Ruined a career and buried his son: personal tragedies of 'Experienced' Evgeny Morgunov
'15.11.2020'
Evgeny Morgunov is known by millions of immigrants from the Soviet Union. All-Union success came to him thanks to the image of Experienced from the famous "Gaidaevskaya" film trinity, the author recalls “PRO Cinema | PRO Cinema "in" Yandex.Zen ".
Unfortunately, due to a ridiculous quarrel with the director, he jeopardized his career. In many respects, this is why Morgunov failed to become famous in any other role. He was a very difficult straightforward person, a great lover of practical jokes, which not everyone liked. Many colleagues were outraged by his behavior and strange antics. However, he lived as he saw fit, without asking permission or advice.
Until the age of 25, Morgunov was a thin guy. During the war years, he turned blanks for artillery shells. At that time, the family of Yevgeny Alexandrovich was very hungry. One day he came home and saw a pack of butter that his mother managed to get. Hungry Morgunov almost swallowed it whole. On the same day he felt bad. Doctors barely managed to pump out the future actor. However, after this, metabolic processes were disrupted in Morgunov's body, and he began to rapidly recover. Soon, doctors diagnosed the 25-year-old boy with diabetes.
Eugene became interested in acting while working at the plant. He dreamed of entering a theater university, but the head of the shop did not let Morgunov go, considering him a valuable worker. Then Yevgeny wrote a letter to Stalin himself with a request to assist in his career, they say, “I want to become an actor, the boss does not let me go. What to do?"
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Legend has it that Stalin responded to this letter with instructions to send the guy to the auxiliary staff of the Chamber Theater. A year later, Morgunov entered VGIK. After graduation, he was admitted to the Film Actor's Studio Theater. Despite the fact that Eugene played mainly in the crowd, and was considered an actor of the lowest category, he did not lose heart and continued to believe that sooner or later luck would still smile on him.
In the early 60s, director Leonid Gaidai decided to create a short film about three alcoholic friends. Gaidai immediately decided on the actors for the role of Coward and Goonies, but a number of difficulties arose with Experienced. By that time, Evgeny Aleksandrovich was known for the role of the traitor Stakhovich in the "Young Guard". In the future, he played mainly in tiny episodes. Sometimes his name was not even included in the credits.
Morgunov accidentally caught the eye of Ivan Pyriev. He personally called Gaidai, and said that he had found an actor for the role of Experienced, and did not accept any objections about this. The director was forced to accept Morgunov's candidacy. So, the famous trinity was formed: Coward, Goonies, Experienced.
Outside the set, they were not best friends, but they tried to maintain a normal relationship. However, Morgunov's peculiar sense of humor ruined everything. He repeatedly substituted colleagues, introducing himself as them on the phone, and promising to resolve all issues, including the apartment one.
And once he appeared at the premiere of "Prisoner of the Caucasus" in a good drink, and even in the company of frivolous girls. Gaidai could not stand such outright rudeness. He kicked Morgunov out of the preview, and cut out many scenes with his participation. In addition, in his interviews, Yevgeny Aleksandrovich was not shy about expressions in relation to colleagues. He could easily offend someone, offend or give a nickname. So he made many enemies.
The actor met his wife by chance. She made the wrong phone number and called Morgunov's apartment. She called the department to find out the test time. Evgeny Aleksandrovich, in his usual manner, said that this was the department: "Leave your number and we will call you back." He introduced himself a few more times as a "department", and two days later called Natalia on a date. They got married in 1965. In this marriage, two sons were born: Anton and Nikolai. Morgunov always tried to provide for his family, and did so that neither his wife nor children needed anything.
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In the last years of Yevgeny Alexandrovich's life, diabetes mellitus worsened. Every year the situation worsened more and more. Constant irritability and outbursts of anger made him simply unbearable. All this time, Natalia humbly endured her husband's attacks. Together they experienced several heart attacks. Finally, Morgunov's health was undermined by the death of his youngest son, who at twenty-six fell asleep at the wheel and crashed. He died a year after Nikolai - on June 25, 1999. The actor was buried with his son at the Kuntsevo cemetery.
Original column published on the blog. “PRO Cinema | PRO Cinema "in" Yandex.Zen ".
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