Yuri Chulyukin

Yuri Stepanovich Chulyukin (; 9 November 1929 – 7 March 1987) was a Soviet film director, screenwriter, actor and songwriter best known for comedy movies. He became a People's Artist of the RSFSR in 1979.

Biography Chulyukin was born in Moscow to a Bolshoi Theatre director. His mother studied under the famous actor Mikhail Astangov (born Ruzhnikov), and Chulyukin bore a striking resemblance to him which led to speculations inside the artistic circles; according to Chulyukin's first wife Natalya Kustinskaya, this topic was tabooed inside his family.

He studied for an artist at the Central Children's Theatre and headed the amateur theatre at the Moscow Factory of Cinematographic Equipment. In 1956 he graduated from VGIK where he studied film directing under Grigory Alexandrov and Mikhail Chiaureli; he worked briefly in television and made around three dozen documentaries. He cast the leading actress Nadezhda Rumyantseva in his next comedy The Girls which became an even bigger success: with 34.8 million viewers it became the 5th most popular Soviet movie of 1961; for this role Rumyantseva was named the best actress at the Mar del Plata International Film Festival in 1962.

Chulyukin's third comedy Royal Regatta (1966) featured his wife Natalya Kustinskaya in the main role but wasn't as successful as his previous works; she left him shortly after and later claimed this was the main reason he switched from light comedy films to war and children's movies, gaining the Lenin Komsomol Prize in 1979. According to one version, he inadvertently fell into the shaft of the elevator of the hotel. However, according to The Girls actress Inna Makarova he was thrown there by some locals after he had tried to protect the Soviet actress Irina Shevchuk from molesting, but no investigation followed for political reasons.

Chulyukin was buried in Moscow at the Kuntsevo Cemetery.

Personal life First wife (1957—1966) – actress Natalya Kustinskaya. Second wife (before 1987) — actress Ludmila Chulyukina (née Smirnova).

Selected filmography Year Title Original title Director Screenwriter Notes 1955 Smoke in the Forest Дым в лесу diploma film, with Yevgeny Karelov 1959 The Unamenables Неподдающиеся 1961 The Girls Девчата 1962 Strictly Business Деловые люди actor, uncredited (Peabody the clerk) 1965 Two in Love Двое 1966 Royal Regatta Королевская регата 1967 Dubravka Дубравка 1969 On the Way to Berlin На пути в Берлин 1986 How to Become Happy Как стать счастливым