The difficult life of the actor.
Leonid Bykov is a famous Soviet actor and film director who lived a short and difficult life. His biography included popular fame, years of oblivion, and personal drama.
Leonid Fedorovich Bykov was born on December 12, 1928, in the village of Znamenskoye, Donetsk region, in an ordinary working family. Soon, parents moved to the city of Kramatorsk, where the childhood of the boy and his older sister Louise passed.
During the war, the family was evacuated to Barnaul. Like many boys, Leonid repeatedly tried to escape to the front, but he was caught and returned home. At the age of 15, he made his way to the school of military pilots, which at that time was in the city of Oirot-Tur, attributing the missing years to himself. A month later, the fraud was revealed and Leonid was immediately expelled. In the 45th year, he will make another attempt to become a pilot - already in Leningrad. This time, the young man should not have interfered, but he did not study for long - the war ended, and the school was disbanded.
The beginning of an acting career. Theatre
In the 46th year, on the advice of his sister, Bykov came to Kharkov. There he enters the Theater Institute on the course of Dmitry Antonovich (before that there was an unsuccessful admission to the Kiev Theater University). After graduating in 51st year, the young actor receives an invitation to the troupe of the Kharkov Academic Drama Theater. Shevchenko, on the stage of which he will serve for 9 years.
The resounding success in the movie "ugly duckling"
Bykov’s debut in cinema took place at the Kiev film studio in the film directed by Isaac Shmaruk and Viktor Ivchenko “The Fate of Marina” (1953). Despite the small role (coachman Sashko), the actor did not get lost in the background of the stars who starred in this film: Nikolai Gritsenko, Boris Andreev, Mikhail Kuznetsov.
Soon the directors of Lenfilm, Alexander Ivanovsky and Nadezhda Koshevarova, invite Leonid to one of the main roles (Petya Mokina) in his comedy “Tamer of the Tigers”. At that time, actors for the role were approved by the Ministry of Culture. Minister Ekaterina Furtseva, having examined Bykov’s samples, stated that “this ugly duckling cannot compete with Kadochnikov.” According to the plot, Petya is unrequitedly in love with the beginning tamer Lena (Lyudmila Kasatkina’s debut), who prefers the handsome motorcycle racer Fedor (Pavel Kadochnikov) to him.
Fortunately, the directors managed to convince Furtseva - unlike the official, they saw Leonid's enormous talent for a modest appearance. But there were “good people" who conveyed her words to the actor ... The film was released in the 54th year and was a resounding success. The next work of Bykov will be no less successful. These are the main roles in the paintings: “Maxim Perepelitsa” (dir. Anatoly Granik, 1955), “Volunteers” (dir. Yuri Egorov, 1958), “Quarrel in Lukashi” (dir. Maxim Ruf, 1959) , “Aleshkina Love” (dir. Semyon Tumanov and Georgy Schukin, 1961)
Marshal Pokryshkin helped create the “Old Men”
Despite the opposition of officials, Bykov will nevertheless remove a real masterpiece - a military drama about Soviet fighter pilots “Only Old Men Go into Battle”. To do this, he had to turn for help to the very marshal of aviation, the legendary ace of the war, three times Hero of the Soviet Union Alexander Pokryshkin. After reading the script, the marshal ordered the picture not to be repaired. Against such intercession, officials did not dare to object. The film was released in 1974, once again glorifying Bykov as a wonderful actor, and for the first time as a talented director.
Leonid was not destined to become a pilot, but he embodied his childhood dream on the screen. How many years have passed, and not a single celebration of Victory Day is complete without the “Old Men”. After 2 years, Bykov will remove another heroic drama - “Aty-bats, soldiers were coming ...”, which the audience will also enthusiastically welcome and critics will approve. Leonid Fedorovich will not have time to finish his last movie work, the fantastic comedy “Alien”, ..
The cause of death of Leonid Bykov: fatal truck
By the age of 50, Leonid had already suffered 3 heart attacks. Any stress could be the last for the actor, but fate prepared the other end for him. On April 11, 1979, returning from the dacha near Kiev on his Volga, Bykov went to overtake a tractor in front of him and collided with an oncoming truck. Death came instantly.
According to Bykov’s request, which he expressed in writing 3 years before the tragedy, he was modestly buried in the presence of his closest relatives and friends at the Baykovsky cemetery. The actor did not want a farewell at the Cinema House.