Valentin Gaft

Valentin Iosifovich Gaft is an actor in Soviet and Russian theater and cinema, People's Artist of the RSFSR, star of the Sovremennik Theater. All-Russian love won after filming in the films of Eldar Ryazanov. Also, the artist is known as the author of sharp epigrams. He most often devotes poetic lines to friends and colleagues. Valentin Iosifovich is distinguished by an ironic attitude to his talent, always remembering those masters of the Russian theater school with whom he had to work.

The future actor was born in Moscow in September 1935. Parents Iosif Ruvimovich and Gita Davydovna Gaft, Jews by nationality, were immigrants from Ukraine. Father worked as a prosecutor, mother was engaged in housekeeping. In 1941, Joseph Gaft went to war. The 6-year-old son was forever engraved in the memory of seeing his father off to the front. Fortunately, dad returned from the war alive.

The house of the Gaft family was located on the capital's Matrosskaya Tishina Street. Nearby, a market, a prison and a student dormitory peacefully coexisted. Valentin Iosifovich later joked: "The whole world in miniature." Surprisingly happy childhood years of the future artist passed on this street.

Gaft became interested in theater early. For the first time, the boy got to the play in the 4th grade. It was a production of "Special Assignment", 10-year-old Valentin Gaft was amazed at what he saw. At first, the young viewer did not even understand what they were playing on stage. Later, participating in school amateur performances, Valentin realized what an acting craft is. In high school, the young man already clearly understood who he would be in adulthood.

Valentin Iosifovich carefully prepared for the entrance exams to a theater university, but at the same time he strongly doubted his own acting abilities. The famous actor Sergey Stolyarov helped the guy overcome indecision. Gaft accidentally met the artist walking in Sokolniki Park. Overcoming shyness, Valentin Gaft approached his favorite artist and asked to listen to him. Stolyarov was surprised at the request, but did not refuse.

The advice of the master helped the young man prepare for the exams and enter on the first try. True, Gaft did not make it to Shchukinskoe: he did not make it to the second round. But the young man was taken to the Moscow Art Theater School immediately. Parents learned about Valentine's admission when he was enrolled in a theater university. They were skeptical about the talent of the young man; subsequently, the mother of Valentin Iosifovich attended only two of her son's performances.

In 1957, Valentin Gaft graduated from the Studio School, having received the basics of acting on the Toporkov course. Together with him studied Igor Kvasha, Oleg Tabakov, Mikhail Kozakov and other future masters of Russian cinema.

After graduation, Valentin Gaft did not immediately get into the theater. He was helped by Dmitry Zhuravlev, a popular Soviet actor and Stalin Prize laureate. The beginning artist was taken to the Lensovet Theater. But here Gaft only lasted a year. The proposed roles were so insignificant that Valentin Iosifovich understood: we must look for a place where he can develop acting skills, and not vegetate behind the scenes.

And again, the young artist was helped. This time, the actor Erast Garin invited Gaft to try his hand at the Satire Theater. But even here the guy did not stay for long. A few years later, Valentin Iosifovich will return to this stage again to disrupt the audience's ovation with the starring role of Count Almaviv in the play “Crazy Day, or The Marriage of Figaro”. The search for "their" theater continued.

For several years Valentin Gaft performed on the stage of the Theater on Malaya Bronnaya, then worked at the Andrei Goncharov Theater on Spartakovskaya.

Valentin Gaft felt his first success and happiness from his work in 1964, when he got to the Theater named after the Lenin Komsomol ("Lenkom"), which was directed by Anatoly Efros. Here Gaft felt what creativity and inspiration are. For the first time, a young actor learned what excitement and joy overwhelm the artist when his game is accompanied by applause. Gaft performed on this stage for 5 years.

In 1969 Valentin Iosifovich joined Sovremennik at the invitation of Oleg Efremov. Here Gaft finally felt as if he had returned to his home. The best roles of the artist were played on this stage. Here he shone in the performances "From Lopatin's Notes", "Balalaikin and Co.", "Hurry to Do Good" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" Cooperation with the theater director Galina Volchek turned out to be fruitful and long. Valentin Iosifovich Gaft is still the leading actor of Sovremennik.

Valentin Gaft is the winner of prestigious theater awards. During the years of his service at Sovremennik, Valentin Iosifovich was awarded the IM Smoktunovsky Prize (1995), the KS Stanislavsky International Prize in the nomination “For Contribution to the Development of the Russian Acting Art” (2007), the A. Mironov's "Figaro" (2011), as well as the honorary award "Crystal Turandot" in the category "For long and valiant service to the theater" (2012).

In 2017, the Sovremennik Theater began preparations for the play "As long as there is space", the author and performer of which was Valentin Gaft. Galina Volchek called the production "the confession of a man who knew the truth." Due to the artist's illness, the work had to be temporarily interrupted. In an interview, the actor noted that the premiere was postponed until the fall.

Valentin Gaft's cinematic biography developed gradually. Success did not come immediately. Until the end of the 60s, the actor was offered inexpressive roles, episodes. The debut took place in 1956 in the film Murder on Dante Street. Here Gaft flashed in a tiny episode. Apparently, the artist's appearance did not fit into the image of the Soviet film hero. For a long time he was called on the role of various villains and negative characters.

Everything changed in the 70s. Valentin Iosifovich began to offer the first bright roles. In the film "The Night of April 14", he played Stuart, and in 1975 - Lopatin in the television play "From Lopatin's Notes".

Success, huge and unconditional, came to Valentin Gaft after collaborating with the legendary director Eldar Ryazanov. Moreover, Gaft is called one of Ryazanov's favorite artists, whom he regularly invited to play in his own films - films that were included in the golden fund of Russian cinema. Accordingly, all the actors who played in these films became stars of the first magnitude.

In 1979, Ryazanov's comedy "Garage" was released. In this film, Gaft played the chairman of the garage-building cooperative Sidorkin, whose phrases soon become aphorisms. Next year Ryazanov's vaudeville "Say a word about the poor hussar" is released, where Valentin Iosifovich plays Colonel Pokrovsky.

In 1987, a wonderful comedy-melodrama "Forgotten Melody for the Flute" appeared, where Gaft brilliantly portrayed the official Odinkov. In the early 90s, viewers saw Valentin Iosifovich as president of homeless intellectuals in the film-parable "Promised Heaven". And in the late 90s, the actor played the general in Ryazanov's tragicomedy "Old Nags".

It was not only the creations of the great Eldar Ryazanov that made Valentin Gaft famous. He has other wonderful roles that the audience will remember. He played Brasset's lackey in Titov's comedy Hello, I'm your aunt! Many generations of domestic viewers today enjoy watching the wonderful New Year's film "The Wizards", where Gaft appeared in the form of Apollo Mitrofanovich Sataneev.

Another New Year's tale is "Kazan Orphan" by Vladimir Mashkov, where Valentin Iosifovich is one of Nastya's touching "dads", a deserved magician. The tragic role went to the actor in the tape of Peter Todorovsky "Anchor, another anchor!", Where he played Colonel Vinogradov. An interesting image Valentin Iosifovich recreated in the movie "Thieves in law", where he appeared as the godfather. Also in his filmography a special place is occupied by the films "Lady's Visit", "Terrorist", "Night Fun", where the artist played the main characters.

In the 2000s, the actor was filmed less and less, mainly in TV series or television films. In 2005, Valentin Gaft was included in the main cast of Vladimir Bortko's television film The Master and Margarita, where he played the Jewish priest Joseph Kaifa. This is the second work of the artist in the adaptation of the novel of the same name by Mikhail Bulgakov. In 1994, Gaft played Woland in the drama of Yuri Kara, the music for which was written by Alfred Schnittke. The screening of the film did not take place on time for a number of reasons, the film was released on DVD only in 2011.

At this time, the actor's piggy bank was replenished with works in the films "Burnt by the Sun - 2: Imminence", "Leningrad", "Christmas trees-3".

And Valentin Gaft is also known for talented and sharp epigrams. So, once the actor dedicated the lines to Armen Dzhigarkhanyan:

Since the end of the 80s, the actor has released several collections of poems of his own composition - "Poem and Epigram", "I gradually learn", "Garden of Forgotten Memories", "Shadows on the Water", "Red Lanterns".

In 2016, the premiere of the comedy "Milky Way" by Anna Mathison took place, in which Valentin Gaft played a supporting role. The main characters - a married couple of Andrei and Nadezhda - were played by Sergei Bezrukov and Marina Aleksandrova. Valentin Gaft got the main role in Kirill Safonov's short film "The Fourth". Polina Kutepova became his partner on the working site.

In 2016, Valentin Gaft received the Order of Merit for the Fatherland from the hands of Russian President V. Putin. Photos of the award ceremony are publicly available on the Internet.

Already in his youth, Valentin was distinguished by his amorousness, although he was a shy and insecure guy. Playing football on the site in front of the Moscow State University hostel, the future artist dreamed of seeing his first love in one of the windows of the building - a girl named Dina Vasilenok. In her presence, the guy was transformed and was ready for exploits. The first feeling remained platonic, later the girl devoted her life to science, defended her doctoral dissertation.

Valentin Gaft was married three times. In his youth, the actor met a fashion model and artist Elena Izorgina. She attended the first unsuccessful performance of Valentin Iosifovich at the Theater of Satire. After a short romance, the young decided to get married. We lived in Elena's room.

According to the artist, his wife was not indifferent to animals. In a small room, in addition to the couple and the wife's mother, abandoned kittens, dogs and even pigeons with broken paws huddled. The relationship dried up when the beauty fell in love with another. Gaft's rival was the film critic Dal Orlov.

After the divorce, Valentine did not grieve for long. From a short relationship with the artist Elena Nikitina, he had a son, Vadim. The artist found out about the existence of the child only when the boy was 3 years old.

Elena did not demand anything from the actor, and later immigrated to Brazil, where her sister had previously settled. Valentin Iosifovich only has a photo of his son. Vadim also became an actor, is fond of poetry. Close communication with my father began only in 2014, when Elena and Vadim arrived in Moscow.

Gaft's second wife was a girl named Inna Eliseeva. She was from a wealthy family, she drove a car. The wife gave Valentina Iosifovich the only daughter Olga. The girl attended a ballet studio, but dreamed of an acting career.

Valentin Gaft and Olga Ostroumova: "nervous genius" and his star wife Posted in CultureLate love. / A photo:...

At the entrance exams to the theater, she could not fully reveal herself, she was not taken. So her father asked: he understood that later it would be even more difficult for her to part with her dream. The discord in relations with the young man finally knocked Olga off the track. In 2002, the girl committed suicide.

After the second marriage, the artist did not dare to have a long relationship for a long time. In his life, there were bright, but short-term novels. The actor at one time lived with the girl Alla, who played the cello in the State Orchestra under the direction of Evgeny Svetlanov. The relationship did not work out due to the pathological jealousy of the beloved.

Valentin Gaft and Olga Ostroumova

With the advent of Olga Ostroumova, Valentin Gaft's personal life and well-being improved. For the first time a man met his future wife on the set of the Ryazanov comedy "Garage". Olga liked the master of the epigram, but he did not dare to meet her: the actress was happily married. The romance began much later, in 1996. By this time, Olga was already divorced, so Valentin Iosifovich decided to act actively. Ostroumova answered him in return.

Under the influence of his wife, Gaft accepted Orthodox baptism. The children of his wife - Olga and Mikhail Levitin - were received by Valentin Iosifovich as relatives. As the actor clarifies in an interview, everything in the house rests on the shoulders of his wife - thanks to her, the artist can engage exclusively in creativity, without touching life.

Olga Ostroumova and Valentin Gaft.

The actor is known for his firm political stance. Valentin Gaft has repeatedly spoken in a positive way about Vladimir Putin, expressing confidence in the president's actions in foreign and domestic policy. In 2015, Gaft was credited with an epigram about Russian power, where statesmen were called "an abscess" on the body of Russia. Later, Valentin Iosifovich denied the authorship of the poem and once again expressed support for the Kremlin's policy.

The state of health of the artist has long been a concern of his family and doctors. In 2011, Gaft suffered a heart attack, after 3 years he underwent a complex operation. In 2017, after a careless fall, Valentin Iosifovich again needed medical assistance. The situation is complicated by the development of a neurological disease in the actor - Parkinson's disease. But the artist himself does not lose heart, he continues to create to the best of his ability.

Now the performer devotes most of his time to rest with his family. Together with his wife, he loves to visit Jurmala. Valentin Iosifovich does not forget about creativity. Twice a month he appears on the stage of Sovremennik in the production As long as space exists.

Also, the artist often appears in the studios of various talk shows. In 2018, he became a guest of the programs "Hello Andrey!", "Let them talk." In May 2019, he appeared on the air of the issue "The Fate of a Man" already in a wheelchair. The actor came to our program to support his colleague and friend Svetlana Nemolyaeva.

1956 - Murder on Dante Street 1973 - Seventeen Moments of Spring 1975 - Hello, I'm your aunt! 1979 - "Garage" 1980 - "Say a word about the poor hussar" 1982 - "Wizards" 1986 - "Along the main street with an orchestra" 1987 - "Forgotten melody for flute" 1988 - "Thieves in law" 1989 - "A Lady's Visit" 1991 - "Promised Heaven" 1992 - "Anchor, another anchor!" 1997 - "Kazan Orphan" 2005 - "The Master and Margarita" 2013 - "Christmas Trees 3" 2015 - "Scoundrel" 2016 - "The Fourth"

Valentin Gaft 's estimated Net Worth, Salary, Income, Cars, Lifestyles & many more details have been updated below.

Let's check, How Rich is Valentin Gaft in 2020 ?

Valentin Gaft Net Worth 2021

Valentin Gaft 's revenue is $ 1.3M in 2021. It is an approximate forecast of how rich is Valentin Gaft and could vary in the range between $ 601.8K - $ 1.2M.

Valentin Gaft Net Worth 2020

Valentin Gaft 's revenue is $1.5M in 2020. It is an approximate forecast of how rich is Valentin Gaft and could vary in the range between $658.7K - $1.1M.

Valentin Gaft Net Worth 2019

Valentin Gaft 's revenue is $1M in 2019. It is an approximate forecast of how rich is Valentin Gaft and could vary in the range between $760.5K - $1.8M.

Valentin Gaft Net Worth 2018

Valentin Gaft 's revenue is $1.4M in 2018. It is an approximate forecast of how rich is Valentin Gaft and could vary in the range between $842.2K - $1.4M.

Valentin Gaft Net Worth 2017

Valentin Gaft 's revenue is $1.3M in 2017. It is an approximate forecast of how rich is Valentin Gaft and could vary in the range between $515.2K - $1.1M.

Valentin Gaft Net Worth 2016

Valentin Gaft 's revenue is $1.9M in 2016. It is an approximate forecast of how rich is Valentin Gaft and could vary in the range between $653.8K - $1.7M.

Valentin Gaft Net Worth 2015

Valentin Gaft 's revenue is $1.2M in 2015. It is an approximate forecast of how rich is Valentin Gaft and could vary in the range between $938.6K - $1.5M.

It is an overall forecast for the net worth of Valentin Gaft. The evaluation covers the latest 5 years and an approximation for next year. See above to learn how much money does Valentin Gaft make a year.

The range above shows an estimation based on evaluation generated by public information about sponsorships or other sources found on the internet. It's summarized data from Valentin Gaft' projects existing in AidWiki's repository. It's an approximation of the revenue compiled by AidWiki and may not correspond with the real amount.