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, Prisoner of the Mountains, East/West and Brother 2. He was the son of the Russian playwright, actor, director and producer Sergei Bodrov. 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. His father is a film director, Sergei Bodrov, and his mother Valentina Nikolayevna was a fine art expert. His father was of mixed Russian, Tatar, and Buryat ancestry, while his mother had Belarusian 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. In his own words, at the university, he "learned to see beauty in the simple things around us". 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 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 cinema festival in Sochi.
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.
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, a Special Jury Award and the FIPRESCI Award at the international festival in Turin, the same awards in Cottbus, and the Grand Prix in Trieste. Bodrov received the award for Best Actor at the movie festivals in Sochi and Chicago 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. 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's movie East/West, 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 (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.
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. 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 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 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.
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 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. There are also tours around Saint Petersburg to the filming locations of Brother.
Filmography
{| border=1 class="wikitable"
|-
!style="background:MediumSpringGray "| Year
!style="background:MediumSpringGray "| Name
!style="background:MediumSpringGray "| Original name
!style="background:MediumSpringGray "| Role
|-
| 1986 || I Hate You || Я тебя ненавижу || boy in the equestrian club
|-
| 1989 || Freedom is Paradise || СЭР (Свобода — это рай) || prisoner
|-
| 1992 || White King, Red Queen || Белый король, красная королева || postman
|-
| 1996 || Prisoner of the Mountains || Кавказский пленник || Ivan Zhilin
|-
| 1997 || Brother || Брат || Danila Bagrov
|-
| 1998 || The Stringer || Стрингер || Vadim
|-
| 1999 || East/West || Восток-Запад || Sasha Vasilyev
|-
| 2000 || Brother 2 || Брат 2 || Danila Bagrov
|-
| 2001 || The Quickie || Давай сделаем это по-быстрому || Dima
|-
| 2001 || Sisters || Сёстры || Danila Bagrov
|-
| 2002 || War || Война || Captain Medvedev
|-
| 2002 || Bear's Kiss || Медвежий поцелуй || Misha
|-
| 2008 || Morphine || Морфий || author of the script
|-
| Cancelled || Messenger || Связной || garbage man Alexey Semyonov (undercover FSB agent)
|}
See also
<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by LAST NAME ♦♦♦--->
- Darya Jurgens
- Viktor Sukhorukov
References
External links
- Sergei Bodrov Jr.
- Monument Sergei Bodrov Jr.