Evgeny Urbansky is a legendary Soviet actor who was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR. Films with his participation have become real classics.
Biography of Evgeny Urbansky
Evgeny Yakovlevich Urbansky was born in Alma-Ata on February 27, 1932. The famous artist lived a very short life. He passed away on November 5, 1962. Despite such a short life path, he managed to be remembered by the audience and won the sympathy of the Soviet people.
Evgeny Yakovlevich Urbansky was born into a not quite simple family of a party employee. His father, Yakov Samoilovich Urbansky, served as deputy head of the Propaganda and Agitation Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan. He received this position a few years after the birth of his son, but did not work for it for long. In 1937 he was declared an enemy of the people and a distributor of anti-Soviet propaganda and was exiled to Vorkuta. The family was forced to move to Almaty. In 1946, the father of the future actor was transferred to the mine in Inta, and the mother and children moved to him. He was finally released only in 1955, and a few years later Yakov Samoilovich died.
Polina Filippovna Urbanskaya is the mother of the famous actor. She devoted her whole life to raising children. Urbansky's childhood was not easy. In Alma-Ata, he went to a local school, was fond of acrobatics and loved to read Mayakovsky's poems. He finished school in a new place, as he moved to his father. This period became a real test for him and tempered his character. Living conditions could not be called safe and had to huddle in barracks.
Difficult school years did not discourage the future actor from craving for knowledge. In 1950, after graduating from school, he entered the Moscow Road Institute, and a little later realized that this was not quite suitable for him, and transferred to the Mining Institute. During his student days, he was actively involved in amateur performances, participated in various productions, and this made him look differently at his career.
Evgeny Urbansky decided to try his hand and enter the Moscow Art Theater School. The members of the admissions committee were fascinated by the young talent and the young man was immediately enrolled in the course. The first year he did not show himself too brightly, but gradually began to open up. His star classmate was Oleg Tabakov, who later recalled Urbansky as a very bright, original person. Many students noted his resemblance to the image of a miner.
First steps in a career
Evgeny Urbansky sought recognition himself. He did not have influential relatives, but he had an extraordinary talent. In 1956, the actor starred in his first film, "The Communist". The role brought him fame. But his acting was not perfect. At first, the young talent was seized by a strong shyness, especially when he had to play in love scenes. Some people from the director's team advised to change the actor, but the director did not do this and made the right decision. According to a poll by "Soviet Screen", the picture was included in the top three films of that time.
After the resounding success, the actor began to be recognized on the streets, to take autographs, but Urbansky was too critical of himself and felt that he needed to hone his skills. For this reason, he did not act in films for several years, played in the theater. His second work was the role in the film "The Ballad of the Soldier". It was also very successful, although it was considered episodic.
Unsuccessful was the role of Urbansky in the film "Unsent Letter". For some reason, the viewer did not like the picture and turned out to be a failure. This greatly upset the actor and forced him to take a break from filming.
During periods of rest from cinema, Urbansky played in the theater. Connoisseurs of this art form will remember his theatrical births in productions:
- "The Devil's Disciple";
- "Days of the Turbins";
- Salem Witches;
- "The Sixth of July".
Grigory Chukhrai made him return to cinema. He suggested shooting in his film about the hero pilot. The picture "Clear Sky" was filmed for a long time and for Urbansky this work was unusually difficult. His hero had to go through a lot of different emotions. Evgeny Yakovlevich played brilliantly. The audience believed him and the film's success was deafening. In 1959 he was awarded the Best Actor in a Film Award. In 1961, the film "Clear Sky" was recognized as the best and most popular. He also won many awards at international festivals, so the actor was noticed abroad.
In 1962, Urbansky was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the RSFSR. The actor himself considered this to be his main achievement, and after the presentation of the award, he finally believed in himself, stopped being too critical of himself.
Filmography of the actor
Urbansky's filmography includes the following films:
- "Communist" (1957);
- "The Ballad of a Soldier" (1959);
- "Unsent Letter" (1959);
- "Probationary period" (1960);
- "The Boy and the Dove" (1961);
- "Clear Sky" (1961);
- "Big ore" (1964);
- "An Span of the Earth" (1964);
- "Tsar and General" (1965).
Personal life of the actor
The personal life of Yevgeny Urbansky was stormy. Friends and relatives noted his explosive disposition and love. The actor had 3 wives. He lived with his first wife Olga for several years. In marriage, a daughter, Alena, was born, with whom Urbansky communicated even after the divorce.
The second wife of the actor is Tatyana Lavrova. She played with him in the same performance and was distinguished by a tough, headstrong character. Two charismatic personalities simply could not get along together, so very soon the marriage was destroyed.
He met his third wife Dzidra Ritenberg at a festival in Latvia. Their romance developed rapidly and a few months after they met, a wedding was played. Yevgeny Urbansky loved this woman very much and, having a difficult character, at home became completely different. Eugene's daughter was named after him, but the actor never saw his child. The baby was born only a few months after his death.
The interests of the beloved actor were not limited to cinema. Urbansky was a versatile personality and tried himself in other types of art:
- music;
- poetry;
- photos.
In 1962, Urbansky passed away and this was due to a tragic accident. During the filming of the film "The Director", according to the director's idea, the car in which the actor was located was supposed to "jump". The first take was shot successfully, but it was suggested to make a second take and during the shooting the car turned over. Urbansky broke his spine and died suddenly.
