Mikhail Kononov is an actor known to a wide audience for his films Big Change and Guest from the Future. Few people know, but Mikhail Ivanovich did not like many of his star roles. In recent years, he wrote memoirs, to which almost no one was interested.
Childhood, adolescence
Mikhail was born on April 25, 1940, his hometown is Moscow. His father was a doorman at a hotel, his mother worked as a cook. Parents were not sociable, but Misha grew up open and cheerful. He became interested in theater early, participated in amateur performances.
After school, Mikhail began to study at the Shchepkin School, where he was called a nugget. His classmates were Oleg Dal, Vitaly Solomin. Kononov had a quick-tempered character, because of which he had almost no friends. He became close only with Dahl, they were called "Two boots - a pair."
Creative career
For the first time Kononov made his film debut while still a student. It was the film "Our Common Friend" (directed by Ivan Pyriev). Then the image of an awkward, but charming hero was fixed for the actor.
After college, Mikhail worked at the Maly Theater, but soon left there. Then there was serious work - the role in the film by Tarkovsky "Andrei Rublev" (1966). In 1967, the film "Head of Chukotka" (directed by Vitaly Melnikov) was released, which became successful.
But great glory was still ahead. After the movie "Big Break" the actor became famous throughout the Union. Kononov did not want to act in it, but the director persuaded him. Then the actor did not like to talk about this film.
In the early eighties, Mikhail Ivanovich took part in the filming of children's films ("Finist - Clear Falcon", "Almanzora Rings", "Guest from the Future"). Then the cinema began to change. Kononov almost did not accept the proposals of the directors, he really did not like the scripts
The actor starred in only a few films ("The First Circle", "Ryaba Chicken", "Feasts of Belshazzar"), in recent years he wrote his memoirs. Mikhail Kononov died on July 16, 2007 at the age of 67. The reason was heart failure against the background of pneumonia, thrombophlebitis and heart attack, which had been suffered earlier.
Personal life
Kononov's wife was a girl named Natalya. They met in 1969 at a party. Natalia worked at a radio station, wanted to become a model.
The death of his mother became a big shock for the psyche of the actor. He became rude, despotic, forbade Natalia to act in films. To keep the family together, she devoted herself to her husband and even gave up motherhood. Kononov did not want to have children.
Natalia forgave Mikhail his betrayal. At 54, the actor had a vivid romance with an eighteen-year-old actress named Margarita. Kononov paid for her education, helped with her career. However, the girl wanted to deceive the spouses' apartment, but Natalya filed a lawsuit against the fraudster.
Parting with Rita badly affected the health of Mikhail Ivanovich. To pay for the treatment, Kononov sold the property. In recent years, he and his wife lived in the village of Butyrki (Moscow region), worked in the garden, kept a pig.
