Galina Volchek moves in a wheelchair. Galina Volchek in a wheelchair at the funeral of Nina Doroshina shocked with a sickly look Former husband of Galina Volchek - Evgeny Evstigneev

The famous actress and artistic director of the Sovremennik Theater Galina Volchek is confined to a wheelchair and moves only with the help of special equipment. The reason for everything is a woman's back problems. On December 19, 2019, the actress celebrated another birthday. Despite this, the 85-year-old star, known to many generations, continues to fulfill his duties and work in the field of culture.

The state of health of Galina Volchek, despite her advanced age, remains stable today

Heart problems, a rather changed appearance and constant movement in a wheelchair caused numerous rumors that began to arise around the personality of Galina Volchek. Despite this, according to doctors, at the age of 85, this is a normal phenomenon.

On December 19, 2018, the actress and artistic director of the Moscow Sovremennik Theater celebrated her next birthday. The woman's health remains stable, she can take care of herself and does not need constant medical supervision.

Having begun her creative activity in the middle of the last century, Galina Volchek was able to outlive quite a few old-timers of the Sovremennik Theater. At the same time, she managed to surpass her teachers and reach the heights of her career.

The deterioration in the health of Galina Volchek was the result of constant hard work in the theater

Actress Galina Volchek gave more than 60 years of her life to the Sovremennik Theatre. All these years were marked by a constant creative process, painstaking work at different times of the day, sometimes even nervous breakdowns. As a result, in old age, the artistic director began to develop diseases characteristic of an elderly person.

The woman always preferred to remain silent about her stay in a wheelchair. What exactly made her move with the help of a special tool, Galina Volchek does not comment. For the first time in public, she was noticed in a stroller at an awards ceremony in the Kremlin in 2017.

In society, rumors almost immediately began to appear that the actress was paralyzed, but subsequently this information was not confirmed. In case of emergency, a woman can move freely.

Intervertebral hernia, which was diagnosed in Galina Volchek, caused severe back pain. Given the weight and constant physical activity of a woman, she independently decided to transfer to a wheelchair in order to preserve her health.

Actress Galina Volchek needs a dangerous operation for health reasons

The current situation with the health of the actress requires urgent surgical intervention. Galina Volchek understands that hardly anyone can guarantee that the necessary operation will be carried out successfully. It is for this reason, as well as due to problems with the lungs and heart, that the operation is postponed indefinitely each time.

Despite the rather considerable list of diseases that Galina Volchek successfully fights at the age of 85, the actress also continues her work activity. The talented actress and artistic director of Sovremennik continues to delight the Russian audience.

December 19 marks the 85th anniversary of the People's Artist of the USSR, actress, director, teacher Galina Volchek. In theatrical circles, she is called the Iron Lady - she is strict and demanding in her work, but no one doubts her professionalism. She reached considerable heights in her work, however, for this she had to sacrifice personal happiness ...

Galina Volchek was born in 1933 in Moscow in the family of the famous director and cameraman Boris Volchek and screenwriter Vera Maimina, so her path was predetermined from childhood. Just a year after graduating from the Moscow Art Theater School, she, along with other actors - Evgeny Evstigneev, Oleg Efremov, Igor Kvasha, Oleg Tabakov and Lilia Tolmacheva - organized the "Studio of Young Actors",

The acting career of Galina Volchek did not last long - in the late 1950s. she entered the theater stage as an actress, but since 1962 she took up directing activities, and since then she has given all her strength only to her. The last time she played in the play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" in 1984, and on this her acting career in the theater ended. But Galina Volchek periodically appears in the cinema. Her film debut took place in 1957, and since then she has often received offers from directors. True, as a rule, these were episodic roles. But she turned each episode into a masterpiece. What are her Wolf in the film-tale "About Little Red Riding Hood" and Buzykin's friend in the "Autumn Marathon"! True, she herself believed that she was offered very monotonous roles of “all sorts of half-monsters”, it was simply impossible to realize her creative potential in such conditions, so she decided to leave the movie.

As a film director, Galina Volchek began with adaptations of her theatrical productions, and then made films based on original scripts - Echelon, Steep Route, etc. However, the theater always came first for her, to which she devoted her whole life. In 1972, she became the chief director of the Sovremennik Theater, and in the late 1980s, its artistic director. She was also called the first theater director who broke through the "cultural blockade" between the USSR and the USA - in the 1970s, at the height of the Cold War, she staged several performances based on Russian classics in American theaters, including Broadway, taught at New York University. Sovremennik became the first off-Broadway theater to win the prestigious Drama Desk Award.

Galina Volchek had to sacrifice a lot for her beloved work. Including personal happiness. Officially, she was married twice. Her first husband was the famous actor Yevgeny Evstigneev - she lived with him for 9 years and gave birth to a son, Denis, who also became a director. Due to the infidelity of her husband, this marriage broke up. The second marriage with scientist Mark Abelev also lasted about 9 years. Later, Galina Volchek admitted that her mother-in-law was absolutely right, reproaching her that nothing exists for her except the theater: “Alas, my absolute immersion in the theater greatly interfered with our lives. Mark was jealous, worried. Yes, and the publicity of my profession added discomfort - it is very difficult for a self-sufficient man to constantly feel like on the sidelines ... In general, I did not give Markusha what is necessary in family life, the theater took me all, without a trace».

About another relationship that stretched for 10 years and did not end in marriage, Galina Volchek prefers not to remember at all. After that, she decided to devote herself entirely to work, concluding that it was simply impossible to combine active theatrical activity and family concerns. Moreover, she always treated her work fanatically - on the 17th day after the birth of her son, she had already returned to the theater. Later, Galina Volchek admitted: “As a result of this experience, I finally realized: family life in its usual sense is excluded for me. My theater bulldozed over it ... All my life I led myself to the fact that the family became impossible for me. This is the natural state of a man who sold himself into slavery to the theater».

Galina Volchek's first directorial work was a production of William Gibson's play Two on a Swing. Subsequently, she did not leave the Sovremennik stage for more than 30 years and became a landmark for the director. She explained:In order to talk about human relations from the stage, one must be able to analyze them, even dissect them. And the best subject for research is yourself. I once formulated my personal life as follows: I had two marriages, several novels and one delusion, and everything lasted a long time. But besides love, my whole life, and now no less than in my youth, is also a kind of swing».

Unfortunately, all the outstanding actors with whom Volchek began working at Sovremennik are no longer alive - Oleg Efremov, Nina Doroshina, Evgeny Evstigneev, Oleg Tabakov. Galina Volchek is older than all the leading actors-old-timers of the theater - Valentin Gaft, Marina Neelova, Leah Akhedzhakova. Over the years, it was increasingly difficult for her to manage the theater and remain in the ranks.

A huge bouquet of flowers was presented to the birthday girl by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. I did not miss the birthday of my close friend and Alla Pugacheva.

The celebration in honor of the birthday girl was arranged within the walls of her native theater Sovremennik, which Volchek has been directing since 1972. Galina Borisovna was handed a telegram signed by the first person of the state.

“Faith in the high purpose of art, a responsible attitude to one’s vocation, love for the native theater and spectators have been fully embodied in your inspired work, in serving Russian culture, people, and the country, and have earned you unquestioned authority and great respect,” the message quotes Russian President's press service of the Kremlin.

Kristina Orbakaite congratulated her director and teacher, who recently plays the main role in Galina Volchek's performance "Two on a Swing". And Alla Borisovna Pugacheva prepared a heartfelt speech for her dear friend. The legendary women have been in close contact for many years and often appear together at various events. Looking at the photo, many did not fail to note that at 85, Galina Volchek looks no worse than Alla Borisovna Pugacheva, who is preparing for her 70th birthday.

The director moves mostly in a wheelchair, but this does not prevent her from leading the theater productively.

Galina Volchek stood at the origins of the formation of the Sovremennik Theater. Together with a group of young artists led by Oleg Efremov, she created a troupe that brought a breath of fresh air into the musty theatrical world. Galina Borisovna staged her first performance when she was only 29 years old. It was to her that the theater staff entrusted leadership when Oleg Efremov was offered to head the Moscow Art Theater.

The first husband of Galina Volchek was the famous artist Evgeny Evstigneev. In this marriage, their common son Denis was born. The family union lasted only nine years. Evstigneev had a romantic interest on the side, and Volchek herself packed a suitcase for him. Soon Galina Borisovna married Doctor of Technical Sciences Mark Abelev. He was a smart and subtle person, but he was terribly jealous of his star wife. Nine years later, this marriage broke up.

Now Volchek relies on the help and support of his son in everything. Denis Evstigneev has had a successful film career as a director, cameraman and producer.

This is a film about a man who for half a century firmly holds the famous Sovremennik Theater in his hands, but at the same time remains vulnerable and even naive in some ways. This is a film about an incredible attraction, thanks to which today in Sovremennik there is such a bright and stellar troupe, consisting of actors popular and in demand in the cinema, but absolutely devoted to the theater. Which always comes first for them.

Once the actress Chulpan Khamatova came to the rehearsal with her two-month-old daughter. So that no one would wake her daughter up, she left her in a wheelchair in Volchek's office, put a baby monitor next to her and went to rehearse. Very soon Volchek entered the office.

Chulpan Khamatova: “We are rehearsing and suddenly we hear this: “Well, did your mother leave you?” Then she starts talking to her like an adult. "Don't be offended by her," she says.

Amazing intuition for talent. Khamatova Volchek accidentally saw in the popular television program "Vzglyad". And said: "She should play in our theater!" In exactly the same way, she once called Kristina Orbakaite and said: “I see you in the lead role in the play “Two on a swing”. Come, let's try!"

Actress Olga Drozdova generally considers Galina Volchek her second mother: “I spent only 17 years with my mother, and 30 with Galina Borisovna”. And this is again a story about Volchek's intuition. " Give me back that little eye!”, - said Volchek, when Olga came along with other graduates of theater universities to appear in Sovremennik. And she will leave the “eyed” one in Sovremennik. And he will take care of her, and put, as they say, on her feet.

Liya Akhedzhakova played roles in the children's theater, and Volchek took her in, believed her and gave her "adult" roles. Konstantin Raikin immediately after the theater university was invited to Sovremennik. Mikhail Efremov and Anton Tabakov just call her mother. Because she and Sovremennik are their childhood.

Musician Garik Sukachev became the director of "Anarchy" on the stage of "Sovremennik" - a performance with "explosive" content. Elena Yakovleva left the theater twice and returned twice. And twice Volchek accepted her again.

And, of course, the son Denis, who does not hide that he was always jealous of his mother for the theater. But, growing up, I understood that Sovremennik is more than a theater.

« I do not have,- says Volchek, - and minutes free, the theater takes everything. Still! There is no longer anyone who created Sovremennik, but she is. And she is a theatre. Mark Abelev, her second husband, said in an interview for our film that Volchek is "special state of insanity".

On the day of the anniversary of Galina Volchek, December 19, after a major overhaul that lasted several years, the Sovremennik building on Chistye Prudy opens. Repair, reconstruction - testing. And even more so for a person who does not know life without theater. The happy end of this stage is also the happy beginning of another. In the life of the theater, and therefore in the life of Galina Volchek.

A memorial service took place in her native theater, and many colleagues in the workshop came to say a few farewell words to Nina Mikhailovna.

Among them was Galina Volchek, who has been the head of Sovremennik for many years. Those present noticed that Galina Borisovna looked exhausted and sick.

84-year-old Volchek was brought to the funeral ceremony in a wheelchair. She barely held back her tears and hid her puffy eyes behind dark glasses. Galina Borisovna's appearance was so painful that it seemed to many that she was paralyzed.

In fact, the famous actress and director has been unable to fully walk for several years due to severe back pain.

Specialists diagnosed Galina Volchek with an intervertebral hernia. Discs weakened by herniation poorly fix the vertebrae of the body along the physiological axis, increasing the load on the muscles and causing unbearable pain. With such a diagnosis, an urgent operation is sometimes prescribed.

Galina Borisovna applied for help to the Israeli Center for Spinal Surgery, where one of the world's most famous specialists in this field, surgeon Ilya Pekarsky, works.

At one time, he performed spinal surgery on Evgeni Plushenko, helped Stanislav Govorukhin and other Russian stars. The main problem is that Volchek does not have a very strong heart, so the operation can lead to fatal consequences.

In recent years, Volchek has been admitted to the intensive care unit several times with various diagnoses. The position of artistic director of a complex creative team brings stress and nervous situations every day.