Actor Oleg Zhakov has more than a hundred roles and pictures in the film collection. His heroes have always been intelligent and honest people. In each image, the audience saw the artist himself and all facets of his talent.
Oleg Petrovich was born in early March 1905 in Sarapul in the Urals. The father of the future celebrity worked as a doctor. In 10912 the family moved to Kazan. There Oleg went to school. After graduation, the boy entered a real school, where he studied for two years.
Long way to calling
There were always many guests in the house, for whom concerts and performances were arranged. Often, the entire Zhakov family attended the local theater. From an early age, Oleg liked not only reading, but also going to the cinema. The parents did not like this hobby.
In wealthy families, it was customary to stage performances themselves. However, the opinion of the elders did not affect the son. He ran away from school for sessions at the Palace, located opposite the house. The future film actor even had a chance to work there as a projectionist. After 1919 the family moved to Yekaterinburg.
Oleg entered the pedagogical faculty of the Polytechnic College. However, he left his studies after the second year. The young man joined the club of futurist artists, writers, musicians and artists, abbreviated as HLAM.
There Zhakov met with representatives of the urban avant-garde, Sobolevsky and Gerasimov. Oleg was known as an athlete. He really worked as an instructor for a while. On the crossbar, the young man showed the simplest exercises, turning the demonstration into a real show.
With the departure of friends to Leningrad to study, the future performer went after them. He arrived in the city at the beginning of the winter of 1926. Classes had already begun. The comrades helped a friend to enter the studio of Trauberg and Kozintsev. While still a student, Zhakov starred in several films in small roles.
The FEKS teachers explained to the students that every second on the set was valuable. Therefore, any role must be played expressively and realistically.
Film career
The young artist learned from the teachers how to develop an acting style. Teachers sought charisma and mastery of all cinematic means from the performers. Even with the most charming appearance, boring monologues alone cannot win the love of the viewer. After completing education
Zhakov entered the cinematography department of the Leningrad Institute of Performing Arts. After completing his studies, Oleg went to Lenfilm, where he played Kurt Schaeffer in a sound film, then to Mosfilm. In Gerasimov's painting "The Seven Bold" Jacob became a German emigrant.
He has almost no words, so the creation of the image was not easy. Only a few decades later, Gerasimov again offered his friend another job.
In "By the Lake" the artist played Professor Barvin, guarding Lake Baikal. Vasily Shukshin starred with him. In 1937 Zhakov splendidly performed associate professor Vikentiy Vorobyov and "Deputy of the Baltic". No less brilliant was the role of Talanov, a former prisoner, in Invasion.
Directing
In a considerable number of paintings, the artist created diverse images that were completely different from each other. His heroes were distinguished by purposefulness, intelligence. And the actor himself resembled the characters. The last work was the film "Hot Summer in Kabul".
The premiere took place in 1983, when Zhakov was already over eighty. During filming, the artist suffered a heart attack. The disease did not interfere with the completion of the work. In 1946 Zhakov took part in Zguridi's painting "White Fang". He got them from the leading male characters, mining engineer Windon Scott.
The hero travels to Alaska in search of gold-bearing veins. He meets an evil seeker who is trying to break the will of the dog. Scott takes the dog and calls him White Fang. The evil animal after the previous owner, after considerable efforts of the engineer, again believes in man.
The unusual work "Looking for a Man" was shown in 1973. The actor played the main role. At the Goddess, he became the radio host Ivan Grigorievich. People went to his program with their misfortune. The hero helped those who applied to search for lost relatives and friends in very small details. He did the almost impossible.
Oleg Petrovich turned out to be not only a talented performer, but also an excellent director. In 1944, together with screenwriter and stage director Rohm, he created Invasion. The protagonist of the work was released from prison in 1941. He does not understand what to do next, he is afraid of the future. And the war is ahead.
Family and work
Zhakov also took part in the sound of the films. In 1947 he dubbed Visvaldis Silnieks, performed by Draudinis, in Return with Victory. In 1955 he worked on the painting "Give me your hand, my life!", Where he voiced both the unknown and the buyer of Requiem. In 1961, the artist dubbed the heroes of The Deceived.
With his future wife, Tatyana Novozhilova, Zhakov met during a joint participation in a concert. For a long time, the artist of the Leningrad Philharmonic did not take Oleg Petrovich's courtship seriously. She had already been married. The marriage ended in divorce.
However, the actor seemed persistent. Due to health problems, the chosen one was forced to change the climate and move to Pyatigorsk. The husband went after her, leaving everything behind.
Tatiana's relatives accepted such self-sacrifice. He also took care of his wife's children from Galin's first marriage with Oleg. The actor's wife's departure from life was very difficult.
I tried not to share my grief with anyone. Oleg Petrovich Zhakov left life in 1988, on May 4.
