31 1922 October, the
Anatoly Papanov, a theater and film actor, was born in Vyazma, Smolensk.
I hope you live on just your salary!
You live in this world by proxy! The car is in your wife's name, the dacha is in mine... You have nothing. You're a pauper!
Well, hare, just you wait!
His mother was Polish. She secretly converted to Orthodoxy to marry a Russian. His father, a military man, loved amateur performances and acted in a theater troupe. When a plot called for children, he brought in his own. That's how Tolya first found himself on stage.
People often ask: “What was the most important thing in your life?” I answer: “Mom”... Because even though it’s a simple word, known to everyone, there’s so much behind it for every person.
As a teenager, he worked as a foundry worker at the ShPZ plant in Moscow. He also attended drama classes. At 15, he landed his first cameo role in the film "Lenin in October." He was often called up as an extra. In 1941, he was drafted to the front. He commanded an anti-aircraft artillery platoon. An explosion crippled his leg. He spent six months in the hospital. He walked with a cane for several years.
Personally, I wouldn't call war a school. It's better for people to study at other educational institutions. But still, there we learned to value Life—not just our own, but the Life with a capital "L."
In 1943, he returned to Moscow and enrolled at GITIS. He married fellow student Nadya Karatayeva—they married in 1945, immediately after Victory Day. From 1948, he worked at the Satire Theater. Over the course of 40 years, he created fifty characters. He was frugal—having finally bought himself a car, he would park it just outside the theater.
Many of our actresses wear darned tights, and here I am in a Volga! It's indecent.
In film, he was convincing in both comedic and dramatic roles. He voiced around 100 cartoons.
It's a shame that I, the actor Papanov, am often confused with my comic characters... I really don't like familiarity.
He played his last role in the film "Cold Summer of '53." In August 1987, returning from filming, he decided to take a shower—even though the hot water had been turned off and the tap was cold. He died of a heart attack.
Of course, I have no reason to complain about my acting career. But I still haven't played the roles I dreamed of.