Soviet and Russian actor, People's Artist of the USSR Vladimir Etush celebrates his 95th birthday. Etush - one of the oldest actors in the world, continuing to enter the stage.

Etush was born in Moscow in 1922. In the passport, as you know, he has another date of birth - 1923. Thus, my mother, as the actor explained, wanted to make sure that he later joined the army. On this account, Etush jokes that he was born twice, and both times successfully.

The actor himself admits that he still feels at home that he did not do much in a professional way. "Although I am People's Artist of the Soviet Union, laureate of the State and other awards, but still an artist hungry. I did not play all that I could play. I always lacked good roles. But why play bad? ", Etush recently said.

He himself recalled how his life changed after the appearance of the famous comedy by Leonid Gaidai, the "Caucasian Captive", where he played the part of Sahov: "After the film was released, the acquaintances warned that they could beat the Caucasians. And he came to the bazaar, so almost on his hands began to be worn. On all sides surrounded, began vying with one another. In general, it turned out quite the contrary. Although, as I understand it, the Azerbaijanis believed that the Armenian Saakhs, the Armenians - that the Azerbaijani, Georgians too obviously did not take for their own. And everyone was pleased. Especially me! ".

Among his other films, roles in the films "Ivan Vasilievich changes profession", "June 31", "The Adventures of Pinocchio", "12 chairs".

Etush still works at the Moscow Vakhtangov Theater, where he came after graduating from the Theater School. For more than 70 years he has played more than 100 roles.

In April 2017, the artist received the theatrical award "Golden Mask" for his outstanding contribution to the development of theatrical art.

On his birthday Etush will play the main role in the theater of Vakhtangov in the play "Benefit".

In 1941, Vladimir Etush, then an auditor in the first year of the Theater School. Shchukin, volunteered for the front, but in 1943 was seriously wounded and commissar.

In 1944 he returned to the fourth year of school.

"Memories of war are always with me. They are very strong, bright. But it is impossible to tell about the experience. For me, the front-line battles ended in 1944, when I was demobilized in connection with a serious wound. He was treated for a long time, then graduated from the school and almost immediately entered the Vakhtangov Theater troupe, "- shared his memories of the actor. This is reported by the Air Force.