Yuri V. Nikulin (1921-1997) was a circus performer (clown), film actor, TV presenter, People's Artist of the USSR (1973). Yuri Nikulin was born on December 18, 1921, in the town of Demidov (presently the Smolensk Region). On November 8, 1939, after he had graduated from a secondary school, he was called up for military service in the Red Army. During the Great Patriotic War, Yuri Nikulin was fighting near Leningrad.
Once the war ended, Nikulin entered the circus school of the Moscow Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard. Having finished the school he became an assistant of popular clown Karandash. When working with Karandash, Nikulin met Mikhail Shuidin and they formed a famous clown duet.
Yu. Nikulin debuted in filming at the age of 36, and from his first roles, he proved himself as one of a kind multifarious actor. He brought various role-masks from the circus arena to the screen, widely using circus eccentricity and style as he did in films A Girl with Guitar and The Unamenables. An unforgettable image of Balbes from the famous trio in comedy films Bootleggers; Operation Y and Shurik's Other Adventures; Kidnapping, Caucasian Style, and New Adventures of Shurik, and others are distinguished by exceptional captivation and buoyancy. The most popular comedy movies with Yuri Nikulin starring are The Diamond Arm, 12 Chairs, Grandads-Robbers. However, the actor played not only comic roles. Such films as When the Trees were Tall, Andrei Rublev, They Fought for their Country, and Twenty Days Without War, drew out Nikulin’s dramatic talent.
In 1982, Yu. Nikulin became the Director of the Moscow Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard. On his watch, a new building was built for the circus, which was opened in 1989. Yuri Nikulin’s length of work in his home-circus was 50 years.
The postcard with a commemorative stamp provides Yuri Nikulin’s portrait; the main image features a frame from the Kidnapping, Caucasian Style, and New Adventures of Shurik film (Mosfilm, 1966).
The composition of the souvenir pack in cover "For the 100th Birth Anniversary of Yuri V. Nikulin" is included:
- stamp №705 "Popular actors of Russian cinema. Yu.V. Nikulin";
- PCWCS with cancellation №367-окр "100th anniversary of the birth of Yu.V. Nikulin (1921-1997), circus performer, actor, People's Artist of the USSR";
- vignette.
| Paper |
Printing method |
Edition |
| Chalk surfaced |
Offset + glossy lamination |
800 pcs. |