Three classes of education did not prevent Mikhail Pugovkin to become the tsar of the stage

Mikhail Ivanovich Pugovkin has passed a long and exciting life path. He knew the value of life because he could say goodbye to it. Today we remember this actor with a smile on his face. In our memory, he crystallized as a kind and bright man. But on the way to all-Union glory he had to face a lot of difficulties. How he handled everything, read further in the article.



Instagram / @sputnikkinozritelya Mikhail Ivanovich Pugovkin Mikhail Ivanovich Pugovkin was born into a poor peasant family in 1923. Getting a decent education is not possible because of this. The future actor managed to finish only 3 classes in a village school. But from an early age he sang and danced, showing his outstanding artistry.

When the boy was 15 years old, the family was forced to move to the capital. There he managed to get a job at the factory as an apprentice electrician. In parallel with the work Pugovkin was engaged in a drama circle. That's where he was spotted.



The director of the Moscow Drama Theatre Fyodor Kaverin invited the young artist to his job. For the next 2 years, 16-year-old Mikhail was part of the auxiliary staff of the theater. In the same period, Pugovkin made his film debut. He played a cameo role in the film The Artamonovs Case.

In 1941, the young actor quit his job in the theater and volunteered for the front. During his year of service, he learned a lot. But a very severe leg injury led to him being commissioned.



Instagram/@pro_schooltv And this was not the only test that Michael had to endure during the war. His father and brothers died at the front. His mother was arrested and then sent to exile. The loving son did everything to get his mother out. Fortunately, he succeeded.

The creative path of the actor Mikhail Ivanovich returned to the theater. With grief in half, he managed to graduate from the Moscow Art Theater School. At first they didn’t want to take him there because he didn’t have a high school diploma. Then he was expelled for failure. And then he was able to go back and get a decent education.

Until the 60s, the actor actively combined playing on the stage of different theaters and filming in movies. But cinema attracted him more. Therefore, Pugovkin decided to leave the theater and star more.



Instagram / @sputnikkinozritelya During his film career, the actor played more than 100 roles. Most of them were comedic - Mikhail Ivanovich did it best. The most pleasant and productive cooperation was with directors Leonid Gaidai, Andrei Tutyshkin and Alexander Rowe.

All-Union fame fell on Pugovkin after the release of the films “Soldier Ivan Brovkin”, “The Case of the Motleys”, “Earth and People” and “Girl with a Guitar”. Also, the audience especially remembered his appearance in the films “Girls”, “Twelve chairs”, “Wedding in Malinovka”. And the most favorite picture with his participation for many is still “Operation “Y” and other adventures of Shurik”.



Instagram / @istoriya_snimka It was easy for directors to work with Pugovkin. Sometimes I had to wait a long time for another role. Mikhail Ivanovich was a deeply religious man. And before he began acting in films, he asked his pious mother for blessings.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the actor almost ceased to appear on screens. His last film role dates back to 2004. The actor devoted the rest of his life to his own film center. He also often held creative meetings.

With his first wife Nadezhda Nadezhdina Mikhail Ivanovich met as a student. In marriage, the couple had a daughter Lena. She was the only child of the actor, despite the fact that he married three times in his life.

After 12 years, the marriage with Hope broke up. Pugovkin fell in love with married pop singer Alexander Lukyanchenko. For the sake of the actor, the woman abandoned her husband, although her daughters did not approve of such a decision. Despite this, the couple were together for 30 years until Alexandra died.



Instagram / @rare_celebs Mature age did not prevent the actor from getting married again. It happened in 1991. And his chosen one was Irina Lavrova, administrator of the Union Concert. They were together until the end of Mikhail Ivanovich’s life. He died of a serious illness 12 days after his 85th birthday.

Artists of an entire era of cinema go one by one. They will live forever in the hearts of the faithful. Bright memory!