George Svetlani

Grigory Pinkovsky was born into a poor peasant family in the village of Svechkovka, Poltava province. Five-year-old father gave his son to be brought up in the Jung school at the St. Petersburg Guards carriage . There, for exemplary behavior, diligence and academic excellence, as well as for his “angelic voice,” the boy was assigned to summer service on Emperor Nicholas II ’s favorite boat, “Standard” . In 1907-1908 he sailed on the “Standard” with the imperial family, was assigned to the heir to the throne, Alexei (who was then three or four years old) for games, spent a lot of time in the company of imperial children.

The stories of Grigory Danilovich about the royal family were passed on admirably by word of mouth even when it was dangerous to talk about it. The actor did not hide his past and very funny remembered how the heir to the throne, Alex did not eat, did not sleep and did not play if Grinka Pinkovsky’s young man was not nearby. The intrigues of the royal court interrupted the communication of the peasant son with His Imperial Highness rather quickly. Grinka served on the Standard for only two years.

In 1911, Pinkovsky graduated from the Jung School of the Guards Crew , in 1914 - the Imperial courses of conductors, in 1922 - GITIS im. Lunacharsky (on the recommendation of Vs. Meyerhold ).

Before the revolution, Pinkovsky played the violin in the orchestra, served as regent , taught dance, and in 1918 entered the dramatic stage. In 1918-1919 he was an actor of the Red Army Theater in Glazov of the Vyatka Province , in 1919-1920 - of the Theater in Kirsanov of the Tambov Province , in 1920-1923 - of the Moscow Theater of Revolutionary Satire, the 1st Mobile Theater of Miniatures, in 1923-1939 - Variety Theater .

In 1925, on tour in Sweden, he received a letter from his wife about the birth of his daughter Svetlana. From that day, the actor took the pseudonym "Svetlani".

Filming in the first film - “ The Artamonov Case ” - coincided with the first day of the war . George Svetlani went to the evacuation studio and continued to act in film without ceasing. Many Soviet directors invited him at least once, but Leonid Gaidai called Grigory Danilovich more than others. In “The Caucasian Captive, ” for example, Svetlani is not even in the credits, but everyone remembers the episode with him. Coward, Dunce and Experienced approach the beer barrel and begin to pass each other a glass of beer, and the hero of Vitsin, by inertia, pokes it further - a drunken old man emerging from the bushes ...

The main role George Svetlani played only once - in the film " Sports, Sports, Sports ". His legendary massage therapist throughout the whole picture tells incredible tales and is the core of the entire documentary-game narration.

In 2015, the documentary “Comrade of His Highness” (scriptwriter and director - Sergey Kapkov ) was released, dedicated to the fate of George Svetlani.

• 1978 - Present

• Kapkov S.V. Svetlani G. D. Comrade of His Highness. - N.N.: Dekom, 2002.
• Kapkov S.V. Episodes. - M .: Eksmo, 2005.

• “Comrade of His Highness” on the website www.ozon.ru