Announcer Levitan: biography. A voice that gives hope: "Says Moscow"

The announcer Levitan, whose biography is very interesting and entertaining, is familiar to all. He was the speaker of the State Committee of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union. His expressive voice, unique in timbre, was called "the voice of the era and Victory".

He not only reported on the joyful events, but also about the defeats. About victories it was entrusted to declare only to Levitan. It was not for nothing that he was called a voice that gave hope. The enemies feared and hated him. Soviet troops and citizens - loved. Levitan became a military legend, his voice - an invariable attribute of the Victory.

A family

Yuri Levitan was born on October 2 (September 19 in the old style) in 1914 in Vladimir. His family was Jewish. Mother, Maria Yulevna, was engaged in a house. Father, Boris Semenovich, worked as a tailor in the studio. He sewed uniforms for employees and officials.

Childhood

He spent his entire childhood in his native city. He liked to play Levitan in various circles. He sang in the choir and loved extracurricular activities at school. I dreamed of becoming a famous artist. Yuri from his childhood differed from his peers in his sonorous voice. Because of him, young Levitan was even called a "pipe". Parents of his comrades often asked to scream, call their offspring when they disappeared from sight.

Father Yuri dreamed of seeing his son in military service as an engineer-motor-builder. But the young Levitan came under the charm of the theater and enrolled in a drama circle. So began his journey to the dream.

Education

Yuri Levitan graduated from the incomplete secondary school (9 classes) in 1931. Vladimirsky Hills Komsomol wrote him a ticket to Moscow for admission to the university. Yuri decided to take the entrance exams at the State Film College (now it's VGIK).

But he expected a failure. The Admissions Committee did not let him through to the film technical college because of the "dipping" Vladimir accent. Then Yuri tried to enter the theater school. And again it's unsuccessful. The Admission Committee found him too young (then he was 17 years old) and not having a charismatic appearance.

The beginning of a narrative career

After the failure of the examinations at the film school and the theater school, Yuri wanted to get a job at the Moscow plants as a simple worker or at all to go back home to Vladimir. But then fate made a sharp turn.

On the street, Yuri's eyes caught the announcement of a set of announcers on the radio. The set was competitive, but Levitan still decided to try his hand in this direction. Although he did not even have an idea of this profession.

Vasily Kachalov was among the members of the selection committee . Everyone was embarrassed by the young age of Yuri, his clothes (sports pants and a T-shirt) and a provincial accent. The commission initially hesitated, but after hearing the mesmerizing, clearly set, strong and zychny voice of Levitan, enrolled him as an intern on the radio.

Yuri Levitan was trained in the group of the All-Union Radio Committee. And very soon he became the main announcer. He lived in a small room, which was immediately at the studio and was used as a warehouse for broken gramophones.

The first steps in the announcer's field

At first Yuri performed courier work - he prepared sandwiches and tea for colleagues, carried papers and documents to the offices. At night, he worked diligently to destroy his accent.

He constantly improved the diction, with him worked artists of the Moscow Academic Theater, which dealt with trainees - N. Litovtseva, V. Kachalov, N. Tolstova, M. Lebedev and many others.

A few months later Levitan was appointed on duty at the studio. His duties included reading short newscasts, declaring musical numbers and changing records.

Attention of Stalin

In the winter of 1934 the future famous announcer Levitan, whose biography is unique, received another task - to read articles from Pravda at night. On this day, Yuri first got access to the microphone. By the whim of fate on this day, Levitan's voice was heard by Stalin, who worked mostly at night. The radio was always on.

Hearing Yuri's voice, Stalin immediately telephoned the chairman of the Radio Committee and demanded that this speaker should read the report tomorrow morning at the 17th congress of the CPSU.

Chief announcer Levitan: career biography

Levitan, pale with emotion, coped with the task positively. At 12:00 in the studio was brought a package with a report by Stalin. Yuri read the text for five hours. And at the same time he made no mistakes, hesitations and reservations.

Stalin listened attentively and after the end of the speech ordered that all government documents from now on would be read only by Levitan. Thus, already in 19 years, Yuri became the official voice of the Kremlin. Colleagues respectfully called him Yurbor, combining the name and patronymic.

In the shortest possible time Levitan's voice became recognizable. The most popular announcer of the All-Union Radio by fame could be compared only with the movie star L. Orlova.

Persistent self-improvement

Despite the fact that Levitan was unconditionally recognized by his colleagues and superiors, he continued to improve in the art of narration. He often asked his assistants to turn the texts from different angles, read the texts "upside down" or standing on their hands, head down. It was Levitan who reported the rescue of the ice-breaker crew "Chelyuskin", the air flight Chkalov in the US and the success of the Arctic expedition of Papanin.

Levitan - the voice of the Soviet Information Bureau

In 1941, when the Great Patriotic War began, the Voice of the Information Bureau was Yuri Levitan. The announcement of the beginning of the war on June 22 was read by him. After that, for four years he covered the situation at the front. Marshal Rokossovsky once noticed that Levitan's voice is equal to the whole division.

He was hated by Hitler and even declared "enemy number one". Stalin was on this list under the second number. German special services have repeatedly developed plans for the abduction of Levitan, but the fascists were unable to carry out any. And the German-hated voice continued to read out the Sovinformburo summaries. A huge reward was assigned for the head of Yuri Borisovich. According to one source - 100 thousand marks, on the other - 200 thousand marks,

Few people knew the main speaker of the country. Therefore, in order to ensure the safety of Levitan, false rumors were spreading about his appearance. In addition, Yuri Borisovich was constantly under vigilant protection.

Involuntary evacuation

In 1941, among the speakers was forced evacuation. In the Great Patriotic War, all the towers were dismantled, since for German bombers they represented ideal landmarks. Therefore, it was technically impossible to continue broadcasting. Levitan and the second announcer, Olga Vysotskaya, were evacuated to Sverdlovsk (now Yekaterinburg).

War time

The studio in the Urals was located in the basement. And Levitan was lodged nearby, in a barrack. But Yury Borisovich lived in complete secrecy. Moscow friends were allowed to visit him very rarely. The information that Levitan was supposed to read, came from Moscow by phone. In the Sverdlovsk studio Yuri Borisovich sounded and many documentary films mounted on the spot.

The Germans failed to register the main radio station, since the signal from the studio was sent to the most powerful Soviet repeater that was near Lake Shartash. And dozens of broadcasting stations then jammed the original signal. Information about where Levitan was, was declassified only after 25 years. In 1943, Yuri Borisovich again, in conditions of increased secrecy, was transferred to another place where the Soviet Radio Committee was located - to Kuibyshev (now Samara).

"Attention! Says Moscow ... "

Levitan Yuri Borisovich is a speaker whose voice is recognized even by our contemporaries. Although at that time, some were not even born. Until now, everyone remembers the first words that Levitan said after the Victory over the Nazis: "Attention! Says Moscow! ... ". He delivered them in 1945, on May 9, at 21:55. It was at this time that Levitan read out the text of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

The program was to be broadcasted from the studio of the Radio Committee located in GUM. But Levitan did not manage to break through the crowd to the Kremlin, even with the help of army and police uniforms. On the Red Square, from the gathered people, even an apple had nowhere to fall. I had to broadcast from a spare radio studio.

Postwar years

After the war, it was estimated that Levitan had voiced almost 2,000 Sovinformburo summaries and more than 120 emergency lightning bolts. In 1950, Yuri Borisovich was asked to reprint at least a part of the reports for the archive, since in time of war it was impossible to record them.

After the end of the war, Levitan also remained as the leading announcer of the All-Union Radio. In 1953 he read the bulletins on Stalin's health. And on March 5, Yuri Levitan announced his death.

On the flight into space of Yuri Gagarin The message in the radio was also voiced by the chief announcer. Yuri Borisovich read government reports, led many reports from the Kremlin Palace and Red Square.

Levitan is one of the participants in the creation of newsreels and the sound of documentaries. In the program "The Minute of Silence" the text was read by Levitan. He conducted a radio program about the letters of veterans. Over the years, Yuri Borisovich spent nearly 60,000 programs.

Often, Yuri Borisovich sounded secret films about the original developments. These films were intended for a narrow circle of party nomenclature, employees of secret research institutes and military.

Personal life

Personal life, unfortunately, Yuri Borisovich did not work out. He married in 1938 on Raisa, a student of the Institute of Foreign Languages. She was a very beautiful girl. In 1940 they had a daughter, who was named Natalia.

At first, the young family lived in a communal apartment near the Kremlin. Then they moved to a separate apartment on the street. Gorky (now Tverskaya). Raisa and Yuri lived together only 11 years, and then divorced. Yuri Borisovich proposed to remain friends. For many years after the divorce, he maintained friendly relations not only with his ex-wife, but also with her new husband.

He represented the former spouse in companies as a cousin. The second time, Levitan never married again. He lived with his daughter Natasha and his mother-in-law, who simply adored him and tried to create a cozy home. Later, Natalia's son Boris was born. But her fate was with a tragic end. In 2006, her own son was killed in her apartment.

last years of life

In recent years, Yudka Berkovich Levitan was on the air less and less. The authorities decided that his voice was associated with extraordinary events. And it is worthless to someone who was a "voice that gives hope" to read about the results of harvesting. As a result, Levitan began to train young trainee speakers, teaching them the art of speech.

Yuri Borisovich often met with veterans, visited many events dedicated to the Great Patriotic War. For many, his voice became dear and holy. During the war years, it drew strength to fight the fascists. His reading had a strong emotional impact on listeners. In 2009, a documentary film was shot, dedicated to Levitan from the series "Heroes and Villains".

Death of the country's main speaker

In 1983, Yuri Borisovich began serious heart problems. But the main announcer Levitan, whose biography is closely connected with the war years, Agreed to speak on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the liberation of Belgorod and the Eagle. It was in August. The month was very hot, the thermometer showed over 40 degrees. Right at the festive rally, which was held in the village. Bessonovka, immediately after his speech Levitan suddenly felt ill. He could not be saved.

Levitan Yuri Borisovich died on August 4, 1983 in the village of Bessonovka. The cause of death is a heart attack. At that time, Levitan was 68 years old. Doctors, when he was taken from the village to the hospital, could no longer help Yuri Borisovich. Levitan is buried in the Moscow Novodevichye cemetery on 10th site.

Ranks and awards

In 1973 and 1980 years. Levitan was awarded the title of People's Artist of the RSFSR and the USSR, and he is the first radio worker to receive such honors. Yuri Borisovich - Honored Artist of the RSFSR, was awarded three orders and numerous medals.