People who served in the airborne Star berets: artists who served in the Airborne Forces. Valery Leontiev now
Childhood and family
Valery Yakovlevich Leontiev was born in 1949 in the village of Ust-Usa, which is located in the Komi Republic. A year earlier, the parents of the future celebrity, Ekaterina Ivanovna and Yakov Stepanovich Leontiev, livestock specialists, arrived there. Valery was a late child - when he was born, his mother was already 43 years old. Valery had an older half-sister Maya (born 1930). Valery's father died in 1979, his mother passed away in 1996, his sister in 2005. 
Until the age of 12, Leontiev hardly studied - the family lived in the remote tundra, in the village of Novikbozh, 7 kilometers from Ust-Usa. In 1961, his family moved to the city of Yuryevets, Ivanovo Region, where he graduated from high school.
As a child, Valery Leontiev was very fond of drawing, danced, attended a drama club and soloed in the school choir. It quickly became clear to everyone around him that a new star was rising. But a boy from a deep province and a poor family could not even dream of a career as an artist.
After graduating from the 8th grade, Valery Leontiev tried to enter the Murom Radio Engineering College, but the attempt was unsuccessful. Then the future singer returned to Yuryevets to finish high school. In 1966, Leontiev graduated from high school and really wanted to enter the Faculty of Oceanology at the Far Eastern University in Vladivostok. However, the family did not have money for such a long trip of the son.
Then Valery Yakovlevich remembered another of his passions - music - and went to Moscow, where he applied for the acting department at GITIS. However, due to self-doubt at the very last moment, Leontiev changed his mind, took the documents and returned home. Upon returning to Yuryevets, young Valery Leontiev tried a number of professions. In particular, he was a worker at a brick factory, a weaver-greaser at a flax-spinning factory, and even a postman, an electrician and a tailor.
Then Leontiev went to Vorkuta, where he entered the evening department of a branch of the Leningrad Mining Institute. But even here he studied without much desire and left the university in his third year. In parallel with his studies, the young man worked as a laboratory assistant at the Research Institute of Foundations and Underground Structures, as well as a draftsman at a design institute. It was then that he began to take his first steps on the stage - to perform in amateur art groups.
The beginning of a musical career
The first appearance of the future star on the big stage took place in 1971 at the regional competition in Vorkuta "Song-71", where Valery Leontiev took second place with the song "Carnival". The aspiring singer gave his first concert on April 9, 1972 on the stage of the Vorkuta House of Culture of Miners and Builders. 
In 1972, Valery Yakovlevich went to Syktyvkar to the festival-competition among amateur creative youth "We are looking for talents", where he won. After that, Leontiev, as the best of fifteen contestants, was sent to Moscow to study at the All-Union Creative Workshop of Variety Art Georgy Vinogradov. However, he failed to complete his studies here. A year later, the director of the Syktyvkar Philharmonic, Alexander Strelchenko, took the group, which included Valery Leontiev, back to Syktyvkar.
Valery Leontiev and "Echo" - "My Village"
There, Leontiev began to sing in the Dreamers ensemble, and since 1975 he was already listed as a soloist in the Echo group. The group's first program was called Carnival in the North, and was released in 1976. Then the program “Smile of the Northern Land” was released, with which Leontiev and the Echo group traveled almost the entire Soviet Union. However, performances were held mainly in provincial houses of culture.
In 1978, the singer nevertheless received an education, graduating from the correspondence department of the Leningrad Institute of Culture. A year later, Valery Leontiev began working at the Gorky Philharmonic on the condition that the organization send him to a music competition in Yalta. There, the singer won a victory for the performance of the song "In Memory of a Guitarist" to the music of David Tukhmanov and the lyrics of Robert Rozhdestvensky.
Career heyday
In the summer of 1980, Valery Leontiev won the main prize at the 16th International Pop Song Festival "Golden Orpheus", which was held in Sopot. There, the artist presented another song by David Tukhmanov - “Dance Hour in the Sun”. In addition to the first prize, the singer received a special prize from the Bulgarian fashion magazine Lada for the best stage costume. Valery Yakovlevich always invented and sewed his own outfits. 
In 1980, Valery Leontiev sang in various combined concerts, including at the Variety Theater, Oktyabrsky and Luzhniki. And in 1981, the artist won the popularity prize at the prestigious Yerevan-81 music festival. It was then that problems began in such a successfully launched career as a singer. The American journalists who attended the event praised the expressive manner of the singer's performance and even compared him with Mick Jagger. The “unformattedness” of the artist and compliments from Western guests did not please Soviet officials and stage leaders, so for some time Leontiev even fell into disgrace - he was not shown on television for several years.
On top of that, in 1982, Valery Leontiev underwent a serious operation - he had a tumor removed from his throat. At this time, the question arose about his future singing career. However, it soon became clear that Leontiev would still be able to continue singing. On the way to conquering the Soviet stage, he was helped by the famous Latvian composer Raimonds Pauls, who appreciated Valery's vocal and artistic data. Leontiev gave 18 concerts called "I'm just a singer" in Leningrad, all of which were sold out.
Valery Leontiev - "Where did the circus go" (1982)
In 1983, Raymond Pauls singled out a whole section for the singer in his author's evening in the Moscow concert hall "Russia". It was a lucky ticket for the charismatic and ambitious Leontiev. Over the years of cooperation with Pauls, the artist has recorded some of his best songs - "Green Light", "Sunny Days Gone" and others. In the same year, 1983, he managed to collaborate with another wonderful composer, Eduard Artemyev, with the song Hang Glider. The dynamic and catchy melody instantly became popular, and was recognized as the song of the year.
In 1985, Valery Leontiev received an honorary Lenin Komsomol Prize, and after that he went to Afghanistan with concerts with a group of artists. 1986 was marked for him by a trip to Chernobyl, where the singer performed in the village of Zeleny Mys. And in 1987, Leontiev already became an Honored Artist of Ukraine.
For his creative activity, Valery Leontiev has released 25 studio albums. The first, called "Muse", was released in 1983. And the last disc for today, "Years of Wanderings", was released in 2009. It is worth noting that Valery Leontiev supports his records with concert programs and dance shows that he puts on himself. Caring for the costumes also lies on the shoulders of the artist.
How Valery Leontiev changed
Leontiev repeatedly acted in small roles in films, and in 1997 he took part in the auditions for the film, the shooting of which was to take place on board the Mir orbital complex. However, the singer did not pass a medical examination. In orbit, the artist planned to perform the songs of his disc “On the Road to the Stars”.
Awards
In 1996, Valery Leontiev became the People's Artist of Russia. In 1998, on the Square of Stars near the building of the State Concert Hall "Russia" in Moscow, the name sign of Valery Leontiev was laid. 
The singer repeatedly became the winner of various music awards and competitions, he was recognized as the singer of the year a record number of times (11). In 2005, he was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 4th Class, and in 2007, the artist received the Order of Peter the Great, 1st Class, from the Academy of Defense Security and Law Enforcement Problems, as well as the Order of Mikhail Lomonosov.
Valery Leontiev in the program "Live"
Personal life of Valery Leontiev
Valery Leontiev always protected his personal life from prying eyes. The tabloids attributed to him novels with Alla Pugacheva, Laima Vaikule, Laura Quint - in general, with everyone with whom he was lucky enough to sing. Only Laura recognized the rumors as true. 
Since the singer does not advertise his love affairs, some fans decided that Leontiev was gay. But these rumors are far from reality. For many years, Valery Leontiev has been married to bass player Lyudmila Nikolaevna Isakovich. She was 19, and he was 34. The couple have been together since 1972, they met when Lyudmila was the administrator of the Echo VIA. Officially, their relationship was registered only in 1998. The ceremony took place in the States.
The artist's wife lives in Miami, where Leontiev often visits. The spouses have no children. As the singer admitted, now they have more of a marriage-friendship: for so many years, the passion has faded, and they spend together about 3 and a half months a year, and the rest of the time they talk on the phone.
After the death of the singer's sister in 2005, the press began to spread rumors that it was she who was Valery's biological mother - she allegedly "worked up" the child, and in order to hide this fact, the parents recorded the newborn as their son. But the singer denies these rumors: of course, he claimed, he had a close relationship with his sister, he is grateful to her for everything she did for him, but he has only one mother - Ekaterina Ivanovna.
Valery Leontiev now
Valery Leontiev continues his concert activity, annually travels with tours in Russia and neighboring countries. In 2017, the singer released a new album, “This is Love,” and in 2018, the single “Like Dali.”Valery Leontiev - "How they gave" (2018)
Washed vests and blue berets will flood the streets on August 2 - according to the established tradition, the landing party begins to celebrate the holiday in the morning. Some come with their children and wives, others prefer to meet with colleagues in a purely male company.
By the way, the Airborne Forces were born on August 2, 1930 - then, at major exercises, they appreciated the advantages of paratrooper units. In 1941, they completed five airborne corps of 10 thousand people each. And during the Great Patriotic War, and today - paratroopers are always at the forefront! We will tell you about famous personalities who served in the Airborne Forces.
Writer Boris Vasiliev
He is the author of brilliant stories (“Whose are you, old man?”), novels (“Do not shoot white swans”), short stories (“He was not on the lists”). But most readers discovered it for themselves and fell in love with the story "The Dawns Here Are Quiet."
The writer's father was a career officer, therefore, as soon as the war began, Boris Lvovich went to the front as a schoolboy. He served in the landing force, but in 1943, after a severe shell shock, he had to leave the army.
Directed by Grigory Chukhrai
A whole generation has grown up on the films of Grigory Naumovich - "The Ballad of a Soldier", "Forty-First", "Clear Sky", "I'll Teach You to Dream". Chukhrai's father was a military man, but after his parents divorced, he was raised by his stepfather, the chairman of the Ukrainian collective farm.
In 1939, Chukhrai was drafted into the Red Army, began to serve in Mariupol as a cadet of the regimental school of the 229th separate communications battalion of the 134th rifle division.
During the Great Patriotic War, he fought as part of the airborne units on the Southern, Stalingrad, Don, 1st and 2nd Ukrainian fronts.
In 1943 he took part in the military air operation "Dneprovsky landing".
Colonel General Vladimir Shamanov
The famous military leader understands like no one else what it means to be a paratrooper. From 1974 to 1976, Vladimir Anatolyevich was a cadet of the 12th company (Airborne Forces) of the Tashkent Higher Tank Command School. Then he graduated from the Ryazan Airborne School, the Frunze Military Academy, the Military Academy of the General Staff.
He fought in the Karabakh conflict, performed combat missions in Chechnya, led an operation to eliminate the Wahhabi stronghold in Dagestan. In 2000, the colonel general was elected governor of the Ulyanovsk region. Since 2009, he has been appointed commander of the airborne troops of the Russian Federation.
Actor Fyodor Dobronravov
The merry fellow and joker Ivan Butko from "Matchmakers" has been to his liking from the first series, and one cannot but sympathize with the vivid images of Fedor Dobronravov in the "6 frames" sketch. But appearances can be deceiving, because the actor is none other than a real paratrooper. In 1978, Fedor Dobronravov came to Moscow to enter the circus school at the clownery department. But there was a rule - do not accept young men before the army. He was offered to repay his debt to his homeland and return two years later. Fedor had a chance to serve in the airborne troops from 1979 to 1981 in Azerbaijan.
As the actor himself later recalled in an interview, he dreamed of “stuffing” a paratrooper jumping out of an airplane, but he never got a tattoo. Using his own example, Dobronravov refuted the well-known saying "Whoever served in the army does not laugh in the circus." Hohmit, even as hohmit!
Politician Yunus-Bek Yevkurov
And about. President of Ingushetia Yunus-Bek Yevkurov - well, the most that neither is a paratrooper. He served in the Marine Corps, but then entered the Ryazan Higher Airborne Command School. He served in the reconnaissance company of the 350th Guards Airborne Regiment in Belarus, held command positions in the Airborne Forces. He took part in counter-terrorist operations in the North Caucasus. In 2000, Yunus-Bek Yevkurov was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation for throwing Russian paratroopers to Pristina. Yevkurov survived many assassination attempts, was injured, but always emerged victorious.
True, quite recently, on July 27, he broke his leg - he landed unsuccessfully with a parachute. By the way, this was his 249th jump. The politician immediately joked that he did it on purpose so that the people would regret it, the elections are just around the corner.
Showman Ivan Demidov
Remember this fit jock in the same dark glasses?! In the 90s, advanced youth stared at his program “MuzOBOZ”, he often “shone” on the KVN jury.
Demidov is one of the founders of the VID television company. In 2000, he starred in the movie "Brother 2", participated in the reality show "The Last Hero 3: Lost."
But he is far from a glamorous party, he considered serving in the army his duty.
From 1981 to 1983 he passed the "urgent" in the Airborne Forces on the territory of the Lithuanian SSR, retired to the reserve with the rank of sergeant.
In 2005, Demidov founded the Orthodox channel Spas.
Politician Dmitry Kozak
Military bearing, decisive character - well, why not a paratrooper ?! Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation from 1976 to 1978 served in the Soviet Army.
The politician agrees that the army tempers a man, and to this day he willingly recalls those two years spent in the airborne troops.
Valery LeontievPerhaps the most stellar representative of the Airborne Forces is Valery Leontiev. There is little information on the Internet about this, but users of the "landing" forums proudly call the artist their own and even know the number of the unit where he served.
Fedor Dobronravov
"Matchmaker of All Russia"
Fedor Dobronravov
knows firsthand about skydiving. The artist admitted that the service made him disciplined, executive and ... romantic.
a lot of romance. She is in service, and in weapons, in guys like you, in
heaven, in the homeland that you defend. We are in touch with co-workers
we meet, congratulate each other on this day, "quotes the actor" Evening
Moscow". By the way, in the fourth part of "Matchmakers", where Dobronravov
played a major role, for the first time the phrase "Who served in the army, that
does not laugh in the circus."
Vladimir Tishko
Vladimir Tishko honestly "rewound footcloths" for two years
83rd Guards Air Assault Brigade. The service was not easy: he was afraid of heights, but he jumped like everyone else. The host remembered that the slings
injured his neck, but noted that all this was trifles, because service in the landing
troops hardened him.
Alexander Pyatkov
The star of the film "Kolkhoz Entertainment" Alexander Pyatkov after
first skydive, wrote a song that he now calls an unofficial march
landing troops. When the composition went to the people, General Shpak, commander of the Airborne Forces, handed Alexander a watch from his own hand.
In the film about the paratroopers "In the zone of special attention" the actor played the fearless captain Zuev. This role is considered
one of Pyatkov's best works.
Ivan Demidov
TV presenter Ivan Demidov also gave the landing two years. In 1981-1983 he served in one of the military units
Jan Tsapnik
The actor who played businessman Arthur in the "Brigade" owes his excellent physical shape to the Airborne Forces as well. Jan Tsapnik served in
special intelligence platoon, but the day of the blue berets is fundamentally not
notes.
"The holiday unfolds according to an unchanged scenario:
touching beginning, the laying of flowers, and in the final showdown and
scuffle. I'm a little old for all this. . . By the way, in St. Petersburg
I first came to the theater academy in a blue beret," he admitted in
one of the interviews.
Fedor Dobronravov.
Vladimir Chistyakov
Fedor Dobronravov
Eighteen-year-old Fedor was drafted into the army in 1979, he ended up in the 104th Guards Artillery Regiment of the Airborne Division and served in it until 1981. Part of Dobronravov was located in Azerbaijan, not far from the Iranian border. Like everyone else, the future actor wrote an application to get to Afghanistan, but he was not accepted. Nevertheless, the artist remembers his service with gratitude. He claims that over time, all the bad things were forgotten, but the romance remained.
Jan Tsapnik
After school, which Tsapnik graduated from in Chelyabinsk, the young man went to Yekaterinburg (then Sverdlovsk) to enter the theater. A professional athlete (Jan was engaged in handball) was treated condescendingly, and the young man entered the first time.
Gennady Avramenko
However, two years later, in 1987, he was drafted into the army. Parents wanted the future actor to take advantage of his position and go either to the cavalry regiment, or to the song and dance ensemble. But Tsapnik wanted to serve in Afghanistan, about which he immediately wrote a statement. But he was sent first to Poland, and then to Germany. As a result, the future actor ended up in an airborne reconnaissance company, in a special intelligence platoon. Jan recalls that the service was not easy, but he returned home with the rank of senior sergeant.
Jan Tsapnik in the film "Bitter!".
Gennady Avramenko
Maxim Drozd
While still at school, Maxim began boxing, and by the end of it he became a master of sports. It is not surprising that at the recruiting office a fit and physically strong guy was determined to serve in. After the army, Drozd fulfilled his dream and entered the theater, but the army experience was useful to the actor more than once in his profession.
Maxim Drozd. A frame from the film "The Village".
Vladimir Tishko
Every year on August 2, the showman celebrates Airborne Forces Day and claims that he has gained tremendous experience, which has helped him so far. At the age of 18, Volodya was drafted into the army. And he ended up in the 83rd Airborne Assault Brigade, which was located in the Polish city of Bialogard. Demobilized in 1990, he joined the theater.
Vladimir Chistyakov
By the way…
Mikhail Volontir is called the "Chief Ensign of the Airborne Forces." It is noteworthy that the Moldovan actor did not serve in the army, but for his film work he received the respect of the professional military community. Thanks to the films in "Zone of Special Attention" (1977) and "Return Move" (1981), in which Mikhail Ermolaevich played the ensign guard, the audience believed that the artist was a real paratrooper.
Valery Leontiev
Perhaps the most stellar representative of the Airborne Forces is Valery Leontiev. There is little information on the Internet about this, but users of the "landing" forums proudly call the artist their own and even know the number of the unit where he served.
Fedor Dobronravov
"Matchmaker of All Russia" Fedor Dobronravov also knows firsthand about skydiving. The artist admitted that the service made him disciplined, executive and ... romantic.
"There is a lot of romance in the army. It is both in service and in weapons, in guys like you, in the sky, in the Motherland that you defend. We call up colleagues, meet, congratulate each other on this day," quotes the actor "Evening Moscow". By the way, in the fourth part of "Matchmakers", where Dobronravov played the main role, the phrase "Who served in the army does not laugh in the circus" was first uttered.
Vladimir Tishko
Vladimir Tishko honestly "rewound footcloths" for two years in the 83rd Guards Airborne Assault Brigade. The service was not easy: he was afraid of heights, but he jumped like everyone else. The presenter remembered that the slings had injured his neck, but noted that all these were trifles, because service in the airborne troops hardened him.
Alexander Pyatkov
The star of the film "Kolkhoz Entertainment" Alexander Pyatkov, after the first parachute jump, wrote a song, which he now calls the unofficial march of the landing troops. When the composition went to the people, General Shpak, commander of the Airborne Forces, handed Alexander a watch from his own hand.
In the film about the paratroopers "In the zone of special attention" the actor played the fearless captain Zuev. This role is considered one of Pyatkov's best works.
Ivan Demidov
TV presenter Ivan Demidov also gave the landing two years. In 1981-1983 he served in one of the military units of Lithuania.
Jan Tsapnik
The actor who played businessman Arthur in the "Brigade" owes his excellent physical shape to the Airborne Forces as well. Jan Tsapnik served in a special intelligence platoon, but he does not celebrate the day of the blue berets in principle.
"The holiday unfolds according to the same scenario: a touching beginning, the laying of flowers, and in the finale a showdown and scuffle. I got a little older for all this ... By the way, I first came to the St. Petersburg Theater Academy in a blue beret," he admitted in one of interview.
Maxim Drozd
Maxim Drozd on the set of the film "Parents' Day"
Maxim Drozd, who not so long ago starred in the new version of the film "The Dawns Here Are Quiet", was taken to the Airborne Forces thanks to his youthful passion. While still at school, he began boxing and eventually became a master of sports. A fit and strong guy was assigned to the paratroopers. After the service, Drozd fulfilled his dream and entered the theater, and the army experience was useful to him more than once in the acting profession ...