Today, the famous Director would have turned 95 years old. Leonid Gaidai became famous throughout the country after the release of the short films, “Bootleggers” and “Dog Mongrel and unusual cross”. Even during his studies at VGIK he met his future wife Nina Grebeshkova and never parted with it until his death.

30 Jan 1923 birthplace of the famous Director Leonid Gaidai. Today, the famous filmmaker would have turned 95 years old. During his career he made films that became cult in the former Soviet space. “Bootleggers”, “Operation “y” and other adventures Shurik”, “Caucasian captive”, “diamond hand”, “12 chairs”, “Ivan Vasilyevich changes a profession” and many other paintings are still popular with the audience.

The love of art Leonid Yovich appeared after school he got a job as a stagehand Irkutsk drama theatre. Together with the troupe went on tour and had the opportunity to watch all the performances. The work was interrupted by the Great Patriotic war. At the front, he could prove himself in intelligence and was awarded a medal “For military merit”. Two years before the end of the fighting Gaidai was severely wounded and spent six months recovering in the hospital. Because of injuries, he was recognized as unfit for military service.

After the war, the future Director graduated from the drama Studio. Two years later, he departed from Irkutsk to Moscow, where he enrolled in the VGIK. After hayday was employed in “Mosfilm”, but almost lost his place after shooting the film “groom from the world”. As it turned out, it was a lot of scenes that didn’t like the boss. In order to redeem, he had to make a film “Thrice resurrected” later, he never spoke.

All-Union fame of the Director brought the short film “Bootleggers” and “Dog Mongrel and unusual cross”. In 1962, Leonid Iovich left in the shade for three years. But after the break he takes pictures, which enjoyed incredible success at the box office, “Operation “y” and other adventures Shurik”, “Caucasian captive, or Shurik’s New adventures”, “the diamond arm”.

“Everyone who watches movies Gaidai, surprised: the picture was taken, they say, as if in one breath. In fact, the process of filming has always been a painful, laborious. To remove the Comedy much harder than melodrama. Not all know the gags, there are jokes distributed in the films Gaidai with a mathematical calculation. Leonid Iovich was sitting with a clock and verified in minutes, where to insert the next comic episode. It was important to him to not fail the audience’s attention to the audience is not bored for a minute…”told the wife of Leonid I. Nina Grebeshkova.

Interestingly, Gaidai was favorite actors, whom he has invited to roles in different films. Georgy Vitsin, Sergei Filippov, Leonid Kuravlev, Yuri Nikulin, Mikhail Pugovkin, Natalya Krachkovskaya, and many others have repeatedly appeared in his films. However, not all the artists he managed to get along. For the success of a painting he made concessions Yevgeny Morgunov, who allowed himself to let go of the familiar cues to the address of the Director.

“Remember, we need to talk, all thought how to be Morgunov. In the end I said, “You know – this picture is yours and you should make a very good picture. And for its success you should not care about their ambitions. Morgunova off all the time and some details, the big hand and so on. Let it no longer works. For the picture-it is better that he was.” And Leon agreed with me. The conflict did not go. However, with the artist then did not speak, although his feet and asked his forgiveness,” admitted the wife of Gaidai.

With Nina Grebeshkova, which often appeared in small roles in her husband, they lived for 40 years and raised the only daughter Oksana.

“We need to talk had a lot of fun, constantly joking with each other… He walked me from the Institute, and then been late for the last train and spent the night at the station. Then he says: “Ninok that we’re all go, go? Let’s get married!”He very touchingly caring, just like Shurik from “the Caucasian captive”. Scary at first lived in poverty. In one room I need to talk, parents, and even brothers. In the evening the parents left the house before midnight, to somehow give the opportunity to talk to the newlyweds…” recalled Nina p. in an interview.

The latest work of the Director was the film “good weather In Deribasovskaya, or Brighton beach again it rains”, which was released in 1992. a year hayday was in the hospital and on November 13 died due to pulmonary embolism.

“He was in the hospital with pneumonia. Reading the newspaper and suddenly started coughing, and then… it Turned out that a clot stuck in an artery. The doctors said that even if he had cut lay on the operating table, would not have saved him. I was glad he went first. If I left, he would be so worried…” confessed the wife of Gaidai.

The material is prepared on the materials of “Komsomolskaya Pravda”, “Argumenty I Fakty” and “People”.