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Russian films and serials feature actors who can protect themselves and their loved ones not only in the cinema, but also in life. Many of them were involved in serious combat sports.
After reading this article, you will learn about 10 Russian actors who devote a lot of time to training and know how to fend for themselves.
10 Oleg Taktarov
Oleg Taktarov always dreamed of an acting career. He was a timid and shy boy, he really liked to read adventure novels.
In order for Oleg to learn how to defend himself, his father took him to sambo. The coach saw potential in the boy and decided that he was quite capable of becoming a champion. He wasn’t wrong. In the early 90s, Taktarov began to achieve very great success in sambo.
When fighting without rules became popular, Taktarov was invited to America to take part in professional tournaments.
Oleg’s pseudonym in the USA is “Russian Bear”. He took part in many fights and lost only a few times. It was fame in the ring that helped Taktarov to start his career in Hollywood.
9. Talgat Nigmatulin
Talgat Nigmatulin is called the second Bruce Lee. The family of the future actor lived rather poorly, he lost his father early, and he had to earn extra money in a shoe shop and at a sugar factory. For some time the boy even lived in an orphanage.
He became seriously interested in karate, began to engage in athletics, ballroom dancing. The path to the cinema Nigmatulin provided charisma, bright appearance and excellent physical shape.
The image of a scoundrel was strengthened behind the actor for a long time: in films, he most often had to play just such roles. He did not need stuntmen: he performed all the fighting techniques and tricks on his own.
8. Vladimir Mashkov
Actor Vladimir Mashkov prefers ordinary kettlebells, rather than newfangled dumbbells, barbells and simulators. Vladimir devotes a lot of time to training, and therefore he has the figure of a real athlete.
The love of strength training was inherited by Vladimir. His father worked in the puppet theater and was forced to hold weights for a long time.
Since he did not have money for gyms, he trained at home: he took cast iron irons and walked around the house with them. The little son admired his father and also began to train when he grew up.
7. Vladimir Epifantsev
Vladimir Epifantsev was interested in martial arts from an early age. As a child, he was very fond of films about mixed martial arts and dreamed of becoming an actor himself in order to act in such films.
However, Vladimir began to play sports quite late, only at the age of 16. He independently mastered shock technique and learned to understand martial arts.
Epifantsev notes that he used to work in very poor conditions, with insufficient quality equipment. When he had the opportunity to train not in the basement, but in elite sports clubs, he began to get much more pleasure from training.
6. Vlad Demin
Vladislav Demin is an actor of cinema and drama theater. At a young age, Vlad really liked films with Bruce Lee. They inspired the future actor to take wushu classes.
Vladislav achieved his first serious success after six months of training: he won a silver medal at regional competitions. Demin was engaged in a variety of martial arts: karate, kickboxing, hand-to-hand combat.
Thanks to martial arts, the actor brought up such important qualities as restraint, prudence and the ability to make informed decisions in unusual situations.
5. Pavel Priluchny
Pavel Priluchny can be called the idol of modern youth. In his youth, he devoted a lot of time to boxing. Priluchny became a candidate for master of sports when he was only 14 years old.
The main problem for Pavel was regular concussions, and in the end, because of them, he had to give up boxing, which was dangerous to health, forever.
Sports training and fitness were not in vain: now it is very easy for the actor to act in action films, and he can cope with rather difficult stunts without any problems.
4. Nikita Panfilov
Nikita Panfilov, a film and theater actor, wanted to connect his life with big-time sports when he was a schoolboy. He gave preference to Greco-Roman wrestling. Nikita’s father fully supported his son’s choice: he encouraged the boy in every way, rejoiced at his victories.
Panfilov achieved very great success, he became a master of sports by the 8th grade. However, Nikita nevertheless realized that the eternal feeling of fatigue, injuries, frequent trips to competitions and numerous grueling workouts are very exhausting.
Panfilov chose the acting field, which greatly pleased his mother.
3. Mikhail Porechenkov
Mikhail Porechenkov was a boxer. He gave 9 years of his life to this sport. Once Porechenkov knocked out the opponent with only two blows: the fight did not even have time to really start.
Mikhail is boxing now, so the actor is in very good physical shape. He wonderfully embodies heroic images on the screens.
2. Evgeny Dyatlov
In his youth, Evgeny Dyatlov dreamed of connecting his life with boxing. At first he studied on his own, according to a book, then he went to the sports section.
Eugene is sure that physical activity is necessary for the body of any person. Now he regularly goes to the pool, and also works out at home. Evgeny has two horizontal bars, a punching bag, and a Swedish wall.
1. Dmitry Nagiyev
When Dmitry Nagiyev was in elementary school, he began to practice judo and sambo. The boy was short, thin, he was often offended by older guys, but he preferred to do without complaints and boldly rebuffed the offenders.
Dmitry preferred sambo. The boy worked with full dedication: instead of summer holidays, he went to sports camps, never missed training. Thanks to his perseverance and diligence, he received the title of master of sports.
The main thing in Nagiyev’s life, however, was acting, which he had dreamed of since childhood, and not sports.
In the 90s, it was necessary to feed the family, earn money, and Dmitry completely immersed himself in a new sphere.
The actor considers the ability to maintain equanimity in the most difficult situations and a hardened character to be his most important sporting achievements.