The Irony and Talent – about Valentin Gaft in our Club

Recently in the Hesed club was held its regular meeting from the cycle "Theatre Mansy from Emil Krupnik". This cycle continues for more than a year – every first Thursday of the month the poet and singer-songwriter Emil Krupnik tells about someone from the famous artists illustrating the narrative with excerpts from cult films, rare photos, etc.

This time the story was about Valentin Gaft, the actor, who became legendary already during his lifetime.

He was born in 1935 in Moscow in a Jewish family. Parents came to Moscow from Priluki, a small Ukrainian town of Poltava. Father, lawyer Joseph Ruvimovich Gaft, worked as a lawyer for legal advice service and the mother, Gita Davydovna, was a housewife.

The Gafts lived in the center of Moscow on the famous street Matrosskaya Tishina. Near their house were located: a market, prison, student dormitory and a mental hospital. "The whole world in miniature", - joked later Valentin Gaft.

Childhood of the artist was prosperous and happy; the boy became a fan of theatre very early – when he was 10 years. It was then that the pupil of 4 class Valya Gaft got a real theatrical performance - "Special assignment". The boy was so impressed with the stage performance that at first did not understand that at the stage was a play... a bit later, when participating in the school performances he realized what the art of acting is. At the high school there was no doubt – he has to be an actor.

His parents, however, were not happy with the choice of their son, considering the actor's profession something frivolous. Because of that Valya decided to enter the Theatre University secretly – he submitted documents to both Shchukin school and in the School-Studio of MHAT.

Accidentally, two days before the exams, Gaft met on the street the famous actor Sergei Stolyarov and asked to give him a "probe listening". Stolyarov was surprised but did not refuse and even gave him tips. In the Shchukin school Valentin Gaft passed the first round, but failed the second. And yet he enrolled at the first attempt in the school-Studio of the Moscow art theatre, having passed the examination "with an excellent mark". Parents learned about the admission of their son only when he was enrolled in theatre school.

In 1957 Gaft successfully graduated from the School-Studio of MHAT. At the same course with him studied Oleg Tabakov, Eugene Urbanskiy, Igor Kvasha and Mikhail Kozakov.

At that very year he began to work in the theater of Mossovet, however, soon he left the stable troupe. Creative dissatisfaction with the esthetics of this theatre and a keen sense of modernity led to a long search of "his" director in the Theater of Satire, Theater on Malaya Bronnaya, Theatre n.a. Leninskiy Komsomol.

Finally, in 1969, Oleg Efremov invited the actor to the theatre "Sovremennik". Here Gaft finally felt himself "at home".

On the stage of "Sovremennik" the best roles of the actor were played. He starred in performances of "From the notes of Lopatin", "Balalajkin and Co", "Hasten to do good" and "Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?". A long and fruitful was the collaboration with Director Galina Volchek. In "Sovremennik" Gaft is working up to this day.

A cinematographic biography of Valentin Gaft developed gradually. Success did not come immediately. Until the end of the 60's, he didn’t have bright, memorable roles on the silver screen. The debut took place in 1956 in the film "Murder on Dante Street", in a tiny episode. For a long time his name was on the role of various villains and negative characters. Valentin Gaft was aware of it and said that the cinematograph was not too good to him. To a large extent he explained it by his non-Russian appearance – the then Soviet character of the hero was different.

The real success, huge and unconditional, came to Gaft with the beginning of cooperation with the legendary film Director Eldar Ryazanov. Subsequently, Gaft has become one of the favorite artists of Ryazanov, whom he regularly invited to play in his films. Those films came into the Golden Fund of Russian cinema. Accordingly, all the actors who played in these films became the great stars of cinematograph.

In 1979, the Comedy of Ryazanov "Garage" came to the screens. In this movie Valentin Gaft played the Chairman of garage-building cooperative Sidorkin, whose phrases soon became aphorisms.

Next year comes Ryazanov’ vaudeville "Say a word for a poor hussar", where Valentin Josephovich plays Colonel Pokrovskiy.

In 1987 goes out a remarkable melodrama-comedy "The Forgotten melody for flute" where Gaft brilliantly portrayed the official Odinokov.

In the early 1990s, viewers saw Valentin Josephovich in a role of the President of the homeless intellectuals in the film-parable "Promised Heaven".

And in the late 1990s the actor played the General in tragicomedy of Ryazanov "Old hags".

But not only had the creations of the great Eldar Ryazanov glorified Valentin Gaft. He has other perfect roles remembered by the audience. For example, the Butler Brasset in unforgettable comedy of Titov "Hello, I’m your aunt!", Apollon Mitrofanovich Sataneiev in the wonderful Christmas cinema fairy tale "Magicians".

Also Valentin Gaft is known for his talented and sharp epigrams. So, one day he devoted his lines to Armen Dzhigarkhanyan: "There are much less Armenians on Earth than there are films, where played Dzhigarkhanyan". And Leah Akhedzhakova: "The one who’s always playing the same way is an actress Leah Akhedzhakova."

And he did not forget about himself, so the author wrote an epigram on Gaft:

Gaft had beaten up a many

They’re eaten alive in epigrams.

He got the knack of hand in this,

And we’ll kick the crap out of his rest.

He considers the best appeal to him in the words of Rolan Bykov:

My gentle Gaft, my nervous genius

God save you from all those

Who provoked the success

Of your immature works...

Valentin Gaft was married three times. His first wife was a model and actress Elena Izorgina. This marriage ended quickly. His second wife, the ballerina Inna Yeliseeva gave Valentin Josephovich his only daughter Olga. Olga's life was tragically cut short in 2002 when she committed suicide. Gaft experienced this tragedy very long and hard, he was sick for three years and did not play in the theater. His third wife, actress Olga Ostroumova helped him to get out from a prolonged depression.

For the first time Gaft met Ostroumova at the shooting of "Garage". But the love story began much later, in 1996. The son of Ostroumova, Misha was raised by Valentin Gaft since he was 10; Valentin has become a boy nearly as close as if he was his real father. Gaft believes his marriage is harmonious: "I am happy with her progress and she enjoys mine if there are some."

In September of this year the Valentin Josephovich Gaft turned 81. He still plays in the theater and is full of creative ideas. We wish you turn 120, our favorite Artist!

The Irony and Talent – about Valentin Gaft in our Club

See also

Archive

Hot links

Social Cultural Projects

Need assistance

Contact