Sergei Sergeyevich Bodrov (; December 27, 1971 – September 20, 2002), also known as Sergei Bodrov Jr., was a Russian actor and screenwriter who had lead roles in the films ''
Brother
A brother (: brothers or brethren) is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a family, familial relationship, it is sometimes used ende ...
'', ''
Prisoner of the Mountains'', ''
East/West
''East/West'' (; ) is a 1999 drama film directed by Régis Wargnier, starring Sandrine Bonnaire, Oleg Menshikov, Catherine Deneuve and Sergei Bodrov Jr. It received generally positive reviews from critics. The film was nominated for the Best ...
'' and ''
Brother 2
''Brother 2'' () is a 2000 Russian crime film written and directed by Aleksei Balabanov and starring Sergei Bodrov Jr.. It is a direct sequel to the 1997 film ''Brother''. The film is set in Moscow and Chicago.
''Brother 2'' received mostly po ...
''. He was the son of the Russian playwright, actor, director and producer
Sergei Bodrov
Sergei Vladimirovich Bodrov ( rus, Серге́й Влади́мирович Бодро́в, p=sʲɪrˈɡʲej bɐˈdrof; born 28 June 1948) is a Russian film director, screenwriter, and producer. In 2003 he was the president of the jury at the ...
. He died in the
Kolka–Karmadon rock ice slide at the end of the second day of shooting of his film ''The Messenger''.
Early life
Childhood
Sergei Bodrov was born on December 27, 1971, in
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
. His father is a film director,
Sergei Bodrov
Sergei Vladimirovich Bodrov ( rus, Серге́й Влади́мирович Бодро́в, p=sʲɪrˈɡʲej bɐˈdrof; born 28 June 1948) is a Russian film director, screenwriter, and producer. In 2003 he was the president of the jury at the ...
, and his mother Valentina Nikolayevna was a fine art expert. His father was of mixed
Russian
Russian(s) may refer to:
*Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*A citizen of Russia
*Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages
*''The Russians'', a b ...
,
Tatar
Tatar may refer to:
Peoples
* Tatars, an umbrella term for different Turkic ethnic groups bearing the name "Tatar"
* Volga Tatars, a people from the Volga-Ural region of western Russia
* Crimean Tatars, a people from the Crimea peninsula by the B ...
, and
Buryat ancestry, while his mother had
Belarusian
Belarusian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to Belarus
* Belarusians, people from Belarus, or of Belarusian descent
* A citizen of Belarus, see Demographics of Belarus
* Belarusian language
* Belarusian culture
* Belarusian cuisine
* Byelor ...
roots. Sergei Bodrov Jr. believed that "childhood is the most important and the most amazing time in life."
and what you'll become happens in the first sixteen years".
Various publications report that Bodrov wanted to become a garbageman and drive an orange car.
Bodrov wrote about his early years and events which influenced his worldview in a "Composition on the Theme: Eight Events which Influenced Me, or How I Grew Up to Be a Good Person."
Education
Sergei Bodrov attended the special
French-language
French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. Like all other Romance languages, it descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. French evolved from Northern Old Gallo-Romance, a descendant of the Latin spoken in ...
School No. 1265. In December 2012, a memorial plaque was installed in the school in his memory.
Bodrov wanted to enrol in the
Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography
The Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography, officially the S. A. Gerasimov All-Russian University of Cinematography (, meaning
''All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography named after S. A. Gerasimov''), a.k.a. VGIK, is a film school in Moscow, ...
, but his father advised him that "cinema is a passion, and if you don't feel it you should either wait for it or forget about it forever."
Instead, in 1989 he enrolled in the art history program in the History Department of
Moscow State University
Moscow State University (MSU), officially M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University,. is a public university, public research university in Moscow, Russia. The university includes 15 research institutes, 43 faculties, more than 300 departments, a ...
, graduating with Honors and remaining for postgraduate studies, although he already knew that he would not work in a museum or library.
In his own words, at the university, he "learned to see beauty in the simple things around us".
After becoming an actor and television host he completed and defended (in 1998) his graduate
thesis
A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...
entitled "Architecture in Venetian
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
Painting" and received the
Candidate of Sciences
A Candidate of Sciences is a Doctor of Philosophy, PhD-equivalent academic research degree in all the post-Soviet countries with the exception of Ukraine, and until the 1990s it was also awarded in Central and Eastern European countries. It is ...
degree.
In 1991, while still a student, Bodrov studied art in Italy, where he found work as a lifeguard and earned money to support his travels around the country.
When he was asked in an interview if his education was useful in his life, he answered: ''Of course. So you come to a city. What do you usually know about it? That there is a central square, some shops... And I know there is a painting in one of the museums and that you can spend the whole day in front of. And this day is added to your life.''
Career
Early roles
Sergei's first role as an actor was in ''Freedom is Paradise'' in 1989, directed by his father. He appeared on screen only for a few minutes, playing a minor lawbreaker who was waiting for a decision on his own fate while sitting next to the main hero of the film. During his university days, he also had a bit role as a bellhop in the 1992 movie ''White King, Red Queen''.
Prisoner of the Mountains
In 1995, his father travelled to
Dagestan
Dagestan ( ; ; ), officially the Republic of Dagestan, is a republic of Russia situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, along the Caspian Sea. It is located north of the Greater Caucasus, and is a part of the North Caucasian Fede ...
for the filming of his movie ''
Prisoner of the Mountains''. Bodrov asked to go with him, prepared to do any available work. Unexpectedly, he became one of the featured actors, playing the conscript Vanya Zhilin, partnered with
Oleg Menshikov who played the regular soldier Alexey Ryapolov. Bodrov received an award for best actor jointly with Menshikov at the
Kinotavr
Kinotavr (), also known as the Sochi Open Russian Film Festival was an open film festival held in the resort city of Sochi, Russia annually in June since 1991, until it was cancelled in the wake of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[Sochi
Sochi ( rus, Сочи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg, from – ''seaside'') is the largest Resort town, resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi (river), Sochi River, along the Black Sea in the North Caucasus of Souther ...]
.
Bodrov himself did not claim to be an actor: ''I always say everywhere: I'm not an actor, I'm not an actor, I'm not an actor. And I hear: "No, you're an actor". And I say that an actor is quite a different thing. Actors are different, it's a different temperament. A role for me is not a profession. It's something that you do.
''
Vzglyad
From October 1996 to August 1999, Bodrov was the host of the program ''
Vzglyad'' on
Channel One. He said that he left the show feeling it had given him a good schooling:
''I became acquainted with so many people, heard so many stories, read so many letters - it doesn't happen in other jobs. It had a very positive charge. Help two or three people and the telecast has done some good. But it has to be done responsibly.
''
In 1997 Sergei married Svetlana Mikhailova (author of the television projects "Wordsmiths" and "Canon"). In 1998 their daughter
Olga
Olga may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Olga (name), a given name, including a list of people and fictional characters named Olga or Olha
* Michael Algar (born 1962), English singer also known as "Olga"
Places
Russia
* Olga, Russia ...
was born, followed in 2002 by a son, Alexander.
Brother
During the 1996 Sochi film festival, Sergei Bodrov made the acquaintance of director
Aleksei Balabanov
Aleksei Oktyabrinovich Balabanov (; 25 February 1959 – 18 May 2013) was a Russian film director, screenwriter, and Film producer, producer, a member of European Film Academy. He started from creating mostly arthouse pictures and music videos ...
, who invited him to the STW film studio. It was here that ''
Brother
A brother (: brothers or brethren) is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a family, familial relationship, it is sometimes used ende ...
'' was being filmed for release in 1997. Sergei played the starring role, Danila Bagrov. The movie was criticized by the media, accused of
racism
Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...
and
Russophobia
Anti-Russian sentiment or Russophobia is the dislike or fear of Russia, Russian people, or Russian culture. The opposite of Russophobia is Russophilia.
Historically, Russophobia has included state-sponsored and grassroots mistreatment and di ...
(as a film made for foreign audiences). Bodrov himself assessed his character in the following way: ''I know that Danila is often reproached for being primitive, simple and inarticulate. And in part, I agree with that. But a metaphor connected with him forms in my mind: I imagine people in a primitive chaos, who sit in their cave before the fire and do not understand anything else in their life except for the responsibility to eat and to reproduce. And suddenly one of them stands up and utters very simple words about how it is necessary to stand up for their friends, to respect women, to defend one's brother.
''
The music to the movie was composed by the
Russian rock
Russian rock music originated in the Soviet Union in the 1960s based on the influence of Western rock music and bard songs, and was developed by both amateur bands and official VIA.
The "golden age" of Russian rock was during the 1980s (es ...
band
Nautilus Pompilius
The chambered nautilus (''Nautilus pompilius''), also called the pearly nautilus, is the best-known species of nautilus. The shell, when cut away, reveals a lining of lustrous nacre and displays a nearly perfect logarithmic spiral, equiangular s ...
, which Sergei himself enjoyed listening to.
It was through playing the lead role in
''Brother'' that "he became a matinee idol in 1997".
Despite some controversy, the movie received critical acclaim and won an award at the film festival in
Sochi
Sochi ( rus, Сочи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg, from – ''seaside'') is the largest Resort town, resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi (river), Sochi River, along the Black Sea in the North Caucasus of Souther ...
, a Special Jury Award and the
FIPRESCI
The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for ''Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique'') is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the wor ...
Award at the international festival in
Turin
Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...
, the same awards in
Cottbus
Cottbus () or (;) is a university city and the second-largest city in the German state of Brandenburg after the state capital, Potsdam. With around 100,000 inhabitants, Cottbus is the most populous city in Lusatia. Cottbus lies in the Sorbian ...
, and the Grand Prix in
Trieste
Trieste ( , ; ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital and largest city of the Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, as well as of the Province of Trieste, ...
. Bodrov received the award for Best Actor at the movie festivals in
Sochi
Sochi ( rus, Сочи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg, from – ''seaside'') is the largest Resort town, resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi (river), Sochi River, along the Black Sea in the North Caucasus of Souther ...
and
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
and got the "Golden Aries" prize.
The movie was regarded by many in Russia as culturally significant and for many of the younger generation, Bodrov's character Danila Bagrov became a hero and a role model.
Other roles
Over the course of 1998–99, Sergei starred in two relatively minor films, the first was in Pavel Pavlikovsky's movie, a joint UK-Russia production, ''The Stringer'', with British actress
Anna Friel
Anna Louise Friel (born 12 July 1976) is an English actress. She first achieved fame as Beth Jordache in the Channel 4 soap opera '' Brookside'' (1993–1995), later coming to international prominence with her role as Charlotte "Chuck" Charle ...
. Bodrov played Vadik Chernyshov, an impoverished 'stringer', who dreams of filming something to interest the western news channels. Friel played the role of Helen, a British media executive, as the two begin a romance against the backdrop of the world of journalism, and cultural differences, in the romantic thriller. The second was in
Régis Wargnier
Régis Wargnier (; born 18 April 1948) is a French film director, film producer, screenwriter and film score composer. His 1992 film ''Indochine (film), Indochine'' won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 65th Academy Awards. ...
's movie ''
East/West
''East/West'' (; ) is a 1999 drama film directed by Régis Wargnier, starring Sandrine Bonnaire, Oleg Menshikov, Catherine Deneuve and Sergei Bodrov Jr. It received generally positive reviews from critics. The film was nominated for the Best ...
'', in which Sergei played Sasha, a neighbour of the central couple in the film, Dr Golovin and his French wife Marie, in a communal apartment during the Stalin era.
In 2000, the movie ''
Brother 2
''Brother 2'' () is a 2000 Russian crime film written and directed by Aleksei Balabanov and starring Sergei Bodrov Jr.. It is a direct sequel to the 1997 film ''Brother''. The film is set in Moscow and Chicago.
''Brother 2'' received mostly po ...
(Brat 2)'' was released, with Bodrov again playing Danila Bagrov. Critics attacked the movie as they had its predecessor, saying that it expressed racist ideas, threatened national security and insulted the Ukrainian and American nations.
Bodrov responded: ''What was important for us was not to say that all Americans are jerks, but the opposite, that we are not freaks. This is a fairly simple idea, so it is strange that not everyone understands it.
The Americans make movies about Russians where
Schwarzenegger as a policeman tears off a mafioso's wooden leg and drugs fall out of it, and bears are walking in the streets. In other words, we
ussiansare complete lame-brains. So why don't we have the right make a joke at the expense of the Americans?''
In 2001, Bodrov moved to California to take part in the shooting of his father's movie ''
The Quickie''. Sergei played Dima – the head of security for a rich American of Russian ancestry – Oleg (Mashkov). In Bodrov's free time during the filming of ''The Quickie'', he wrote the screenplay for his first movie ''
Sisters
A sister is a woman or a girl who shares parents or a parent with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to r ...
''. His father suggested the idea of the movie to him and Bodrov Jr wrote the screenplay in two weeks; four days later filming began. The heart of the movie is a story of two sisters – Sveta (thirteen years old) and Dina (eight), who become inadvertent victims of their father's criminal past. Sergei played a small part, in a role without an available actor.
The film opened on May 10, 2001. At a festival in Sochi, it received a Grand Prix award "for the best debut" and the young actresses received a jury award for their parts.
In the autumn of 2001, Bodrov became a host of the game show ''
Last Hero''. Sixteen people landed on an island near the coast of Panama and competed in various trials. The last participant to survive all the votes received the main prize of three million
rubles
The ruble or rouble (; rus, рубль, p=rublʲ) is a currency unit. Currently, currencies named ''ruble'' in circulation include the Russian ruble (RUB, ₽) in Russia and the Belarusian ruble (BYN, Rbl) in Belarus. These currencies are su ...
. Bodrov conducted the game and provided the commentary. He gave his understanding of the telecast: ''I think that the subject of hunger and physical existence will emerge in front of them very seriously. But the true survival lies in how you're strong inside, how you can keep your humanity in inhuman conditions. And this is also related to me.''
The shooting of Balabanov's movie ''War'' began in the spring of 2001. Bodrov had a role of short duration (he played captain Medvedev). The opening night was in 2002. The movie got the "Golden Rose" award at the Kinotavr festival and Bodrov received the
Nika Award
The Nika Award (sometimes styled NIKA Award) is the main annual national film award in Russia, presented by the Russian Academy of Cinema Arts and Science, and seen as the national equivalent of the Oscars.
In 2022 nominees were announced, b ...
for the best supporting role.
''Bear's Kiss'' directed by his father Sergei Bodrov opened on November 28, 2002. Bodrov played Misha, a bear who mystically transforms into a person. Sergei's love interest in the film is played by
Rebecka Liljeberg
Rebecka Månstråle Liljeberg (born 13 May 1981) is a Swedish former actress who starred in the Swedish film '' Show Me Love'' (''Fucking Åmål'') (1998).
Early life and career
Rebecka was born in the town of Turinge, Sweden to an 18-year-old ...
.
''The Messenger''
In July 2002, Bodrov settled down to shoot his second film, with the working title ''The Messenger''. He characterized the movie in the following words: "Philosophic-mystical parable about the life of two friends. They are romantics, travelers, and venturers. Of course, there will be bandits, hostages, in general, all that accompanies us in life. The movie is called 'The Messenger' and I'm like a coffee in a carton in it: the author of a screenplay, stage manager and performer of the leading role."''
The film crew arrived in
Vladikavkaz
Vladikavkaz, formerly known as Ordzhonikidze () or Dzaudzhikau (), is the capital city of North Ossetia–Alania, Russia. It is located in the southeast of the republic at the foothills of the Caucasus, situated on the Terek (river), Terek River. ...
in September, and on September 20 were filming the scenes in a women's penal colony in Vladikavkaz where they intended to shoot the scenes of the main character's return from the army. At approximately 7 p.m., filming stopped due to poor lighting conditions. An
ice slide then occurred, where a block of ice fell from
Mount Jimara onto the
Kolka Glacier, bringing with it mud and large boulders. This mudflow covered Karmadon Gorge, where the film crew were working. A massive search and rescue operation proved fruitless. 135 people were killed, including Bodrov. Russian television broadcast scenes of devastation from the landslide, which was triggered when around a third of the Maili glacier -- three million tons of ice, by one estimate -- swept 10 miles down a mountain gorge.
In popular culture
Reflecting Bodrov's stature as a cultural icon in Russia, there are several murals across the country, notably in
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
, with Bodrov's image from the film ''Brother''. There are also tours around Saint Petersburg to the filming locations of ''Brother''.
Filmography
See also
*
Darya Jurgens
*
Viktor Sukhorukov
References
External links
*
Sergei Bodrov Jr.Monument Sergei Bodrov Jr.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bodrov, Sergei Jr.
1971 births
2002 deaths
20th-century Russian male actors
20th-century Russian screenwriters
21st-century Russian male actors
21st-century Russian screenwriters
Male actors from Moscow
Moscow State University alumni
Recipients of the Nika Award
State Prize of the Russian Federation laureates
2000s missing person cases
Accidental deaths in Russia
Deaths in avalanches
Russian male screenwriters
Missing person cases in Russia
Missing Russian people
Russian people of Buryat descent
Russian people of Mongolian descent
Russian film directors
Russian male child actors
Russian male film actors
Russian television presenters
Soviet male child actors
Soviet male film actors