Photo credit: Leonid Gaidai / N. Gnisyuk. Baku. April 1974 Main archive of Moscow / mos.ru (CC BY 4.0)
The centennial anniversary of Leonid Gaidai is celebrated on Monday, January, 30. He was born in 1923. Since childhood, he dreamed of being an actor, but directorial work brought him great fame.
The future director was born in the Far East, went to school in Irkutsk, where he became interested in amateur performances, graduated from the theater studio at the Irkutsk Drama Theater. The director was drafted in 1942 but had to leave the army in 1943 after being badly wounded. For his service, he was awarded the "For Military Merit" award.
Leonid Gaidai worked for two years in the Irkutsk theater, then entered the directing department of the VGIK University of Cinematography.
His first significant success was the Three Friends And A Dog Jog In Russian Woodlands short film, screened in 1961 at the Moscow Film Festival. The film was translated into several languages and was awarded the Palme d'Or at Cannes. This was followed by Moonshiners and Business People, based on novels by O'Henry.
He later shot The Diamond Arm, a series of films about the adventures of Shurik, 12 chairs, Ivan Vasilievich: Back to the Future, making him the absolute king of Soviet comedy and bringing him world fame. Most of these movies still enjoy the love of viewers of all generations.
The director passed away in 1993.
The first of a series of events dedicated to Gaidai's centenary in Irkutsk will be a solemn ceremony of awarding young directors. The presentation will take place on January, 30. Actress Natalya Varley, who acted in Gaidai's films, will hold a meeting with the fans. In total, more than 120 events will take place in the Angara region for the anniversary of the director, including scientific and educational projects, exhibitions and film screenings.
Russkiy Mir
