Mikhail Rumyantsev is a famous Soviet circus artist, clown Pencil, film actor. People's and Honored Artist of the RSFSR and the USSR was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor, awarded the Order of Lein, the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, and several medals.
Mikhail Nikolaevich Rumyantsev was known by millions of viewers as the clown of Karandash. His biography began on November 27 (December 10) in a working class family. He was born in St. Petersburg in 1901.
The road to destination
From early childhood, the child painted beautifully. In 1914 he became a student at the School for the Encouragement of the Arts. During the Civil War, the boy drew posters for the cinema. Later, he himself made all the props for his circus performances.
In 1922 he moved to Staritsa. There Rumyantsev began to write posters for the city theater. From 1925 he stayed to work in Tver after completing the tour of the Staritsa Theater there. However, in the same year he moved to Moscow. He worked in the cinema "Screen of Life" as an artist, created posters.
In 1926, Mikhail decided to become a film actor. He enrolled in stage movement courses, then received his education in the acrobatic eccentric class, where he studied circus art. In 1930, after completing his studies, Rumyantsev worked in circuses in Kazan, Smolensk, Stalingrad.
In the image of Charlie Chaplin began to appear before the public in 1928. He decided to abandon him in 1932. He took up the creation of the author's version. The pseudonym was the name of the French cartoonist Karan d'Ache. The hero of the clown was an adult, who retained children's spontaneity and cheerfulness.
Such an interpretation made all the tricks comical and made the scenes more convincing. At the same time, work was underway on the stage appearance, demeanor, and costume. Pencil took part in the numbers of jugglers, gymnasts, acrobats, animal trainers. In 1936 he was transferred to the capital's circus. The new artist was warmly received by the public.
The film debut took place in 1938. Rumyantsev played in the films "Merry Artists", "New Moscow". The following year, he appeared in Girl with Character and High Prize.
Film activity
From the second half of the thirties, the clown acquired a stage assistant, a small Scotch Terrier named Blot. The name was given by the spouse, to whom the little puppy on the carpet seemed like a blot of ink. The first puppy appeared by accident. Mikhail Nikolaevich came to the station on his way to evacuate to Omsk with a dog.
In 1942, the performer became a member of a special artistic brigade that went to the front. Since 1946, he often became the head of clown groups. Since the forties, Rumyantsev has been attracting student assistants to performances. Among them were the famous Nikulin and Shuydin.
By his appearance, the clown saved the most failed programs. He was conscientious about the profession. The artist demanded the same attitude from the illuminators, uniformists and his assistants. In the cinema, the artist usually played himself in comedy films, almanacs, clownery, film performances.
With his participation the films "Self-Confident Pencil", "Two Smiles", "Parade-alle" were released. The famous clown took part in several documentaries. Among the artist's films, the film story of 1944 "Ivan Nikulin - Russian sailor" stands out. In it, Pencil played an Italian.
According to the plot, the Black Sea men Ivan Nikulin and Vasily Klevtsov return to their carriages in the summer of 1942. The path of the echelon was blocked by an enemy landing. The enemy received a crushing rebuff from the Red Navy men, but then the sailors had to follow their own course. The sailors create a partisan detachment. Nikulin becomes its commander. The planned path becomes heroic.
Memory of the artist
Often his image was used in Soviet animation. A striking example is the 1954 animated film "Pencil and Blot - Happy Hunters". The famous artist became the author of two books. He wrote In the Soviet Circus Arena, published in 1954 under his real name. The pencil was listed in the authors of the work "What is the clown laughing at", published in 1987.
The actor worked until the last days. More than half a century has been devoted to the circus. The clown's jokes and reprises were legendary. He never crossed boundaries, feeling them with amazing precision. Nothing superfluous beyond the bounds has never sounded either in remarks, did not appear in plots.
The great artist died on the last day of March 1983. In memory of him, a memorial plaque was installed on the house in which Rumyantsev lived for the last ten years.
The bronze composition appeared near the building of the Russian Union of Circus Figures. The sculpture is called "Pencil and his dog Blot". A full-length clown in a well-recognizable hat. At his feet sits a black furry Scotch Terrier.
A similar monument stands in front of the building of the State Circus in Gomel. Since 1987, the name of the artist has been borne by the State Metropolitan School of Circus and Variety Arts.
Family and work
The talented artist managed to happily arrange his personal life. He met his future wife, Tamara Semyonovna, when the girl graduated from school.
The absurd little man, much shorter than the beautiful daughter, was accepted by the parents without approval. The age difference between the lovers was two decades. The wife became a colleague of the chosen one. Behind the scenes, it was she who led the entire team.
The family had a child, daughter Natalya. She became an art critic, wrote the book "Pencil" about her father in 1983. The granddaughter of the artist Ovene Rumyantsev became a poet and playwright.
On one of his first trips abroad, the artist acquired a movie camera. He loved to shoot with her. Rumyantsev liked to fish. This was his hobby.
In 2003, a documentary film was shot about Mikhail Nikolaevich, named after the stage name of the protagonist "Pencil".
