July 22, 2004 the actor Konstantin diedStepankov, whose colorful appearance does not allow him to forget his characters, many of whom were historical characters. Having played more than a hundred film roles and having all-Union glory, the artist remained loyal to the Ukrainian land, where he spent his whole life.
The family significantly influenced the further lifethe future of the national artist. The father was a priest, repressed in the 30s. His real surname is Voloschuk, but his mother, Evgenia Vasilievna, having been frightened for children, divorced her husband and arranged them for herself. The actor’s homeland is the village of Pecci (Khmelnitsky region), which survived the German occupation. Date of birth - June 3, 1928. Mother after the return of Soviet troops decided to move to Central Asia, but Constantine remained at home. He had to go through an orphanage, serving for a year on a fishing vessel. In memory of the sea, tattoos were left on his arms and shoulder, which was not welcomed in the acting environment.
In the hungry postwar period, the young man enteredAgricultural Institute (Uman, Cherkasy region), where he studied for three years. His fate changed arrival on tour theater. I. Franko led by Ambrose Buchma. During the meeting of actors with students, Konstantin Stepankov, whose biography will radically change from now on, read poems from the scene. A. Buchma offered the young man a patronage when they entered the theater institute in Kiev. In fact, he will become his spiritual father, to whom Konstantin Stepankov will be grateful to the end of his days.
After graduating from GITI in 1953, the young man, waitingplaces in the theater named after I. Franko, will continue to teach at the theater institute. This is where his fateful meeting with 18-year-old student Ada Rogovtseva will take place, together with which they will not live to a golden wedding just a few years. It was love at first sight, which cost the teacher a party career: he will remain non-partisan, despite the vivid roles of revolutionaries. For a year he will even be removed from teaching, imputing moral decay.
The couple got married when Ada Rogovtseva completedtraining at the institute. Impressive Stepankov, over the years becoming only more attractive, attributed many novels on the side. But in all interviews he always claimed that his wife was and remains his only love. Two children were born in marriage: the son Konstantin 1962 of. and daughter Catherine, 1972 p. Both of them chose the profession of director.
Konstantin Stepankov, Jr., whose photoalong with the mother can be seen in the article, not much outlived his father. Similar to him externally, he grew up in the atmosphere behind the scenes, representing no other fate than an actor. He began acting at 12 years old, and at 17 he made his debut with his father in the film Forget the Word Death, where a small role was written especially for him who owns a sword and confidently sits on a horse. But at the end of GITI them. I.K. Karpenko-Kary the young man became interested in directing. In the 90s, especially for the mother, he staged the play “Thank-the-Don” on the stage of the theater named after him. Lesia Ukrainka.
Being a creative person, wrote poetry.Parents were proud of their son, who was one of the liquidators of the consequences at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. This led to a rethinking of life and a passion for the environment, which he devoted most of his time. In 2012, he died of cancer, leaving his wife (choreographer Olga Semeshkina) and a twelve-year-old daughter.
В театре им И.Franco, where Konstantin Stepankov was so eager, he worked for 14 years. And he went to the theater actor’s studio, focusing on the film career. Possessing an irrepressible temperament, magnificent facial expressions and tremendous inner energy, the actor did not fit into the melodramatic school of that time. He dreamed of Iago, but of all the Shakespearean roles he managed to play only Edgar in King Lear. Several brilliant images were created by him in the studio theater. Among them is the philosopher Xanthos in the play “The Fox and the Grapes”, amusing controversy with the ingenuous slave Aesop.
Since 1956, he began acting in films,making his debut as Akim in “Pavle Korchagin”, but until 1968 he had no serious offers for which he had to leave the stage. Such work was the film "Stone Cross" by Leonid Osyki, where he played not the main, but the most difficult role. A peasant invited to execute a thief caught during the theft.
In the last years of his life Konstantin Stepankov,who played in 139 films, including episodes, said that all roles can be divided according to the principle: those for which it is not a shame, and all the others. Among the first named: "Stone Cross", "Zakhar Berkut", "Commissioners", "Thinking about Kovpak" and "Babylon XX". The best works are related to historical themes, where he plays uncompromising and obsessed with revolutionaries. These people are passionate, highly carrying their party honor. That was Lukachev in “Commissioners”, but Zhukhray was also in “How steel was tempered,” the work of director N. Mashchenko, which the actor did not mention among the best. But it was thanks to her that the viewers of the whole Soviet Union recognized him.
Several years have been given the role of the national heroSidor Kovpak. It is curious that he was not even invited to the tests. He appeared himself, having made a make-up and appeared before the director T. Levchuk, striking with his portrait likeness. Today it is one of his most significant works.
At the film studio to them.Dovzhenko often posted schedules of employment of actors. In 60–70 Stepankov's indicators exceeded 100%. In recent years, he was filming much less often, worrying that Ada Rogovtseva became the main earner in the family.
Indifferent to fame, ConstantineStepankov moved to the village of Zhovtnevoe, enjoying communion with nature. He cooked dinners, was engaged in grandchildren and did not think at all about the upcoming 75th anniversary. At the celebration insisted wife and children. When he entered the House of Cinematographers with a wand, the spectators, filled to capacity, gave him a lengthy ovation. The actor failed to hold back tears.
He passed away at 76 after a long illness, leaving behind remarkable film works that were included in the golden fund of Soviet and Ukrainian cinema.
