Lovelace Soviet cinema
Oleg Strizhenov is a famous Soviet actor who became famous in his youth from his first steps in theater and cinema. He played only in the best films and performances, and almost every of his work became a masterpiece. Millions of women dreamed of Strizhenov, his wives were the country's most beautiful actresses.
Oleg Strizhenov was born on August 10, 1929, in the city of Blagoveshchensk, Amur Region, in the family of professional military man Alexander Strizhenov and Ksenia Alekseevna, graduate of the St. Petersburg Smolny Institute. In addition to him, his parents had two more eldest sons: Boris (from his mother’s previous marriage) and Gleb. Father continued to fight even after the end of the civil war, destroying the White-Chinese gangs that were operating at that time on the territory of the Sino-Eastern Railway. His wife and children drove him through the garrisons. In 1935, Alexander Nikolaevich was transferred to Moscow, where the family lived 6 happy years before the war with Germany.
Film debut triumphs
After the war, Oleg continued his studies - at first at the fake department of the theater and art school (he painted well), but then he became interested in theater and in 1949 entered the Theater School. Schukin (and his brother Gleb will graduate from the Moscow Art Theater School and subsequently also become a famous actor).
After completing the course, Strizhenov was assigned to the troupe of the Tallinn Russian Drama Theater. Here he was immediately entrusted with the main role of Neznamov in the play “Guilty Without Guilt” based on Ostrovsky’s play. The premiere was a resounding success largely due to the talent and beauty of the young actor. It is not known how his further theatrical career could have developed, but the incident intervened ... Director Alexander Fainzimmer was going to shoot the melodrama “Gadfly” based on the novel by the English writer Lilian Voynich and was looking for an actor for the main role of Arthur. His assistant was in Tallinn passage and saw the game Strizhenova, which made a strong impression on him. He spoke about his “discovery” to Faynzimmer and he invited Oleg to audition.
“Gadfly” was a brilliant start for Oleg’s film career and created him the image of a romantic hero. In his filmography, there will be the best movies, and almost all the roles in them will be the main ones: revolutionary Philip Rivera in the drama “Mexican” based on the story of Jack London (for this role the actor had to not only learn to dance Mexican dances but also really box), the lieutenant Govorukha-Otrok in the military drama “Forty-first”, in which the second main role of Maryutka was played by actress Isolda Izvitskaya.
How Strizhenov took revenge on Sergei Bondarchuk
Then Oleg will star in the role of Peter Grinev in the film adaptation of Pushkin’s novel “The Captain's Daughter” along with Iya Arepina, who played Masha. In the historical film “Walking Over Three Seas” (the first joint production of Soviet-Indian filmmakers), he will play the role of the merchant Afanasy Nikitin, etc.
Once Oleg learned that the director Sergei Bondarchuk, with whom he was friends, has been casting actors for the role of Prince Bolkonsky in his film “War and Peace” based on Leo Tolstoy’s novel for a long time. Strizhenova was offended that Bondarchuk did not immediately offer this role to him and why he did not say anything about the selection. When, finally, the director nevertheless turned to Strizhenov, he, as if nothing had happened, passed the test and, of course, was approved at all levels. Then the actor waited for the information to get into newspapers and magazines and then told the director (moreover, in public) that he would not appear in this film, or in any others.
A scandal broke out. Strizhenov was called to many “carpets”, but no one could force him to change his anger to mercy. Oleg believed that “he left beautifully” (but it seems to me, somehow it’s small for an actor of this level). As a result, the role of Bolkonsky was played by the equally talented actor Vyacheslav Tikhonov. This trick did not affect Strizhenov's career in any way - he remained the same sought-after actor.
Recently, the actor celebrated his 90th anniversary in a narrow family circle. He and his wife live in private and modest. Oleg Alexandrovich has not been giving an interview for a long time, but Alexander Strizhenov answered the question of journalists about his father’s well-being, “he feels like any person at his age, but his mind is bright, his sense of humor and irony are the same.”
In the filmography of Oleg Strizhenov there are not so many works - a little more than forty, but almost every one of them is a masterpiece. It often happens that as soon as an actor disappears from the screen, they forget about him. And Strizhenova, the audience still remembers and watching films with his participation with great pleasure and respect for the talent of the great actor.