Kyurdzidis Evklid

Born February 22, 1968.

Honored Artist of Russia (2007).

Laureate of the Small Sturgeon Prize for the comedian flip-flop in the best male supporting role - VI Open Russian Festival “Smile, Russia!” (2005).

Cavalier of the Order of the Peacemaker (2006).

Purebred greek

Euclid Kurdzidis by nationality Greek. And this circumstance has always aroused increased interest in the actor among journalists. Where is he from? Where he was born? And here at Euclid’s fantasy came on, and he began to tell that he was born in Greece, came to Moscow ...

In fact, everything was different. Even during World War II, Euclid's grandmother and grandfather emigrated from Greece to the Soviet Union. Yes, and left to live. Here, in the south of Russia, in a small Greek settlement on February 22, 1968, the future Russian actor was born. Parents decided to name their son Euclid - in honor of the great Greek mathematician. Later the family moved to Essentuki, where Euclid Kurdzidis graduated from eight classes of high school.

The desire to become an artist

Euclid in early childhood knew that when he grows up, he will certainly become an artist. Which one? Well, that's another question. Maybe he will play in the theater, or maybe in the circus. The main thing is that the boy really liked when people around him rejoice. Having learned that there is a theater school in Dnepropetrovsk that has been accepting boys and girls from the age of fourteen, he, having graduated from eight classes, left home.

Parents were very worried about the choice of a son, believing that a man should acquire a “serious” profession. For example - a doctor, like a lawyer. But their hopes did not come true. I had to come to terms.

And then Euclid, as they say, circled the vast expanses of our vast country. At the end of the Dnepropetrovsk Theater School in 1987, he was assigned to Western Ukraine by distribution. After working for some time in the Drama Theater of the city of Lutsk, Euclid Kurdzidis was drafted into the ranks of the Soviet Army. He performed his civic duty in the missile forces at the Kapustin Yar cosmodrome in the Astrakhan Region.

Having served, Euclid Kurdzidis got a job in the Pyatigorsk Theater. On his stage, the actor played Mizgir in the play "The Snow Maiden" according to A. Ostrovsky and other roles.

VGIK

Euclid Kurdzidis knew perfectly well that with his appearance it would not be easy to fit into the repertoire of the Russian theater. Still, while studying at the Dnepropetrovsk Theater School, the young man often heard: “Well, what will you play in the Russian theater?” Therefore, when Euclid decided to continue his education, he preferred VGIK to the capital's theater universities. Maybe in the movie he will succeed more? And there, through the cinema - and to the theater ...

To his great happiness, Euclid entered the All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography the first time, having got on the course of the outstanding master Anatoly Romashin. They had twenty-eight people on the course. They said about someone: “Star”, and about someone: “... and let these learn.” He was one of "these", proving his worth every day. Euclid Kurdzidis on this occasion argues: “Maybe in this resistance, in that we are being pressed, but we are making our way, does it make sense? If everything was so easy, I don’t think it would be so sweet now. ”

As a result, VGIK Euclid Kurdzidis graduated with honors, and this was only the beginning ...

First movie roles

In 1995, as a second-year student, Euclid Kurdzidis made his debut on the movie screen. Director Vladimir Motyl without trial approved the young actor for a small role of the Greek in the picture “The horses are carrying me”. To do this, Euclid had to make a small sacrifice - get a haircut and let go of his mustache. Much later, in an interview, the actor was asked what he could do for the role. Euclid replied that if the role is interesting to him, if the director is interested, then there are no restrictions. It is necessary to replenish, lose weight, shave baldly - but anything! But at the same time: “I will never step over another person in order to get the role, whatever it may be. I can’t trample, destroy, say that the actor is bad, and I will play better ... "

The real conquest of cinema by Euclid Kurdzidis began after graduating from VGIK in 1997. The appearance of the actor, his nationality initially predetermined his roles. The young actor was invited to play mainly “eastern people”, often terrorists: the action movie nicknamed Scar in the TV series “Men's Work” (2001), the Chechen action movie Vagif in the TV series “Special Forces” (2002, the series “Broken Arrow”).

The actor admits that at first he did not want to appear in Spetsnaz - he was persuaded. First of all, Euclid Kurdzidis changed the face of his hero - refused the gold chains and tracksuit offered to him. “I agreed to play this character only under the condition that I will have expensive clothes and without any chains, because the opponents must be made strong,” he recalls. But most importantly, Euclid tried to delve into the inner world of Vagif. However, this is important for him in any role. Euclid Kurdzidis outplayed a lot of anti-heroes in the movie, and never made them unambiguous villains, for him this is not interesting. “I always looked at them for some human side, tried to understand what pushed them to these actions. Otherwise it was impossible to play. ”

In this regard, the role of Ruslan Shamayev in Balabanov’s film “War” (2002) became a very interesting work of the actor. His hero is an elderly Chechen shepherd, the father of two children, who, by the will of fate, was pulled into a whirlpool of terrible events. Euclid Kurdzidis recalls how he was assigned to this role: “Balabanov sent me a script and offered me to choose a role. I read and did not understand what I can choose here at all. There is a field commander Aslan, but he is a large man, this is clearly not for me. There is also a Chechen Ruslan, but he is over fifty, he is a shepherd with golden teeth, almost an old man. Balabanov asks: “Well, how?” But I don’t know what to answer. He says: "Shamaev." When they put me on make-up and began to transform - to get my hair done, to glue my golden teeth - Balabanov stood nearby and kept repeating: “It is necessary to bring down intelligence, it is necessary to bring down intelligence. So that there was a shepherd, not an actor. "

Reincarnation succeeded in full. Kurdzidis is so organic in the image of an elderly shepherd that you do not immediately recognize him.

Babi Yar

A very big influence on Euclid Kurdzidis both as an actor and as a person was exerted by the work in the film “Babi Yar” by Hollywood director Jeffrey Kenyu, telling about the tragic events of World War II. He recalls: “History itself was very dear to me, it, in my opinion, cannot leave any living person indifferent, especially since this story is real, real. The German producer who sponsored this picture survived everything himself, this is his personal story, according to which the script was written by a Hollywood screenwriter and shot by a Hollywood director. When I found myself in these terrible conditions, I had moments of shock, a shift in time. There is such a scene in the picture: me and my family are let through the Germans who beat us with sticks, scream, the dogs bark. And I have three children according to the scenario, you can’t explain to them ... they, of course, understood that this was not real, but only until the camera was turned on and they started shooting. Dogs bark, soldiers start yelling in German, and the children cried for real. At that moment I did not play, I really closed them. It seemed to me that I ended up at another time, now our family will be shot ... Or the moment of the execution. I went to the cliff, where they should shoot us and saw below 300 or 400 naked bodies. It turned out that patriotic Jews came to play there - both old and young, and children ... all naked, in blood, on top of each other ... I was shocked. I did not play anything in this picture. Because if you are a person, you yourself experience all this. ”

After this picture, Euclid Kurdzidis received an invitation from the International Samarkand Museum of Peace and Solidarity to take part in the program "Autograph of the world and a message to humanity." Such world stars as Catherine Deneuve and Gerard Depardieu took part in this program. Euclid Kurdzidis wrote his message.

In different roles

The acting talent of Euclid Kurdzidis helped him not to focus on one role. In the fun, sparkling comedy “Super Mother-in-Law for the Loser,” he played the role of “The Rat,” who constantly swears and speaks in metaphors in different languages ​​- Latin, Greek, Korean, Armenian, Turkish, Spanish. And in the historical series “Bayazet”, the actor played the role of Kozi Magoma, the beloved son of the great Imam Shamil, an educated and outstanding person of his era. The audience remembered the work of Euclid Kurdzidis in films and TV shows: “Russian Amazons-2” (Aslan), “Hero of our tribe” (Tristan), “Balzac age, or all men of their own ...” (Artyom), “From 180 and above »(Ski instructor) and others.

In the comedy of Alexander Strizhenov “From 180 and above,” Euclid Kurdzidis categorically refused to act, - he was afraid of cliche, templates. However, I agreed and today I am very happy about it. He recalls the shooting with pleasure, where he, who had never before been skiing, had the opportunity to play an instructor. He recalls: “The first time - and immediately in the frame. A complete delight! And close to the abyss ... I had to move out, stick sticks in the snow, smile and take off the mask. I did it! <...> Probably, one can be proud that I overcame my fear, and no one knew which, to put it mildly, a newcomer-skier works in the frame. "

The role of the instructor itself is very small. At first it is shown in the mountains: this is a real macho, the conqueror of female hearts. And then he comes to Moscow. And this is a completely different person: miserable, funny, it seems that he even became smaller and taller. Wonderful, touching role.

Favorite Roles

Euclid Kyurdzidis repeatedly refused roles, if he saw that there was a repeat of the passed. Well, why play again some terrorist? However, he accepted the offer to star in the series "Operational Alias ​​- 2", although he again got the role of an action movie named Fahid. The actor himself explains this by the fact that the role seemed interesting to him: “First of all, this is a love story, and I did not play a monster who kills, shoots, robs, but a man who was broken in his life and who never saw his son and is very long - his first love. I played the tragedy of man and I hope that it turned out, I really love this role. Whether the series turned out as a whole or not is not for me to judge, the producer dictates his own, the channel dictates his own ... But I put my soul into this role.”

An important role was played by the fact that the director of the series was Sergey Vinogradov. They previously worked together, but as actors. Now Vinogradov has demonstrated excellent directorial qualities. “I was comfortable with him, he is a delicate, delicate person,” Euclid Kurdzidis admits. - He feels the artists that way, because, probably, the actor himself. It is very interesting with him, with Vinogradov, and I would like to meet him again and again in the cinema and in the theater. If he calls me, I’ll go with pleasure! ”

Another role, which is very dear to the actor, was played by him in 2005 in the series "My Personal Enemy". After a series of terrorists and militants - he was offered the role of the French billionaire Philippe Beauvais. I had to speak a lot of French on the screen, but before that, the actor did not know this language at all. Ironically, just at the same time, Euclid was faced with auditions in a Hollywood movie where English was needed. “Everything needs to be done quickly, quickly,” the actor recalls, “to learn French and English text at night, plus the Russian text.” A lot of material is removed per day. I thought I’d go crazy! I no longer understood at all what kind of tribe and I I am! ”However, it was not for Kurdzidis to get over the difficulties, he coped with this.

In general, the series “My Personal Enemy” turned out to be not very strong, but the audience liked the role of Philip Beauvais, and, most importantly, she once again proved the wide acting capabilities of Kurdzidis. It was after this picture that the directors increasingly began to offer him diverse roles.

Theatrical work

In parallel with a career in cinema, the theatrical career of the artist also developed successfully. Immediately after graduating from VGIK, Euclid Kurdzidis took part in the production of Peter Stein's Hamlet, playing seven small roles at once. In the play, he happened to work with such recognized stage masters as: Vladimir Etush, Irina Kupchenko, Alexander Feklistov, Mikhail Kazakov. The troupe successfully traveled half the world, having visited Bulgaria, Germany, Japan, Hong Kong, and everywhere the performance was very warmly received by the audience.

Later, Euclid Kurdzidis took part in the musical “Annie” (staged by Nina Chusova), played the role of Marquis de la Rondo in the play “Venetian Night” by A. Musset at the Center for Drama and Director Kazantsev and Roshchin. A very successful work of the actor in the performance of Moscow director Olga Anokhina “Hey Truffaldino!”. Kurdzidis played Count Florindo, the role of the restless Truffaldino brilliantly played by Alexei Chadov, and the temperamental maid Smeraldina - Elvira Bolgova.

For several years, Euclid Kurdzidis has been playing with great success in the production of Victor Shamirov's “Ladies’ Night, or For Women Only ”. As you know, the play ends with a frank male striptease, and for this reason the actor did not agree to sign a contract for a long time. According to him, he did not come to the theater in order to strip naked. But then I liked the play, carried away rehearsals and director's decision. As a result of a standing ovation and an enthusiastic press only added popularity to the actor.

Kisa Katsman

Many of the actors involved in the play "Ladies’ Night "then smoothly migrated to the picture of Viktor Shamirov's" Savages ". This is Euclid Kurdzidis, and Gosha Kutsenko, and Konstantin Yushkevich, and Marat Basharov. Invited organically joined the ensemble invited Alexei Gorbunov and Vladislav Galkin.

The director has long dreamed of making a picture based on the recollections of his youth. The prototypes of the main characters were his real friends at Rostov University. While on tour in Rostov, Shamirov intentionally introduced the actors to their prototypes. And then there were shooting. Shamirov assumed, having gathered the whole team, really settle them on the Black Sea coast savages. His idea was realized only 50 percent. Still, the living conditions of the actors were much better than their heroes. Nevertheless, the director managed to achieve the necessary atmosphere on the set, which, in fact, brilliantly reflected in the film.

The genre of the film was defined as comedy, although it is not a comedy in its entirety. Yes, there are a lot of funny, funny moments, but on the whole the picture leaves a feeling of some kind of light sadness. Rather, it is a film about a midlife crisis, a film goodbye to youth. Lightweight and unobtrusive. It is no accident that the second name of the film is “The Edge of Summer”. Very symbolic.

Several heroes of the film: Ai-Yai (Kutsenko), Mr. (Basharov), Cherny (Galkin), Baron (Gorbunov), Kisa Katsman (Kyurdzidis) and Valerachik (Yushkevich) for ten years now, as "savages" come to the Black Sea. In real life, one of them is a teacher, someone is a businessman, someone is a locksmith, someone is a singer. But here it is absolutely not important, here they are vacationers. They rest from work, from worries. Sea, sun, vodka, girls ... Trying to catch the moments of the passing youth, they try not to think about anything serious. And the most important thing is not to think about the fact that youth, alas, is passing away, and they are no longer the same as they were several years ago.

Victor Shamirov worked on the painting carefully, without rushing. Perhaps that is why all the images turned out to be very full-blooded, whole, alive. Kisa Katzman does not appear on the screen very often, but how bright this character is! I especially remember his incendiary dance at the disco.

One of the final episodes when we are shown him leaving home in a reserved seat car is very important in terms of revealing the image of Kisa Katsman. Euclid Kurdzidis recalls filming this scene: “The episode without words, the train and the unhappy look of Kisa, which returns to reality. There is nothing to play! And suddenly Victor comes up to me and says: “Euclid, you know, now it’s a very difficult acting task, I don’t know how you will play it ... It’s fantastically difficult, I don’t even know who can play it, maybe Al Pacino ... ". I'm starting to boil, what's so complicated? And Shamirov continues: “You understand, there is hopelessness, he’s coming back ...” And he was ready to devote 40 minutes to the story of one look! ”The director managed to get what he needed from the actor, - Kitty does not recognize Kitty right away with a piercing, sad look Katzman.

Citizen of the world

Work on the painting "Savages" lasted almost two years, and the film was released only in 2006. This year was generally very productive for Euclid Kurdzidis. He played the French chef in the four-part television film “The Milkmaid from Khatsapetovka”, the TV presenter Vlad Topalov in the film “More Important Than Love”, Seryogu in the comedy “Love-Carrot” and other roles. Some of these films were released in 2007.

Many viewers will remember the actor’s work in the historical film by Vladimir Khotinenko “1612: Chronicles of the Time of Troubles”. Initially, the Italian actor was approved for the role of Gishpan player Diego Velazquez. The choice was not accidental - according to the plot, Diego Velazquez pretends to be Italian and, accordingly, speaks this language. When the director saw Euclid Kurdzidis, he changed his mind. “Here is my gishpan,” he said, “why are we going to call someone from Italy?” So the multinational list of roles of Kurdzidis replenished with another role.

As you can see, the actor had a chance to play films of heroes of various nationalities: Jews and Chechens, French and Italians - the list goes on. And in each of the roles Euclid Kurdzidis always puts his soul. This is probably why in 2006 he was awarded a high international award: the Order of the Peacemaker, established by the World Charity Alliance. This award is given to those who, not sparing their strength, help people. In addition, the laureates of the “Peacemaker Order” receive the status of “Citizen of the world”.

A vivid episode is more expensive than a nondescript main role

It is worth noting that Euclid Kurdzidis often agrees to small roles, - remember the films "From 180 and above", "Love-carrot", other paintings. For him, a bright episode is much more important than a nondescript main role. In this regard, he recalls the legendary Rina Zeleny, who, playing small roles, remained in the memory of millions of people as a great actress.

In the film “The Fate of the Sovereign” (2008), he also had to choose between the episode and the main role. The actor was invited to a small role of Napoleon, and this character seemed to Kurdzidis unusually interesting. When they made the costume and makeup, it turned out a considerable similarity between the actor and the character. It was at this moment that the filmmakers, seeing the great potential of the actor, offered him one of the main roles. But Kürdzidis, despite the fact that he won ten times in money terms, immediately refused. He prefers to play what the soul lies to.

Another feature of the actor is that in each of his roles, Euclid Kurdzidis is trying to get away from the cliches. Even if it is such a charismatic personality like Napoleon. Of course, the image of Napoleon, in addition to the will of the actor, dictated some manner of behavior to him. Everyone knows the famous gesture of the commander - the left hand in a tunic. Euclid recalls: “I tried to get away from this gesture, but when they started filming an episode where Napoleon walks proudly and scolds Tileran, my hand itself reached out to my tunic! I was shocked by the way the costume, make-up and what I read dictate to me what to do. ” Nevertheless, Napoleon of Kurdzidis is precisely Napoleon of Kurdzidis. Played like this original actor knows how to play.

Greece, Russia ...

The heart of any Greek remains in Greece. Euclid Kurdzidis admits that when he flies to his historical homeland, he feels at home. But no less than Greece is dear to him and Russia. He loves Moscow, Arbat alleys, Prechistenka. Therefore, when in Greece, it breaks into Russia, when in Russia, it thinks of Greece. And so this amazing person lives - Russian Greek, Greek Russian ...