Unsurpassed master of comedy

Over 37 years of Leonid Gaidai directing career took off more than 20 paintings and opened dozens of new talents.

"Operation" Y "and other adventures Shurik", "Diamond Hand", "12 chairs" "Ivan Vasilyevich Changes Occupation" - these are just a few of his films have won the national love. Gained fame thanks to his films trio Coward, Bobby and Experienced by actors George Vitsin, Yuri Nikulin and Yevgeny Morgunov.

The life and work of the director, on the list:

Like many filmmakers, Leonid Gaidai started his career in the theater - in the years of the Great Patriotic War was a stagehand at the Irkutsk Drama Theater. Then Gaidai went in there acting as a drama school and only 26 years of age entered VGIK at the Directing Department.

In the film Leonid Gaidai made his debut as an actor, playing a major role in the film by Boris Barnet, "Liang". A year later, he published his first directorial work - drama "Long Walk". Seeing her, Mikhail Romm suggested Gaidai try themselves in the genre of comedy, and soon he takes "the Groom from the dead."

In 1961 he published a short film Gaidai of poetic feuilleton Ukrainian humorist Stepan Oleynik "Dog Mongrel and unusual cross". In this film, the first appearance of Coward, Bobby and Experienced by George Vitsin, Yuri Nikulin and Yevgeny Morgunov.

Since Gaidai will only shoot a comedy.

In 1962 was released the film "Business People" - almanac of three novels by O. Henry.

And three years later, on cinema screens out comedy "Operation" Y "and other adventures Shurik." The movie became the leader of film distribution - it looked almost 70 million viewers.

Gaidai films were bold enough and frank for its time. "Caucasian captive", for example, do not want to let to rent - saved the picture just what she liked Leonid Brezhnev.

To keep your picture in its original form, the director had to make tweaks. Thus, it is specifically added to the end of "Brilliant hands" the scene of a nuclear explosion, and said that the film can be cut out everything except her. Then, in the State Cinema Committee promised not to cut reel if Gaidai will remove the explosion.

The director liked the novel by Ilf and Petrov's "12 chairs" and received permission to shoot, was so happy that prepared the script for a few days.

The first version of the script comedy "Ivan Vasilyevich Changes Occupation" Gaidai wrote specifically for Yuri Nikulin. However, the actor from filming refused, for fear that the film will not pass censorship.

Refused Nikulin and from another project Gaidai - the comedy "Can not be!". Probably for the same reason: survey approved only the second time - after the director renamed picture, and suffered its action in the 1930s.

Gaidai repeatedly filmed works of favorite writers. In 1977 the turn and "The Government Inspector" by Nikolai Gogol. "Incognito from St. Petersburg" is the third film of the Soviet screen version of the play.

The role of the inspector in the film played Sergey Migitsko (pictured left).

Despite mixed reviews, the film "Sports Lottery-82" became the leader of the Soviet film distribution in 1982.

His last picture, "On Deribasovskaya good weather or on Brighton Beach Raining Again" Leonid Gaidai released in 1992. November 19, 1993 the director died.