On September 15, 2015, the famous Moldavian actor Mihai Volontir passed away . The biography, personal life and illness of the artist were rarely in the spotlight of the general public. Many residents of the countries that were once part of the USSR did not even know his name; for them, he was always Budulay from the serial film “Gypsy”.
Childhood
The actor was born into a large family of forester Yermolai Volontira and his wife Efrosinya. It happened on March 9, 1934 in the village of Glieni, which at that time was on the territory of the Kingdom of Romania.
The boy spent all his childhood in the forest, where he helped his father, and also took part in hunting and learned to ride horses. As Mikhail Volontir later told, for the first time his father put him in the saddle at the age of three, and then his older brother became his “coach”. Once Mihai even participated in races and won the race against riders who were several years older than him.
The boy's mother - Efrosinya Volontir - sang beautifully and was a skilled storyteller. Those who knew the actor’s family claimed that her talents were passed on to her son.
Study
Biography of Mihai Volontir in his youth was quite successful. In the early fifties, the young man entered the Orhei Pedagogical School for distance learning and at the same time taught at a village school in Popouci. After receiving the diploma, a young man was appointed to the post of club manager in the village of Lipcheny.
Theater work
In 1957, Mihai Volontir (biography, photos and a list of roles played are presented in the review) took part in the republican amateur show. The talent of the young actor did not go unnoticed, and he was invited to the study group of the troupe of the Musical Drama Theater. V. Alexandri, acting in the city of Balti. The debut of Volontir was the role of the defendant in the play "The Chicken in Iasi", but in general he was involved in more than 120 performances.
Movie work
The most interesting facts contained in the biography of Mihai Volontir are related to the release of films with his participation. The actor’s debut as a film artist took place in 1967, in the film “Need a Gatekeeper”, released by the “Moldova-Film” studio, where he played the role of Ivan Turbinke.
All-Union fame Volontir brought in 1977, the film "In the Special Attention Zone", in which Boris Galkin was his partner . The picture also had a sequel, which was shown on screens under the name "Return move."
The film "Dmitry Cantemir"
Another interesting film work Volontira was released in 1974. She became the picture "Dmitry Kantemir", shot by directors V. Iovitse and V. Kalashnikov. The film was enthusiastically received by critics and experts. In particular, in 1974 he received an encouraging diploma of the 7th All-Union Film Festival in Baku, and then all members of the film crew - V. Iovita, V. Kalashnikov, V. Kovriga and M. Volontir - were awarded the State Prize of the Moldavian SSR. In addition, the latter was awarded the title of People's Artist of the Republic.
The film "Gypsy"
Despite the impressive list of roles that the actor had by 1979, Mikhail Volontir “woke up famous” after the release of the first episode of the multi-part film “Gypsy”. This modern viewer was a little tired of the series, and in the late 70s this format was very popular, especially since real stars such as Klara Luchko, Maya Bulgakova, Nina Ruslanova and many others were involved in the project.
The story of a lonely gypsy who lost his family during the war, and a Russian woman who raised an alien child, excited everyone. People began to be interested in the biography of Mihai Volontira. Compassionate old women in remote villages, villages and auls seriously worried about Budulaya and discussed whether he would marry Klavdia Petrovna and find out about who he was Vanya.
6 years after the release of the first part of the series, the viewer saw the continuation of the picture - “The Return of Budulai”. The second part of the series was also a huge success, especially since it ends with a happy ending - the gypsies finally find their home and family.
Volunteer singer
The famous Moldavian actor was talented not only as a lyceum. In “Gypsy” he performed the song “S. You Should Not Be Pity” by S. Gudzenko, previously sung by Vladimir Vysotsky. This was followed by performances on the stage and during creative meetings with the audience. In total, Volontir performed more than fifty songs, among which were hits that were filled forever by Moldovan spectators.
Disease
Those who were interested in the life and biography of Mihai Volontir, in the late 1990s learned that because of the diabetes mellitus that the artist suffered for many years, he might lose his eyesight. An operation was required, but the pet of the entire former Soviet Union did not have funds for treatment. The Government of the Russian Federation allocated money for the stay of Volontir in one of the best Moscow clinics, and the Moldovan authorities promised to pay for travel and accommodation. However, several thousand dollars were needed for surgery and rehabilitation treatment. Then Clara Luchko took up fundraising. The actress decided to support her former partner in the film “Gypsy” and turned to her fans. Money was collected by the whole world, and in 2001 Voluntera had the required operation, after which he returned to work.
last years of life
Volontir Mihai Ermolaevich, whose biography is already known to you, dreamed of making a picture “The Madman of Orhei Codrii”. In it, he was going to present to the audience the recollections of his childhood spent in the forests of Moldova. To implement this project, the actor was not able to find the funds. The newly-fledged Moldavian “oligarchs” wanted to see the celebrity as a “wedding general” at their feasts, but they were in no hurry to allocate money for art, especially for such a “strange” parable film without shooting and crime. The actor’s friends believe that such an attitude also undermined the artist’s health, since he was rooting for his project. However, the trouble does not come alone, and soon he was diagnosed with cancer. Numerous operations in Moldavian and Russian famous clinics did not bring results, and there was no improvement in the artist’s state of health.
On September 15, Volontira's wife, who had to sell an apartment and a summer house to pay for her husband’s treatment, reported that the actor had died in the Republican Hospital in Chisinau. The famous artist was buried with great honors in the Central (Armenian) cemetery of the capital of Moldova. All Chisinau came to the funeral without exaggeration, since Budulai had enjoyed the love of the whole republic for more than half a century.
Mihai Volontir: family
All his life, the artist loved one single woman - his wife. As a very young man, he met Efrosinya Dobynda-Volontir - an actress of the Belsky Theater, where he came to serve in 1957. She gave birth to his only child - daughter Stella, who accompanied her parents on all tours and even starred in one of the episodes of the film “Gypsy”. She did not follow in the footsteps of her parents and chose the career of a diplomat. Today, Stella Volontir is an employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova and works in the embassy of this country in France. She has a daughter, whose name is Ketelina.
Now you know in which films Mihai Volontir played. The biography, date of death and childhood details of the actor are also known to you. Perhaps this information will help you better understand the activities of an artist who has left a great creative legacy.