, and they loved him. But due to his addiction, no one stayed with him for long.
