Leonid Gaidai
| Leonid Gaidai | |
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| Born |
Leonid Iovich Gaidai January 30, 1923 Svobodny, Amur Oblast, USSR |
| Died | November 19, 1993 (aged 70) Moscow, Russia |
| Spouse(s) | Nina Grebeshkova (b. 1930) |
Leonid Iovich Gaidai (Russian: Леони́д И́ович Гайда́й; 30 January 1923, Svobodny, Amur Oblast – 19 November 1993, Moscow) was one of the most popular Soviet comedy directors, enjoying immense popularity and broad public recognition in the former USSR and modern Russia. His movies broke theatre attendance records and are still some of the top-selling DVDs in Russia.
Gaidai was born on January 30, 1923 in Svobodny, Amur Oblast where he is commemorated by a statue. His father Iov Isidorovich Gaidai came from a Ukrainian family of serfs of the Poltava Governorate. At the age of 22 he was sentenced to several years of katorga for revolutionary activity and sent to the Far East to work at the railway. Leonid's mother Maria Ivanovna Lubimova was born in the Ryazan Oblast to Russian parents. She met Iov through her brother Egor, also a katorga worker who sent her a photo of his friend along with a marriage proposal. After Gaidai's term expired, they settled down in the Amur Oblast where Gaidai continued working at the railway building site.
Leonid was the third kid in the family. His elder brother Aleksandr (1919–1994) was a well-known poet and a war correspondent. Leonid took part in amateur dramatics since the young age. He graduated from school on August 20, 1941. In just two days the Great Patriotic War started. In February 1942 he was enrolled to the Red Army. He first served in Mongolia, then finished sergeant courses, becoming a squad leader. He worked in the military intelligence. On December 20, 1942 Gaidai was awarded the Medal for Battle Merit for destroying three Nazi soldiers and taking hostages during the battle for Enkino village. On March 20, 1943 he was heavily injured after stepping on a land mine. He spent nine months in military hospitals. In January 1944 he was sent home as war-disabled.
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