Mikhail Kononov

Acting

Mikhail Kononov

Born 1940-04-25 · Moscow, RSFSR, USSR

Honored Artist of the RSFSR (04.17.1989). People's Artist of Russia (11/22/1999). In 1963 he graduated from the Shchepkin Theater School and was accepted into the troupe of the Maly Theater. From August 1, 1963 to April 16, 1968 - actor of the Academic Maly Theater. Since 1968 - actor of the Gorky film studio. The actor played his first role, while still a student, in 1961 he made his debut in the film by Ivan Pyryev "Our mutual friend", where Kononov got the role of Vitka. The type played by him for a long time determined the role of the actor - "a guy from the people", charming and unsophisticated. Kononov did not work out with the theater. After graduating from the Shchepkin College in 1963, Mikhail Kononov came to the Maly Theater. At first, he seemed to fit into the theatrical environment. However, in the future, the attitude of the leadership of the Maly Theater to the young actor changed - there were rumors that the masters did not like that Kononov was making a career in cinema. Five years later, the actor left the theatrical stage forever. In 1969, the actor married a girl named Natalya. The couple lived 38 years in marriage, they did not have children. Natalia passed away in 2011. In 1997, Mikhail Ivanovich had to sell an apartment in the center of Moscow in order to buy a house in the Istra district, in the village of Butyrki (near Mozhaisk). For eight years, the building was being renovated at the end of the 19th century. So the Kononovs lived all this time, one might say, at a construction site and for the money from the sale of vegetables grown in his garden. A year before the death of Mikhail Kononov, they returned to Moscow. Since the late 1980s, the actor has appeared less and less on the screen. Often refused offers, with the new generation in the cinema he was not fundamentally friendly and rarely appeared in public. After returning to Moscow, he worked as the head of the marketing department. He wrote scripts, and in his own words, "looked for himself." The actor did not like those works that brought him popularity among the audience - “The Head of Chukotka”, “Big Break” or “Guest from the Future”. “If we talk about recognition in professional circles,” said the actor, “then Thomas’s small role in the film“ Andrei Rublev ”brought me greater success. One of his last works is that of Gleb Panfilov’s film“ In the First Circle ”(2006). he was filming when he was already very sick. "Misha said there so that his every word pierced his heart, but, unfortunately, none of the film critics noticed or noted this," says Inna Churikova, of whom Kononov was a partner in such legendary films like “Beginning” and “There is no ford in the fire.” Before his death, he wrote a book that he had nothing to publish. Despite his grave condition, in the last days of his life, the popularly beloved actor tried not to lose his presence of spirit. Mikhail Ivanovich Kononov He died on July 16, 2007 at 10:10 in the cardiopulmonary resuscitation unit of Moscow Clinical Hospital No. 20. "My friends and I raised a small amount to buy medicine for Mikhail Ivanovich," Kononova’s neighbor in the ward says. But it was too late, we were unable to save him. "The actor was buried in the columbarium of the Vagankovsky cemetery in Moscow (plot No. 1).

Acting credits

Andrei Rublev poster
7.9

An expansive Russian drama, this film focuses on the life of revered religious icon painter Andrei Rublev. Drifting from place to place in a tumultuous era, the peace-seeking monk eventually gains a reputation for his art. But after Rublev witnesses a brutal battle and unintentionally becomes involved, he takes a vow of silence and spends time away from his work. As he begins to ease his troubled soul, he takes steps towards becoming a painter once again.

Andrei Rublev

1966

The Royal Hunt poster
4.4

Russian general have to find and bring back to St. Petersburg girl claiming her right to the throne...

The Royal Hunt

1990

Alone and Unarmed poster
4.0

1927. A retired Red Army commander Constantine Vorontsov is appointed a Criminal Investigation Department head in a principal city of province. An experienced repeater named Korney shows up in the city. Thanks to a successfully performed operation a place of a local thieves gathering place is now known. But Korney, foreboding of an ambush, changes the place at the last moment. Vorontsov doesnt have enough time to warn all his colleagues and heads for the thieves meeting by his own.

Alone and Unarmed

1984

The First Trolleybus poster
6.0

Svetlana, young pretty girl, works as a trolleybus driver in a small town and almost all her permanent passengers are at least a little bit in love with her.

The First Trolleybus

1963

Siberiade poster
7.1

The story about a very small god-forgotten village in Siberia reflects the history of Russia from the beginning of the century till the early 1980s. Three generations try to find the land of happiness and to give it to the people. One builds the road through taiga to the star over horizon, the second 'build communism' and the third searches for oil.

Siberiade

1979

Taiga Story poster
6.7

A hunter, returning to the Taiga forest, finds a dying girl in his cabin. He stoically nurses her back to life, but the differences between them may be too great for them to remain together.

Taiga Story

1979

1612: Chronicles of the Dark Time poster
5.0

The czar of Russia has died and a power vacuum has developed. This period in the late 16th and early 17th century has been called "The Time of Troubles." There are many impostors who claim to the right to rule, but there's only one heir, the Czarina Kseniya Godunova. She has married a Polish military leader who wants to claim the Russian throne in her name so he can rule all of Russia. As the Poles move in on Moscow in an attempt to install the czarina on the throne, Andrei, a serf with a life-long infatuation of the czarina attempts to save her from her brutal Polish husband.

1612: Chronicles of the Dark Time

2007

The Inner Circle poster
5.8

Life changes for a Moscow worker when he's made Stalin's personal film projectionist but cannot tell his bride.

The Inner Circle

1992

Unbelievable Adventures of Italians in Russia poster
7.3

In Italy, a dying woman tells her granddaughter that she hid her treasure many years ago in Russia, in the city of Leningrad. As more people learn about it, they head to Leningrad to find the lion where it is rumoured to be buried.

Unbelievable Adventures of Italians in Russia

1974

Greetings! or Crazy Demobilization poster
4.7

No synopsis available yet.

Greetings! or Crazy Demobilization

1990

Pavlik Morozov poster
NR

The film was based on the story of the same name by A. Yakovlev about the most famous pioneer of the thirties of the last century, who was inscribed in the history of the pioneers under number 1.

Pavlik Morozov

1963

The Chief of Chukotka poster
5.9

Young patriotic young man ends up in the on Chukotka right after the civil war, where he intends to spread ideas of justice and equality among the natives. As it happens, instead he learn the local capitalist ways, and he start profitable fur trading with US, Japanese and other merchants.

The Chief of Chukotka

1967

Red Bees poster
6.0

In 1922, in a small town, the boys formed a pioneer squad and named it "Red Bees."

Red Bees

1972

Ryaba, My Chicken poster
5.3

Assia lives in a small Russian village, populated by useless alcoholics. She sells eggs and alcohol to her neighbours, and everybody is happy. However, one day, her hen lays a golden egg, and Assia may have a golden opportunity.

Ryaba, My Chicken

1994

Catch the Wind poster
7.5

A family of a private stud-farm head takes cover from a Civil War in a forsaken estate in Urals steppe. Once an old family friend Victor, lieutenant of White Guard, shows up in the estate and claims that he wants to come out of action and live according to the laws of God. The old man marries his daughter and Victor, but that is the end of peace in this house, taking into account that the white Cossacks are getting nearer

Catch the Wind

1979

Over the Rainbow poster
6.4

Very dreamy boy who is also a young poet, met a fairy who gave him the ability to do good in PE (specifically high jumping) with a condition that he will not say lies; once he commits a smallest lie, his abilities are gone...

Over the Rainbow

1986

Boys poster
6.0

Two stories about the life of a young boxer Sasha and his friends in Leningrad during a first years after WWII.

Boys

1969

Station for Two poster
7.3

Platon is travelling by train to visit his father. He gets off to have lunch where he meets Vera, a waitress. He refuses to pay for the food after which a series of unfortunate events unfold for the pair.

Station for Two

1983

Memento Mori poster
7.0

Teenagers whose company broke up after the absurd death of one of their friends are afraid to tell their parents about his death and want to bury their friend themselves.

Memento Mori

1991

Are You Kidding? poster
4.3

The film almanac of VGIK's graduates, consisting of films for children: "Otherwise We Are Lost," "Vanderbul Runs Over the Horizon," and "Are You Kidding?"

Are You Kidding?

1971

For No Apparent Reason poster
7.0

1921. Three seemingly unrelated terrible events took place in a provincial Siberian town. But Chekist Kamchatov is convinced that there are links between the murders and, moreover, that in the last case, the suicide of a young security guard was, in his opinion, clearly staged...

For No Apparent Reason

1982

Hello and Goodbye poster
5.6

A love story between a country policeman and a recently separated from her husband woman with three kids.

Hello and Goodbye

1972

Twenty Days Without War poster
6.6

War correspondent Lopatin takes a 20-day-leave from his hard work at the front in 1942. He travels to faraway Tashkent to meet the family of the killed soldier and visit the film set of the screen adaptation of his war-time stories. Lopatin also manages to walk the streets of Tashkent, take part in a factory workers' meeting and have a short-lived love affair. Although with no bombings and fighting, the city dwellers breathe the atmosphere of the ongoing war.

Twenty Days Without War

1976

The Feasts of Valtasar, or The Night with Stalin poster
5.1

A dance troupe from the autonomous region of Abkhazia in western Georgia perform for Stalin, Lavrentiy Beria, Abkhaz leader Nestor Lakoba, and other high-ranking party officials in the Black Sea coastal town of Gagra.

The Feasts of Valtasar, or The Night with Stalin

1989