On Friday, June 5, in one of the hospitals near Moscow, the actor and director, People's Artist of Russia Mikhail Kokshenov died in the 84th year of life. The official reasons for his death are not specified, there is no information on the date of farewell to the artist.
In the fall of 2017, Kokshenov suffered a stroke. Then he remained in the hospital for about three months, and after discharge he did not appear in public.
“For more than two years, he struggled with the consequences of a stroke. I really hoped that he would cope, but it couldn’t be otherwise - an athlete, a heart-eater, an optimist, a hochmach who ridiculed everything, even his ailment. But alas ... The best are leaving, the pillars of the golden period of our cinema are leaving. They have no substitutes and they have no equal, ”wrote actor Stanislav Sadalsky on his Instagram page.
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🔳 The sad news is that Misha Kokshenov died. For more than two years, he struggled with the consequences of a stroke, I really hoped that he would cope, but it could not be otherwise - an athlete, a heart-eater, an optimist, a hochmach who ridiculed everything, even his ailment. But alas. but it’s true. The best are leaving, the pillars of our golden age of our cinema are leaving. They have no replacements and they have no equal. I don’t know where Misha will be buried, probably at Novodevichy - he has mom and grandmother there ... Forgive and goodbye # Stassadal #Kokshenov # Mishakokshenov #Mikhailokokshenov #sorry
Posted by Stas Sadalsky️🎬 (@stassadal) Jun 5, 2020 at 4:22 am PDT
In an interview with 360, the artist’s friend Arkady Inin noted that over the course of several months, the hope of Kokshenov’s recovery “either arose or faded away”.
“He started walking, he ate himself, we talked on the phone. Then the wife said that her condition was getting worse again. In general, a disease is such a thing. In a way, we were ready, ”said Inin.
“Always encouraged everyone”
Condolences on the death of the artist were expressed by his friend and colleague, Soviet and Russian actor, film director Alexander Pankratov-Cherny.
“We were very friends with Misha. In general, he was very friendly with the actors, he was a very funny guy with humor. The most interesting thing is that he was an amazing ascetic. When these dashing nineties began and they stopped making films, he opened a small hunting store, sold weapons there and we shot movies, mainly comedies, with the money we earned, ”said Pankratov-Cherny RT.
According to the artist, Kokshenov himself came up with scripts, actors added something.
“He gave us money, and the cinema lived. This is a folk cinema, they shot one double for a penny, there was no money for the film. But these comedies successfully went to cinemas, ”the actor recalls.
Pankratov-Cherny notes that Kokshenov was older than his comrades and hid his age, which made jokes among his colleagues that he "began acting in the great dumb".
“He was a completely non-drinker and non-smoker, playing sports. I remember there was a scandal when we filmed "Where is Nofelet?" and the director Bezhanov asked Misha, who was playing the driver of the trolley bus, to sit behind the wheel with a cigarette in his mouth. The scandal was grandiose, and he refused to take a cigarette even in his hand, ”added Pankratov-Cherny.
The actor recalls that Kokshenov began to serve in the Mayakovsky Theater, but then said that he was bored there, and went to the cinema.
“In each role, he brought something of his own. Secretly, sometimes he made his way to the cinema to watch how the audience reacted to his appearance on the screen. Then he called and said: “Sasha, was now in the cinema, the people are laughing, which means that it’s good and not in vain.” Here he was. Kingdom of heaven to him. A kind and wonderful person, ”concluded the artist.
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Kokshenov’s colleague, actress Anna Frolovtseva, notes both his professional and human qualities.
“I starred with him. He was a very good artist and person. Always with humor. I was told that he was sick. It’s very unfortunate that life is so arranged, there’s nowhere to go, ”the actress said in a conversation with RT.
People's Artist of Russia Boris Klyuyev emphasized that Kokshenov belonged to the old school of Soviet cinema.
“He was such a simple Russian guy with an open smile, understandable to everyone. He had a lot of work in the cinema, but recently he also performed as a director. Misha left a bright mark in Soviet cinema. Bright memory to him, ”said Klyuyev.
The actress, and now the first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Culture, Elena Drapeko, also noted that she starred in several films with Mikhail Kokshenov, and considers him a very bright, “sonorous” artist.
“I remember him as a very positive and glorious person who always joked on the set, always encouraged everyone, he always had some stories left. Therefore, it is even strange that now our merry fellow is no more. Throughout the acting workshop, we sincerely regret and offer condolences to the family and friends of Mikhail. We also consider him close, we are very grieved, ”said Drapeko RT.
Honored Artist of Russia Mikhail Vashukov confirms that Kokshenov was also a cheerful person outside the set.
“He told some pop stories, cases from life, cases from the filming of films. So backstage was always fun. The old guard was generally very funny and very talented. We worked together at one concert, called "Moscow Humor", at the Taganka Theater. We often talked behind the scenes ... The sad news. Legendary actors are leaving, ”said Vashukov FAN.
Geologist by profession, actor by vocation
Soviet and Russian actor Mikhail Kokshenov was born on September 16, 1936 in Moscow. His father, the director of the plant, was repressed. The future artist was raised by her mother, who worked as a nurse.
Since childhood, Mikhail Kokshenov showed interest in cinema, but after graduation he went to study at the Moscow Industrial College. For several years he was engaged in geological exploration, but still decided to change his profession and enrolled in the B.V. Theater School Schukin.
“I worked in the Smolensk region, exploring white clay. And there this clay - you can’t pull out your legs. I scouted, scouted, and decided to go to Moscow, go to a theater institute, ”the artist will subsequently recall the experience of working as a geologist in his memoirs.
Since 1963, Kokshenov served in the Academic Theater named after Vl. Mayakovsky, and then at the Moscow Theater of Miniatures and the Theater-Studio of the film actor.
The full-fledged debut of Mikhail Kokshenov on the big screen took place in the 1964 painting by Aleksey Saltykov. This was enough for the young artist to be noticed and the famous directors to invite into their paintings. Subsequently, Kokshenov worked with Leonid Gaidai, Anatoly Eyramdzhan, Mikhail Schweizer, Vladimir Nazarov.
- © kino-teatr.ru
Over the years of work in the movie, the actor played roles in more than 130 films, in which he performed mainly in comic roles.
Among the most memorable projects with Kokshenov's participation are White Dew, The Most Charming and Attractive, Zhenya, Zhenechka and Katyusha, Shirley Myrli, Good Weather on Deribasovskaya, or Rains Again on Brighton Beach , "Sportloto-82" and many others.
In the 1990s, Mikhail Kokshenov decided to try himself as a director and shot the trilogy “Russian Business” - “Russian Miracle” - “Russian Account”. In subsequent years, the artist released 12 more paintings, including “The Secret of the Pharaoh” and “Life somersault.”
The artist was married three times. His first wife was the stewardess Nina Vokrosh, and the second - actress and director assistant Elena Kokshenova. With his third wife - entrepreneur Natalia Lepekhina - he met at the age of 70 years.