Soviet artists – where are they now

In Soviet times, child actors were as popular as they are today. How was the fate of talented children? Have all Soviet artists who started their careers in childhood made this profession the main one in their lives? Acquaintance with the fates of several popular at one time child actors allows us to see that for many of them acting remained in childhood, and adult life took them far from the world of cinema.

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Dmitry Iosifov

Famous Soviet cinema actors (R. Zelenaya, V. Etush, N. Grinko, V. Basov, R. Bykov, E. Sanaeva) starred in the 1975 film “The Adventures of Buratino”. The ten-year-old boy Dima fit into this stellar line-up with dignity and did an excellent job with the main role of Pinocchio. Overnight, he became the idol of millions of boys and girls. Dmitry Iosifov first graduated from the acting department of VGIK, worked in one of the theaters in Minsk. After entering the directing department, he immediately began to shoot commercials, clips, and later reality shows. He is still engaged in this activity today.

Yana Poplavskaya

Burst into the world of cinema with the film “About Little Red Riding Hood”. Her work was recognized as the best child’s role in 1977, for which she received the USSR State Prize. Yana Poplavskaya graduated from the Theater School. B. Shchukin, starred in many films. In the 90s, she began to work as a presenter of various television and radio programs. Today, the actress has the title of Academician of Russian Television, lectures to students of the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University. The personal life of Soviet cinema artists often did not develop in the best way. However, Yana was happily married for 25 years (before the divorce in 2011) with director S. Ginzburg, from whom she gave birth to two sons.

Natalia Guseva

After the release of the film “Guest from the Future” in 1984, where Natalia Guseva played the charming Alisa Selezneva, she was called the most beautiful girl in the USSR. She received thousands of letters from different parts of the country, and adult artists of the Soviet era would have envied her popularity. The talented girl did not connect her life with cinema, but entered the Moscow Institute of Fine Chemical Technology named after V.I. M.V. Lomonosov and became a biochemist.

Fyodor Stukov

Looking through the photos of Soviet artists filmed by children, it is impossible to pass by this funny red-haired boy with blue eyes. He played in many children’s films, but is remembered for the 1980 film The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, playing the role of the main character Tom Sawyer. The eight-year-old boy charmed both adults and children. Fedor received a theatrical education at the school. B. Shchukin, played in the German theater “Werstadt” in Hanover. He appeared on Russian television as a host of some entertainment programs. Today Fedor is known as the director of the popular comedy series “Fizruk”, “Eighties”, “Adaptation”.

Yuri and Vladimir Torsuevs

Syroezhkina and Elektronika from the 1979 musical “The Adventures of Elektronika” were played by twin brothers Yura and Volodya. They starred in several more films, but they connected their lives with business. Yuri is the head of the corporate relations department of Moscow dealers of AvtoVAZ, and Vladimir is the representative of Norilsk Nickel in the Krasnoyarsk city administration. The failed artists of Soviet cinema in the photo today look solid men, and not charming boys with a shock of blond curly hair and a mischievous twinkle in their eyes.

Sergey Shevkunenko

More than one generation of girls fell in love with Misha Polyakov from the films “Dagger” and “Bronze Bird”, based on the stories of the same name by A. Rybakov. His tragic fate was a confirmation of the axiom that the life of Soviet cinema artists often developed in a dramatic way. In the dashing 90s, Misha went down the criminal path, becoming the leader of an organized criminal group. He managed to repeatedly visit correctional facilities, and in 1995 he was killed in his own apartment with his mother. The crime remained unsolved.

Yan Puzyrevsky

Another actor with a tragic fate. Sad Kai from “The Snow Queen” by the age of 20 managed to appear in almost 20 films, graduated from the Theater School. B. Shchukin, worked at the Taganka Theater. By the age of 25 in 1996, Jan had the experience of unsuccessful family relationships, after which a one and a half year old son was left. Having come one day to see his son, the actor, taking him in his arms, jumped out of the window of the 12th floor. The child miraculously survived, and Yang crashed to death.

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The fate of child actors during the Soviet era was different. But we will always be grateful to them for their wonderful roles in good Soviet films, which really taught us to separate good and evil. Their heroes were imitated by millions of Soviet boys and girls, and many of them remain loved by the current growing up generation.