Viktor Litvinov is a Russian and Soviet theater and film actor. He has starred in more than 100 films. In 2007 he received the title of Honored Artist of Russia. In 2012, he was remembered by viewers for his participation in the project "Dancing with the Stars".
Biography
Viktor Ustinovich Litvinov was born on March 15, 1951 in Leningrad. His family was not creative. Mother Evstolia Vasilievna was an illiterate woman from the Arkhangelsk province. She was 46 when she found out about the pregnancy. The father of the future actor Ustin Danilovich had already turned 50 by that time. As Viktor himself says, apparently, he got a thirst for life from his parents, because they did not agree to the doctors' persuasion to terminate the pregnancy.
The father did not live long after the birth of his son: after the war, his health was undermined. So the mother had to raise the child alone. It is not surprising that Victor got used to independence early on - from childhood he had to make difficult decisions and help his mother.
He studied well at school: he was not an excellent student, but he did not differ in hooligan antics. The boy loved to read, preferred adventure novels, especially Jack London.
After school, Victor entered the Polytechnic Institute, from which he was drafted into the army. The service changed something in the youth's worldview: at the very first lecture at the Polytechnic after his return, he realized that he had chosen the wrong path. Then he applied to the Leningrad State Institute of Theater, Music and Cinematography (LGITMiK). He entered the first time, but far from immediately "felt" the acting profession: he did not understand what was required of him. I thought: what is it like to play on stage?
The turning point was the moment when Victor skillfully portrayed a swindler in a play based on the stories of O. Henry. “He just played pranks, but it turned out that this was exactly what was needed,” - this is how Litvinov recalls this experience.
Viktor Litvinov graduated from the acting department of the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in 1976. After graduating from the institute, he tried to perform on the theatrical stage: he worked in such famous Leningrad theaters as the Comedy Theater, the Youth Theater, the Theater of Drama and Comedy on Liteiny, for some time he worked at the Saratov Theater. However, the theatrical backstage did not suit him. Throwing everything, Victor left to travel with a construction crew. As he himself said, "went to the covens." He was also a train conductor, visited many distant parts of Russia.
In all its glory, Viktor Litvinov's talent was revealed in his numerous film roles.
Creativity and career
Viktor Litvinov played his first film role back in 1974 as a student. It was the short film Confusion. In 1976 he had a small role as a mountain climber in the drama "While the mountains are standing …". Then the artist got a few more cameo roles in the films "The Golden Mine", the mini-series "Salt of the Earth" and "Emissary of Foreign Color".
Viktor Litvinov first performed the main role in the film Anxiety (1980). In it, he played Senior Lieutenant Maksimov. These films were followed by others, but in fact, until the age of 37, the artist's career in cinema did not develop.
Everything changed in 1988, when director Alexei Saltykov approved Litvinov for the lead role in the film "Everything Paid For" about the Afghan war. The picture almost became the last in Victor's career due to a tragic incident during filming. A metal pin from the antenna of the armored vehicle stuck into the artist's body and passed not far from the artery. The actor had to undergo several difficult operations, but he survived and continued to act.
After the release of this film, Litvinov received numerous filming proposals. He starred in such films as "Do not forget to look back", "Return the past", the drama "The Harem of Stepan Guslyakov" and many others.
The real popular love and fame came to the artist with a role in the film "The Bodyguard" (1991), where he played the role of KGB officer Pavel Selikhov. According to the scenario, an experienced bodyguard is investigating the case of the theft of a unique diamond from the dacha of a crime boss. Viktor Litvinov also starred in the continuation of this picture. It was released in 1983 under the title "Gold of the Party".
In the 90s, Litvinov dabbled in directing, filming documentaries and commercials.
During the serial boom, the artist took part in such successful projects as "Gangster Petersburg", "Russian Special Forces", "Turkish March", "Code of Honor".
The films "The Sky on Fire", where Litvinov played the role of the head of the flight school, and the TV series "Toptuns", where he got the role of a former special forces soldier of the GRU, deserved high marks from the audience.
Despite his considerable age, the artist continues to act now. In 2017-2018, he participated in the TV series "The One Who Doesn't Sleep", "The Defendant", "Matryoshka". In November 2017, the production of the drama Oceanauts was completed in Malta, in which the actor got the main role of General Litvinov.
Personal life
Viktor Litvinov found happiness in the family only in adulthood. Independent character and tragic accidents destroyed his first two marriages.
Victor lived with his first wife Natalia for quite a long time. They had children: a boy and a girl, but the son was killed when hit by a car at the age of 11. Soon after, the marriage broke up, Natalia took her daughter to Estonia. Since then, the former spouses have not communicated.
Their daughter Anna became a famous artist in Estonia. She is married and has two sons - Litvinov's grandchildren: Franz and Ferdinand.
The actor's second wife was a doctor. However, this marriage did not work out: the woman immigrated to Germany, and Victor did not want to follow her. The former spouses have maintained friendly relations.
Viktor Litvinov met his third wife, Elena, when she was only 19 years old. It happened in Kiev on the set. Elena very touchingly looked after him, brought, as the actor recalls, home meals. A year after they met, Victor proposed to her.
Of course, the big difference in age (19 years) at first confused the actor, but now all doubts have disappeared. The couple have been happy for many years, they have two children: Arseny and Aksinya. The story of the birth of the youngest girl partly echoes the biography of Victor himself: he was strongly over 50 when his daughter was born.
The eldest son was born much earlier - in 1992. He also studied for some time at the theater institute, but dropped out and, as his father says about him, "is looking for himself."
