Director Nikita Mikhalkov expressed his condolences on the death of Valentin Gaft. He admitted that in recent years he rarely managed to meet with a friend, but he always felt happiness from the mere realization that a great actor is still creating.
“Recently, we rarely saw Valya, but the mere realization that somewhere he exists, lives, thinks, writes, plays, gave some completely inexplicable feeling of inner peace and joy. Yes, probably, in a global sense, it is fair to say that there are no irreplaceable ones, but for me personally this is not true. Valya Gaft is irreplaceable , - Mikhalkov told RIA Novosti.
“I never understood how, living in the world of bohemia, acting environment, long tours, behind-the-scenes intrigues, difficult relationships, during a long life you can maintain such incredible purity, naivety, great talent of a person in every sense of the word”, - added Mikhalkov.
Earlier, condolences were expressed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin and head of the Union of Theater Workers (STD) Alexander Kalyagin. "The President believes that this is a great loss for all fans of Gaft's talent and for the entire Russian culture.", - his press secretary Dmitry Peskov conveyed the words of the president.
Director Vladimir Bortko, with whom Gaft starred in the TV series The Master and Margarita, in an interview with the Daily Storm, noted the artist's incredible professionalism and exactingness towards himself and those around him.
Farewell to Gaft will be held on December 15 at the Sovremennik Theater, where he served for over 50 years. The actor will be buried in Moscow at the Troekurovsky cemetery.
