Unfulfilled dreams: why the actor who played Fabio in 'The Dog in the Manger' moved to the USA
'19.12.2020'
Source: Culturology
The actor's filmography includes about 120 works in cinema, and his characters are still understandable and attractive to the viewer. Real fame came to Viktor Ilyichev after the release of the film "Dog in the Manger", where he played the hapless Fabio, reminds Culturology.
Later, the actor starred in the role of Fedka Byk in "Green Van". It was this film that became the hallmark of Viktor Ilyichev. The actor desperately did not want to leave for the United States, but then the circumstances turned out to be stronger than desires.
Path to the profession
Viktor Ilyichev, born in 1946 in Leningrad, loved to play from childhood. He constantly played some scenes in front of relatives, and the parents had no choice but to take their son to the theater studio. It was there that he established himself in his desire to become an actor.
After leaving school, the young man easily entered LGITMiK, where he studied with Georgy Tovstonogov himself, and already loudly declared himself in student performances. An episodic role in Georgy Natanson's film "The Elder Sister" opened the way for the young actor to a big cinema. Already a year after the film debut, he played the main role in the film by Igor Maslennikov "The personal life of Valentin Kuzyaev." His on-screen characters were invariably kind and charming, and even negative characters were liked by the audience.
On the subject: 'Hopelessness was everything': Elena Solovey told why she left her career and moved to the USA
In 1967, Viktor Ilyichev was admitted to the troupe of the Lenin Komsomol Theater in Leningrad, from 1973 he served at the Komissarzhevskaya Theater for several years, and after that he devoted himself entirely to cinema and moved to the staff of the Lenfilm film studio. Basically, Viktor Ilyichev played cameo roles, but he really became famous after working in the film "Dog in the Manger". In subsequent years, he starred a lot, and they began to call him the genius of supporting roles, the images created by the actor were so successful. The role of the Odessa bearbear Fedka Byk in the "Green Van" has become a visiting card.
Several films with Ilyichev's participation were released annually. And then it all ended. The difficult 1990s came for the cinema. Then they almost stopped making films, and the income from meetings with the audience, which the actor arranged, did not allow him to provide for his family.
Followed by happiness
Even at the evening of university graduates, Viktor Ilyichev met a charming girl who became his only love. Svetlana Osieva graduated from the Vaganov School and after that for twenty years she served as a ballerina at the Mariinsky (then still Kirov) Theater.
Viktor Ilyichev and Svetlana Osieva became husband and wife in 1969, a little later, the couple had a son, Mikhail. Subsequently, he, like his father, graduated from LGITMiK, played in the theater.
In the difficult 1990s, all the worries of providing for the family fell on Svetlana Osieva. She ended her ballet career at 38, but quickly found herself in teaching. She was frequently invited overseas, and by the mid-1990s she was offered a permanent job in Florida.
Viktor Ilyichev categorically did not want to emigrate. He hoped that the timelessness in cinema was about to end, and he would again act a lot. But days, weeks, months passed, and the telephone in his apartment was treacherously silent. And yet the actor continued to believe in a miracle.
Meanwhile, the actor's wife accepted a job offer in Florida, but initially she left for the United States herself. Victor was still waiting for a phone call with an invitation to shoot. But he never rang out. A few months after his wife left, the actor bought a plane ticket. One way.
The son of Viktor Ilyichev and Svetlana Osieva joined them a little later, and already in America he again sat down on the student's bench to get a new education that had nothing to do with theater and cinema. He, like his father, had no illusions about a possible career in Hollywood.
On the subject: Russian stars who failed to build a successful career in the USA
Unfulfilled dreams
It was probably more difficult for Viktor Ilyichev than for his wife and son. He was already in his sixties, and he could not count on filming in American films, especially without knowing English. As well as could not sit idle. Viktor Grigorievich got a job as a packer in one of the large stores. And all would be fine, but the actor was desperately shy when he was recognized by former compatriots. And no words of gratitude for the roles played once could heal him from longing for his profession.
Viktor Ilyichev could not say goodbye to the dream of re-entering the frame. And it seemed that it began to be realized: in 2004, the actor appeared in cameo roles in three films of the Soviet director Anatoly Eyramdzhan, who also lived in America. But the viewer hardly noticed their exit.
Since his emigration to the United States, Viktor Ilyichev has come to Russia only twice. These trips left too heavy a mark on the soul of the actor. Many friends and relatives of Viktor Grigorievich had already left for another world, and nostalgia for those times when he was in demand, squeezed his heart with acute pain.
In 2008, doctors diagnosed Viktor Ilyichev with a fourth stage oncological disease. Despite the scanty chances, the doctors were still able to save the life of the actor. But, two years later, the disease returned and this time won. Viktor Ilyichev died on October 8, 2010.
