He couldn’t survive the betrayal.
The Moscow Art Theater, the main Russian theater, often lost its famous artists. Some left on their own, while others were harshly and categorically fired. Among the latter were popular, famous and beloved actors.
So, in 1988, Evgeniy Evstigneev joined their ranks. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, he came to Oleg Efremov, who was the artistic director of the theater at that time. The actor asked to reduce his workload. He explained to the head of the Moscow Art Theater that he was ready to take on new roles, but there were none. And the workload is growing, which was not easy for 62-year-old Evgeniy Evstigneev.
In response to this request, Oleg Efremov categorically replied that the artist should retire because he could not cope.
These words were so unexpected that Evgeny Evstigneev immediately believed in them. And when he realized that the artistic director was not joking, he left and did not even try to negotiate anything with him. Four years after these events, the actor died in London.
