The actor and director Yuri Olennikov was first of all remembered by the audience for the clip of the popular in the 80s and 90s group “Combination” – “Accountant”. More precisely, his smiling face has sunk into the memory of many, and no one knows the name of the main character of the video. Surprised to find out that Yuri Vladimirovich turned 60 on October 4, Express Newspaper tracked him down and invited him to tell regarding himself.
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– After this clip, they began to recognize me on the streets, – Olennikov began the story. – I was in turmoil and, of course, did not expect that these shootings, which I went to work part-time, would give me a taste of fame and at the same time would not allow me to play anything brighter. For me, as an actor, this is a tragic story: I lost my face, and the mask of this accountant named Rosenbaum appeared. He grieved, of course, but it was work and the money was paid. I then took my family to Turkey to the resort. And the audience rejoiced and laughed at the sight of me.
– What happened next?
– Then, in the 90s, there was not enough work. Once they invited Leonid Agutin to star in a video, but, apparently, he thought why he needed an “accountant”, and they refused me. And for ten years I was friends with families with the composer Tema Artemyev, the son of another composer – the famous Eduard Artemyev, a friend of Nikita Mikhalkov. Artem once suggested that I meet Nikita Sergeevich, who was just looking for an actor for the lead role in his film. I, of course, agreed.
And so he came with his wife Natasha to the Artemyevs’ home. They sat down at the laid table, and an empty conversation regarding nothing began. Three hours passed like this – the bride with a sidelong look. At the end, we took pictures once morest the background of salads and dispersed. I sat and thought: what should I have done to please Mikhalkov as an artist? But I didn’t find an answer. And he took Yevgeny Mironov to the cinema, who is a little younger than me, but we have a similar type. Nobody really knew him then either.
– Are you from Leningrad?
– Yes, I was born and lived there, graduated from the theater, and then sold the apartment and moved to Moscow, bought a house here and decided to study as a director. This was prompted by the fact that following my service in the army, my masters from the Leningrad theater university offered me to teach there. They scored a great course – Oleg Pogudin, Evgeny Dyatlov, Zoya Buryak, Daria Lesnikova (Yurgens) and my first wife Svetlana Selezneva. Pogodin eventually became a singer, and it was immediately evident. Zhenya Dyatlov also sings amazingly. We might make musical theater out of this course. But then our relationship with Sveta Selezneva prevented me from teaching. Being the husband of a student and at the same time maintaining authority is difficult, and I soon left.
– In Moscow, you played in several theaters: the Moscow Art Theater, “Satyricon” …
– In parallel with me, Fedor Dobronravov, Sergey Dorogov, Galina Danilova, the future backbone of the Six Frames TV show, came to Satyricon. We worked from morning to night. Fedya Dobronravov literally rented an apartment in the next house. His little sons Vitya and Vanya spent all the time in the theater. But, to be honest, I realized that Konstantin Raikin did not need and did not like him as an actor. Here he left. Maybe that’s why I chose the movie.
– And why didn’t they appear in the same Six Frames? You are very similar to Andrey Kaykov…
Apparently it’s not destiny. I met Kaikov when, as a director, I worked at the request of Sergei Zhigunov on the TV series Goryunov with Maxim Averin. I am happy that I had a chance to work with Alexei German on his painting “It’s hard to be a god.” I studied with him at the higher directing courses.
“The whole Moscow Art Theater knew that I was with horns
– Married?
– The third time. I studied together with my first wife, actress Rita Veselova, and we had a very short marriage. Further, when he served in the ensemble with the mother of my daughter Christina, he met the actress Svetlana Selezneva. I prepared her, and she entered the theater. Then Tatyana Doronina took her to the Moscow Art Theater. And there she began an affair with one actor. My colleague Sasha Samoilov opened my eyes. Like, the whole theater already knows that I have horns. After our divorce, she got married and had a son. Now she is married once more – already for another. And not so long ago she left for permanent residence in the United States.
And with me for the last 30 years, my Natulya, Talochka. She is not an actress, we have no children. Natasha and I worked together as screenwriters. She is from the Novosibirsk Academgorodok, from a very intelligent family of scientists. When I saw her, immediately fell in love, began to care. I am an active person and so far my wife is the best for me.
– Have you become a grandfather?
– Kristina Olennikova, my daughter from her second marriage, tried to become an actress, acted in films, and now she is a businesswoman. She is 32 years old and has two children from her first marriage. Maxim is 9, Vasilisa is 12 years old. Her first husband Semyon is an athlete, tennis player, now a coach. They are different from my daughter. I was once morest their marriage, I didn’t even come to the wedding. And so it happened – quickly divorced. I rarely see my grandchildren: they are in St. Petersburg, I am in Moscow. That year, my daughter got married a second time. Sergey is 10 years older than her, a very wealthy businessman. They now have a very nice apartment on Kamenny Island.
How will you celebrate your 60th birthday?
– On the stage of Theater V, this is a private theater, we play at different venues …
Photo source: Shot from the video, Mikhail Frolov / “KP”, Shot from the film, Personal archive