Alexander Adabashyan has achieved significant success in the film industry. But he still considers himself more of an artist than an actor or director. He does a lot of design, continues to make films and appears on screens from time to time as an actor. In 2016 Adabashyan became an Honored Art Worker of Russia
Biography and work of Alexander Adabashyan
Alexander Adabashyan was born in the capital of the USSR on August 10, 1945. His father was the head of department at the Ministry of Construction. Mother worked as a teacher of German. The future actor and director grew up in an Armenian family, but was brought up exclusively in Russian culture. Alexander does not speak Armenian.
In 1969, Adabashyan became a student at the Stroganov School, where he graduated from the department of artistic metalworking. In 1970, during his summer practice, he worked as a decorator for his friend Nikita Mikhalkov, who shot a film that became his thesis.
Subsequently, Alexander took part in the filming of a short film by Sergei Nikonenko "Petrukhina's surname". Here he served as a production designer.
The creative union with Mikhalkov found its continuation in the work on the films "At home among strangers, a stranger among friends", "Slave of love". In several films of Mikhalkov, Adabashyan acted as a screenwriter. Among them - "A few days from the life of Oblomov", "Five evenings", "Black eyes".
Alexander Adabashyan played several dozen episodic roles. The audience remembered the vivid images of the butler Barrymore in the famous "Dog of the Baskervilles", Berlioz in the film adaptation of the novel "The Master and Margarita".
As a director, Adabashyan made his debut in 1990 with the film Mado on Demand. This film received the main prize at the Cannes Film Festival in a special program "Perspectives of French Cinema".
In 2002, Alexander Artyomovich created a screen version of Boris Akunin's novel Azazel. However, at the final stage of the filming process, the director could not defend the original concept of the picture, after which he removed his name from the credits.
Adabashyan's work is not limited to cinema. In 1997, thanks to his efforts, the opera Boris Godunov was staged at the Mariinsky Theater. He has successfully participated in the program “Thank God you came!” More than once.
Adabashyan was also involved in interior design. He designed the restaurants "Griboyedov", "Oblomov", "Antonio".
Alexander Adabashyan about himself
Alexander Artyomovich admits that he does not consider himself a director. By his vocation, he is an artist. But even here he does not recognize himself as a special talent. Adabashyan believes that he has average abilities. In many ways, Alexander was helped by his meetings with true masters of their craft to be creative at a high level.
Adabashyan announced his political position by signing in March 2014 an appeal by a number of authoritative cultural figures of Russia in support of Vladimir Putin's policy in Crimea and Ukraine.
Alexander Artyomovich was married twice. His first wife was Marina Lebesheva. The second wife of the filmmaker is Ekaterina Shadrina. Adabashyan's daughter, Alexandra, graduated from the Faculty of Philology. Adabashyan has a granddaughter Katya.
