Scandalous Office Romance of Mikhail Zadornov's Parents

Legendary satirist Mikhail Zadornov performed in Ufa multiple times and called it his hometown. He said this not out of flattery, because it was in the capital of Bashkiria that his parents met, which even turned into a scandal. How — read in the material UFA1.RU.

Mikhail Zadornov was born in 1948 in Jurmala. He graduated from school in Riga and enrolled in the local Polytechnic Institute. From there, he transferred to the Moscow Aviation Institute, where he later even worked as a lead engineer. According to Zadornov, he chose his specialty out of fascination with aircraft, but during his studies, his creative side awakened.

At the institute, there was a student theater where Zadornov first performed as an actor and scriptwriter, and later became its artistic director. With the troupe, he traveled extensively across the Soviet Union and once received an invitation to perform one of his monologues on television.

Later, one of the feuilletons that the satirist presented on the show «Vokrug Smekha» (Around Laughter) brought him nationwide popularity. In the 1980s, he got a job as the head of the satire and humor department at the magazine «Yunost». Many famous artists, including Yevgeny Petrosyan, performed his stories and sketches. Then Zadornov himself began performing them on stage — the audience quickly fell in love with the young satirist.

By the way, Zadornov is considered the author of the famous phrase «In Russia, there are two troubles: fools and roads.» He himself attributed it to Nikolai Gogol, but historians and cultural experts did not find such sayings by the writer. Eventually, experts came to the conclusion that Zadornov «gave» his own aphorism to the classic of Russian literature «for greater authority.»

Another landmark event for the entire country in the satirist«s career was the »presidential« New Year»s greeting. Traditionally, the head of state gives such an address on television, but in 1991, against the backdrop of the USSR«s collapse, the political situation in the country was very confused, and so the humorist went on air. Moreover, President Boris Yeltsin»s greeting was recorded in advance but was included in the broadcast after Zadornov.

In 2019, a survey was conducted in Russia, according to which Mikhail Zadornov turned out to be the most beloved comedian among the country«s residents. Largely, he became famous for his »anti-American« satire, where he mocked national stereotypes. Essentially, Zadornov created an entire subgenre, and the phrase »Well, they«re stupid!» became his signature.

The humorist was married twice, and in 1990, his daughter was born.

In 2016, the artist was diagnosed with a brain tumor. In November 2017, he passed away. He was buried in his native Jurmala, and hundreds of people came to say goodbye. The satirist rests next to his father — also a writer.

Zadornov Sr. is less well-known, but his fate was very remarkable. Nikolai Pavlovich was born into a family of a veterinarian, and from childhood, he traveled extensively across Russia. In school, he participated in plays and founded an propaganda brigade. Later, he performed in the Siberian Experimental Theater, and then moved to the Ufa City Theater.

Simultaneously, Nikolai Zadornov engaged in journalism and worked as a literary staffer for the newspapers «Beloretsky Rabochy» (Beloretsk Worker), «Sovetskaya Sibir» (Soviet Siberia), and «Krasnaya Bashkiriya» (Red Bashkiria). In one of the local editorial offices, he met his future wife Yelena.

The love story was not easy. At the time they met, Yelena was already married and raising a son. Her husband worked at the Ministry of Heavy Industry, and the family moved from city to city until they ended up in the capital of Bashkiria, where, as Mikhail Zadornov recalled, a large plant was being built. Likely, this refers to UMPO, to which productions from all corners of the country were evacuated during the Great Patriotic War.

«In Izhevsk and Krasnodar, Yelena worked as a proofreader in publishing houses. And when they moved to Ufa, for the construction of a large plant, she was hired at the factory newspaper. And one day... One day, a journalist from the city newspaper — Nikolai Zadornov — appeared in the editorial office. Yelena criticized his essay to smithereens. That»s how the love began,« wrote Mikhail Nikolayevich on his website.

According to him, due to the office romance, a scandal erupted. To avoid trouble, the couple had to leave Bashkiria immediately after the divorce and wedding.

«How could it be: a journalist stole the wife from an engineer! The [first] husband sent a letter with threats. With this letter, she [mom] went to the ZAGS (registry office), and there, without any trial, they issued a divorce. And the secretary of the regional committee, a Bashkir, upon meeting [Nikolai] Zadornov, patted him on the shoulder: »Well done!«» the satirist recounted.

In the end, his parents settled in Riga, where Nikolai wrote books, worked as a translator and magazine editor. They had a daughter, Lyudmila, and Mikhail was born in Jurmala. Zadornov performed in Ufa several times and called it his hometown — because it was here that his mother found love.