Cinema

Monument to actor Yevgeny Leonov unveiled in Moscow

The monument to the beloved actor Yevgeny Leonov
The monument to the beloved actor Yevgeny Leonov

The monument to the beloved actor Yevgeny Leonov was opened in September on the Square of Stars in Moscow. The sculpture was made to replace the one stolen in 2015. The opening of the monument was attended by the head of the Moscow Department of Culture Alexander Kibovsky, directors Nikita Mikhalkov, Mark Zakharov, actor Sergei Nikonenko, singer Iosif Kobzon.

“Evgeny Pavlovich was a great artist and an amazing personality. Georgy Nikolaevich Danelia asked to convey gratitude to those who stole this monument, because today there is one more reason to remember his painting and Evgeny Pavlovich Leonov. I am ready to unveil a monument to Leonov every year if it disappears. Said Mikhalkov, chairman of the Union of Cinematographers, RIA Novosti reports.

Sculpture of the comedy character Gentlemen of Fortune
Sculpture of the comedy character Gentlemen of Fortune

The monument to Leonov in the image of the Associate Professor, the main character of the film “Gentlemen of Fortune” by Georgy Danelia, was unveiled as part of the XXIII Moscow Film Festival in 2001. In 2015, the monument was stolen, cut into pieces and handed over to metal. In May of this year, the court sentenced the kidnappers to 2.5 years in prison.