Sergei Alexandrovich Martinson is a famous Soviet theater and film actor who began his biography back in the 19th century. He played more than 100 roles and received the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR in 1964 for his creative activity. He was called "the king of comedians" and he was a real professional in his field.
The skill of Sergei Alexandrovich is admired today, remembering his Duremar in The Golden Key or Bonnie in Silva, where he performed the cancan delightfully, but not many people know that all his life the actor dreamed of a serious dramatic role, which he never did on screen. He continued to act until he was 85, and passed away, forgotten by almost everyone, alone in his Moscow apartment.
Childhood
Martinson was born in the winter of 1899 in St. Petersburg into a noble family, although some sources said that the birthplace of the future great actor was Paris. His father was a baron of Swedish origin and an honorary citizen of St. Petersburg. Mom is a noblewoman, nee Petrova.
From an early age, the boy was surrounded with love and care and raised in an atmosphere of art. Together with his parents, he constantly visited the opera, cabaret and ballet, and at home the family often organized holidays and theatrical performances. During his school years, Sergei amused his classmates and teachers to the bone. He was even nicknamed "the main school clown."
At home, the boy liked to constantly portray someone, putting on his mother's clothes and showing various funny little performances. For example, at the age of five, Sergei portrayed the Snow Maiden, from whose image everyone was just delighted.
With the advent of cinematography, Sergey became interested in watching films and often visited the cinema in the center of St. Petersburg. And then, at home, he again put on performances, depicting the various characters he saw on the screen.
The boy received an excellent education at the gymnasium, knew several languages, although among the students he did not stand out for good academic performance and devoted most of his time to the theater stage. Having entered a technical institute after grammar school, he soon realized that his future profession was not for him and returned to the theater again. After graduating from the Institute of Performing Arts, he began his creative career.
Theater and cinema
Martinson worked for a long time, first at the Theater of the Revolution, and then he was invited to join his troupe by Meyerhold himself, where he acquired a celebrity. After a while, they even began to call him the Russian Chaplin for his talent and eccentricity.
In the cinema, Sergei Alexandrovich appeared in 1934. His first role was in the film "Puppets". This was followed by the film "The Death of a Sensation", and soon "The Golden Key", where he embodied on the screen the image of Duremar - the seller of leeches, organically merging with the puppet characters.
During the war, Martinson twice starred in the image of Hitler, for which he promised to personally get even with the actor. In the following years, Sergei Alexandrovich often got the role of villains. The audience remembered his roles in "The Exploit of the Scout" and "Dowry".
Towards the end of the war, the musical film "Silva" was staged, where the actor got the role of the cheerful, elegant dandy - Bonnie. The film was staged based on I. Kalman's operetta, and Martinson appeared before the audience in a completely new character.
The last time an actor starred in a movie was shortly before his death. It was the film "And life, and tears, and love", which told about the life of war veterans.
Personal life
There were several marriages in the life of the actor. The first time he became a husband was during his years of study at the institute. The marriage with fellow student Catherine lasted more than 10 years, the couple had a daughter, but, according to the actor himself, there was no spiritual connection in the family and, perhaps, that is why the marriage ended in divorce.
The ballerina Elena (Lola) Dobrzhanskaya became the second wife, although they did not formalize official relations. They had a son, who, due to circumstances, was brought up by Elena's sister. Dobrzhanskaya herself was repressed and exiled to the camps, where she died of a serious illness.
The third wife is Louise, whom I met on the set of the next film. This marriage also did not bring happiness to Martinson, although the couple had a daughter. The wife, after Sergei Alexandrovich gave her an apartment with her daughter, filed for divorce.
