22.03.2003 Russia, Moscow. Actor Georgy Zhzhenov in the Cinematography House at the celebration of his 88th birthday.
Photo: Vasily Shaposhnikov
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The Actor with Dignity and Pride
// Georgy Zhzhenov has died.
Georgy Zhzhenov, famous actor, People's Artist of USSR, and cavalier of many rewards, passed away yesterday in Moscow. He was 91.
His life was full of tragedies and triumphs in the same time. He was a man of dignity and integrity. The God presented him with huge talent and wisdom.
He left behind himself a legacy of more than 200 roles in theaters and movies. Each of his roles was portraying a man of pride, bravery and honor.
Zhzhenov made his first debut in movies in 1932, when he was a student of Leningrad Institute of Scenic Arts. He was playing in “Hero’s Mistake” (1932), “Chapayev” (1934), and “Komsomolsk” (1938). After finishing his last movie, he was arrested by NKVD (Soviet secret police) as alleged “American spy” (once in Trans-Siberian train him and other actors were drinking with American Naval Attaché).
The period from 1939 to 1955 was tragic one for the actor. In 16 years he went through hell of prisons, Soviet labor camps, and exiles. In 1955 Zhzhenov returned to Leningrad and to theater. There, he started his “second life” - full of success, triumphs, and recognition this time around.
In 1968 famous theater director Yuri Zavadsky invited him to Moscow’s Theater of Mossovet to play leading role in “Running from Life” – a play about last days of Lev Tolstoy. A role in the play turned into 35 years of successful career. During this time Zhzhenov was invited to play in a lot of movies too. Movie directors wanted him for his bright and creative individuality. Screen and play writers were making roles just for him.
People will remember Zhzhenov for his outstanding work in war movie “Hot Snow” (1973), historic film “Death of the Squadron” (1965), and spy flick “Marked Atom” (1972). However, he received most praises for his role of Count Tuliev in “Mistake of the Resident” and following four sequences. In these films Zhzhenov played a KGB spy, but deep inside of this role the audience was seeing not fearless Soviet intelligence officer, but twisted and tragic fate of a Russian man in XX century.
For the roles of KGB spies, Zhzhenov was awarded with multiple medals from KGB and Soviet Interior Ministry. In 2000, the City of Chelyabinsk erected a monument of Georgy Zhzhenov in one of its squares. Zhzhenov said that he did not know how to react on that – to laugh o to cry. He felt a bit embarrassed.
Life, sometimes, can be ironic. Zhzhenov was arrested and went through the nightmare of Soviet labor camps for allegedly being “American spy.” However, in his “second life” he was most “American” actor of Soviet cinematograph. His place should be next to such stars of Hollywood’s “golden age” as Humphrey Bogart and James Stewart. Zhzhenov was proud that writer James Oldridge had pictured only him in the role of the pilot from “The Last Inch.” When Zhzhenov played role of Governor Willy Stark in “All Kings Men” (1972), the movie consultant from the United States called his face “the most American one.”
Without any doubts, Georgy Zhzhenov was one of the brightest stars in the sky of Soviet- Russian theater and cinematograph. He will be always remembered as an actor with dignity and pride.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Dec. 09, 2005
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