He went through all his life in spite of everything, andfate was on his side. Little was said about him on TV, radio, but his creative success won the Soviet theater and cinema audience. Gennady Bortnikov was recognized as a well-deserved, and later a 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 associate his life with a family union, he was afraid to be deceived and betrayed.
In 1939 on April 1 in the Moscow familyhousewife and military pilot was born a son. The boy's father was on the road all the time, and his mother died when the child went to first grade. Raised Gennady's grandmother.
Having graduated from the seven-year school, the boy, on the instructions of his father, entered the machine-building technical school, but he did not finish it. A year later he went to work at the factory as a mechanic.
Since childhood, the personal life of Gennady Bortnikovbelonged to creativity. He was fond of drawing from school. At the time when the class wrote dictations, the boy reproduced in the notebook satirical images of students and teachers. Bortnikov even entered the art school, but the love of the theater extinguished the quivering feeling for the fine arts.
Gennady Bortnikov in the interview constantly mentionedtheir opposition to others in the way of the realization of their interests. So, one day a conflict arose between him and his father, a man of military profession who did not want to see his son as an actor. That's just the parental prohibition and formed a young man's tendency to resist the opinions of others, which grew and subsequently led Gennady to the stage of the theater.
However, then his disobedience of his father's willBortnikov expressed an escape from the house. Instead of the Suvorov School, where Father Gennady wanted to send, he fled to the Trinity-St. 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 to earn a piece of bread later, in difficult financial times.
Upon returning home, the young man was punished, but nevertheless acted on the call of his heart to the Moscow Art Theater School-Studio.
The Talent of Artificial Reincarnation in a RoleGennady Bortnikov discovered before the beginning of his studies at the Moscow Art Theater. The mannered behavior of the neighbor comrades who attended the theater studio prompted the young man to come to class and see what was being taught there. An educated female teacher, intelligent pupils and a mysterious atmosphere fell in love with Gennady in this art. He asked to become an actor in the acting studio as a decorator and he was taken by a volunteer to arrange performances.
By the will of fate Bortnikov was once offered to read Pushkin. Successful recitation brought the guy from the artist into the actors. The first role for Gennady was the image of a crow from Marshak's fairy tale "Twelve Months".
After the end of the evening school, Bortnikov realized his dream and entered the Moscow Art Theater's studio on the course of A.K. Tarasova.
At the end of studies (1962), during graduationexaminations, the role of ugly and poor Tuzenbach from Chekhov's classics was played by a charming student Gennady Bortnikov, a photo of a young actor demonstrating his skill. The director's talent and the theater actress IS Mossovet noticed the talent. Anisimova-Wulf. She organized the meeting of Gennady with the main director of the dramatic theater Yu.A. Zavadsky, the man who became the guiding star of the actor.
His graduation game was also appreciated by the figures of othertheaters (Sovremennik, MKhAT) and offered work in their own country, 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 of Bortnikov's work in the theater accepted him with great love and supported the young talent.
Первыми пьесами, в которых сыграл актер Бортников Gennady, were "On the Road" and "Zateinik" by V. Rozov. Theatrical critics after entering the stage of the young man immediately noted the mannerisms, individuality and reliability of his game. Although many actors from neighboring theaters negatively related to his style of performance.
Somehow on the production of "On the Road" came the Frenchproducer, who expressed a desire to show this performance in his homeland. In 1966, at the Festival of Nations, a Soviet play "On the Road" was introduced to a foreign audience, where the role of Volodya was played by a graduate of the Moscow Art Theater. All the theaters of Paris began talking about the young actor, and his performance was marked by a prize. Bortnikov was begged to stay in France, but he returned to the home of the Moscow Council.
The promising actor got the bestroles in the productions of Zavadsky and Anisimova-Wulf. Bortnikov Gennady Leonidovich made a sensation to the public after the release of the play "The Eyes of the Clown" by the German classic Heinrich Böll. It was very difficult to buy a ticket for this production, and crowds of women constantly gathered near the Moscow City Council to see their idol.
He was romantic and theatrical, coming on stage, he bewitched the viewer and did not let go of his attention and interest while he was playing.
Memorable productions with his participation were:Petersburg Dreams, The Brothers Karamazov, The Last Sacrifice, The Venetian Merchant. But the second largest successful performance was The Petersburg Dreams, where Gennady Bortnikov played Raskolnikov. Then all Moscow theater-goers recognized his highly talented game. At the peak of popularity, when he was young, physical and mental unity with characters, unforgettable appearance, musicality and plasticity were combined in him.
His creative career can be divided intotwo parts - before and after the tragic fracture of fate, the death of Yu.A. Zavadsky. While Yuri Alexandrovich worked as a director of the Moscow City Council, all his works were based on the selection of his favorite performer Bortnikov's repertoire.
The death of Zavadsky reflected on creativityGennady Leonidovich. Since 1977, Bortnikov began the second half of his life, where there was neither fame nor recognition. He, of course, continued to play roles, to act in films, but was not so interesting to the viewer as before. Perhaps he simply could not find a role for him by the age he reached?
In private life Gennady Leonidovich did not let anyone. He had no family, he gave his love to the audience!
