The versatility of a person's talent manifests itself gradually and in different situations. Many directors came from the acting environment. The biography of Leonid Kulagin, an actor and director, surprises with the variety of events that happened in his life.
Childhood and youth
Not many viewers know that cinema is a director's art. All other persons involved in the production of the film perform specific functions that are assigned to them by the “first person”. Leonid Nikolaevich Kulagin dreamed of going on stage from an early age. This desire did not appear to him in a dream. He watched theatrical performances and imagined himself in the place of the main characters. The boy found out later that the same director was “hiding” somewhere behind the scenes. Along with this knowledge came an understanding of the whole process of creating a play or film.
The future actor and director was born on June 7, 1940 in an ordinary Soviet family. Parents at that time lived in the distant Siberian town of Kirensk, which stands on the banks of the Lena River. My father worked as an electrician in the river port. Mother taught Russian language and literature at school. At the same time she was broadcasting on local radio. The child was not yet five years old when she died as a result of the doctors' mistake. After a while, little Lenya and his father moved to the famous city of Gorky, which is now called Nizhny Novgorod. Here they settled in the house of their grandfather.
The path to the profession
Kulagin's love for the theater did not appear from scratch. Father was hired as an electrician at the Gorky Drama Theater. He took the little boy with him almost every day. Leonid not only watched the performances, but also easily memorized the monologues of the main characters and even minor characters. When it came time to choose a profession, Kulagin applied to the local drama school to get a specialized education. In 1960, the graduated actor entered the service at the Gorky Drama Theater.
After a year and a half, Kulagin was invited to the city of Chita. Then he played the main roles in the theaters of Lipetsk and Bryansk. The actor's creative career was developing successfully. In 1968, Leonid Nikolaevich established himself in the troupe of the Moscow Gogol Drama Theater. A year later, the actor played one of the main roles in Andrei Konchalovsky's film "The Noble Nest". Then the picture “Privalov's Millions” was released. Kulagin's fans count almost a hundred projects in which he took part.
Recognition and privacy
Leonid Kulagin is also known as a director. The showcase project was the television series "Kulagin and Partners". The creativity of Leonid Nikolaevich was appreciated at its true worth - he was awarded the Order of Honor. Awarded the title of People's Artist of the RSFSR.
In the personal life of the actor, there were misfires. The family was created on the second try. Husband and wife belong to the same workshop. They have a son. And already an adult grandson. In recent years, Leonid Nikolaevich has been engaged in dubbing works of classical and children's literature.
