Throughout his life, he went against all odds, and fate was on his side. Little was said about him on television, radio, but his creative success captivated the Soviet audience of theater and cinema. Gennady Bortnikov was recognized as honored, and later people's artist of the Russian Federation. He played on the same stage with F. Ranevskaya, L. Orlova, S. Birman and other famous actors of the Mossovet theater. Gennady Leonidovich was the idol of many women, but he did not want to bind his life with a family union, he was afraid to be deceived and devoted.
A family
In April 1939, a son was born in the Moscow family of a housewife and military pilot. The boy’s father was traveling all the time, and his mother died when the child went to first grade. Gennady raised her grandmother.
After graduating from the seven-year plan, the boy, on the instructions of his father, entered the engineering college, but never finished it. A year later, he went to work at the plant as a mechanic.
Since childhood, the personal life of Gennady Bortnikov belonged to creativity. From school, he was fond of drawing. While the class was writing dictations, the boy reproduced satirical images of students and teachers in a notebook. Bortnikov even enrolled in an art school, but his love of the theater extinguished a quivering feeling for fine art.
Visit to the monastery
In an interview, Gennady Bortnikov constantly mentioned his opposition to others on the path to the realization of his interests. So, once he had a conflict with his father, a man of the military profession, who did not want to see his son as an actor. This is precisely the parental ban that formed the young man’s tendency to resist the opinions of others, which grew and subsequently led Gennady to the stage of the theater.
However, then Bortnikov expressed his disobedience to his father’s will by running away from home. Instead of the Suvorov School, where Gennady's father wanted to send, he fled to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. His goal was to see the life of church ministers. There, in Zagorsk, he first tried to realize his artistic talent. Gennady began to draw icons. This skill more than once helped the actor earn a piece of bread later, in difficult financial times.
Upon returning home, the young man was punished, but nevertheless entered at the call of the heart at the Moscow Art Theater School.
Theater talent
The talent for artificial transformation in the role of Gennady Bortnikov was discovered even before he began his studies at the Moscow Art Theater. The manners of the neighboring comrades who attended the theater studio encouraged the young man to attend classes and see what they were teaching there. An educated woman teacher, intelligent pupils and a mysterious atmosphere fell in love with Gennady in this art. He asked the acting studio to be a decorator and he was taken by a volunteer to stage performances.
By the will of fate, Bortnikov was once offered to read Pushkin. Successful recitation brought the guy from the artist to the actors. The first role in Gennady was the image of a raven from the tale of Marshak's "Twelve Months."
The beginning of the stage journey
After graduating from evening school, Bortnikov realized his dream and entered the Moscow Art Theater Studio on the course of A.K. Tarasova.
At the end of his studies (1962), during the final exams, the role of the ugly and poor Tuzenbach from the Chekhov classics was played by a charming student Gennady Bortnikov, a photo of a young actor demonstrates his skill. The guy’s talent was noticed by the director and actress of the Mossovet theater I.S. Anisimova-Wulf. She organized the meeting of Gennady with the chief director of the drama theater Yu.A. Zavadsky, the man who became the guiding star of the actor.
Figures from other theaters (Sovremennik, Moscow Art Theater) also appreciated his final game and offered a job, but Gennady Leonidovich chose the Moscow City Council. At that time Lyubov Orlova, Serafima Birman, Nikolai Mordvinov, Faina Ranevskaya worked there. These great people at the time Bortnikov began work in the theater received him with great love and supported his young talent.
First tour
The first plays in which the actor Bortnikov Gennady played were “On the Road” and “Zateynik” by V. Rozov. Theater critics after the young man entered the stage immediately noted the mannerism, personality and authenticity of his play. Although many actors from neighboring theaters were negative about his style of performance.
Once on a production of "On the Road" came a French producer who expressed a desire to show this performance in his homeland. In 1966, at the Festival of Nations, the Soviet play “On the Road” was presented to foreign viewers, where a graduate of the Moscow Art Theater played the role of Volodya. All the theatergoers in Paris spoke about the young actor, and his performance was awarded a prize. Bortnikov was begged to stay in France, but he returned to the native peninsulas of the Moscow Soviet.
Peak of popularity
The promising actor got the best roles in the productions of Zavadsky and Anisimova-Wulf. Bortnikov Gennady Leonidovich made a splash after the release of the play “Through the Eyes of a Clown” by the German classic Heinrich Belle. It was very difficult to buy a ticket for this production, and crowds of women constantly gathered near the Moscow Soviet to see their idol.
He was romantic and theatrical, stepping on stage, he bewitched the audience and did not let go of his attention and interest while playing.
The most memorable productions with his participation were: Petersburg Dreams, The Brothers Karamazov, The Last Victim, and The Venetian Merchant. But the second largest successful performance was St. Petersburg Dreams, where Gennady Bortnikov played Raskolnikov. Then all the Moscow theater-goers recognized his highly talented game. At the peak of his popularity, when he was young, he combined physical and mental unity with characters, an unforgettable appearance, musicality and plasticity.
Gennady Bortnikov: biography, personal life
His creative career can be conditionally divided into two parts - before and after the tragic break of fate, the death of Yu.A. Zavadsky. While Yuri Alexandrovich worked as a director of the Moscow City Council, all his work was based on the selection of a repertoire for his beloved performer Bortnikov.
The death of Zavadsky was reflected in the work of Gennady Leonidovich. Since 1977, Bortnikov began the second half of his life, where there was neither fame nor recognition. Of course, he continued to play roles, to act in films, but was not as interesting to the viewer as he was before. Perhaps he simply could not find his role in that age, which he had reached?
Gennady Leonidovich did not let anyone into his personal life. He had no family, he gave his love to the viewer!