People's Artist of the RSFSR (1970). Winner of the Stalin Prize (1951).
He was born on May 20, 1914 in a small Ukrainian town – Gorlovka, in the family of a clarinet musician.
In his youth, Boris, naturally endowed with impenetrable physical strength, worked in the Taganrog circus as a lavitor - a person insured by air gymnasts. And then he went to work in the orchestra of Taganrog Trama (Theater of Working Youth) as a clarinetist. Here it is time to recall the notorious Mr. Case, who more than once played pivotal roles in acting fates. One day, an 18-year-old clarinetist, who knew all the roles from the repertoire of the above-mentioned theater, volunteered to replace the suddenly ill performer with one of the roles in the play "Friendly Hill". From this moment, the acting path of Boris Alexandrovich Sitko begins, which will last no less than 62 years.
In the same 1932, Boris Alexandrovich became an actor of the Taganrog Tram. It can be safely argued that in those years the Theatres of working youth, which existed in many cities of the country, served as a kind of theater schools. It was from numerous Trams that a whole galaxy of wonderful actors subsequently came out. In Taganrog Tram, Boris served only a year - until 1933, having managed to play three roles during this time: Mark Zelov in "Friendly Hill", Leontiev's Komsorg in "Anxiety" and engineer Martynov in "Symphony of Steel".
In 1933, another TRUM was organized in the Donbass in Horlivka, Sitko’s hometown, this time Vsedonetsky. Actors from different parts of the country begin to flock to it. One of them is Boris Sitko. On the stage of Vsedonetsky Tram, he will work for two years and will have time to play eight roles, the most striking of which will be the role of Marcel in "Intervention".
In 1934, Boris Sitko went to enter the theater school in Moscow. After the first show, he was admitted to the theater-studio of Ruben Nikolaevich Simonov on Dmitrovka. However, to the great chagrin of Boris Alexandrovich, neither his studies nor his work were allowed to take place for a very prosaic reason - there were no places in the hostel of the theater-studio. Having found no housing in the capital, Sitko and his family are forced to leave Moscow for the city of Chapaevsk, where he is invited to work in the local theater. In Chapaevsk, he will work for a year and play three roles, among which the role of Polovtsev in the “raised virgin land” and Kolosov in “Love Spring”.
In 1936 Boris Alexandrovich returned to Taganrog. Only now - in the Taganrog City Drama Theater. In Gordrama, Boris Alexandrovich will serve three seasons. Three seasons and nineteen roles, and what more! Theodoro in "Dog in the hay", Berkutov in "Wolves and sheep", Alexei in "Mary-peasant" Neznamov in "Without the guilt of the guilty", Peter in "Petersburgers", two roles in "Anna Karenina": first Levin, then Vronsky.
Having played only these roles, any actor can think that his creative life is more than successful. However, despite the obvious success and more than rosy prospects, the nomadic acting life brings Boris Alexandrovich to the famous Moscow Acting Exchange, and from there his path lies in Siberia, in the Irkutsk Regional Drama Theater.
The fame of the Irkutsk Drama Theatre thundered throughout the country. Many directors and actors dreamed of getting there, but only a few managed to get there. In Irkutsk, Boris Alexandrovich took the position of prime minister and triumphant: performances were staged on him, directors dreamed of working with him, tickets for the play with his participation sold out in a matter of hours. It is difficult to describe in words what this city and this theater has become for Sitko. I can only say one thing: Irkutsk remained with him forever, even after moving to Moscow. Interestingly, initially Boris Alexandrovich intended to work in Irkutsk for only one season and return to his native south, but, as they say: “Man assumes, but God disposes.” This time life has made its own adjustments to human plans. The war started. Going south became impossible. Instead of one season, the Irkutsk Drama Theatre was given eleven years!
Eleven years in theater is a lifetime, and if you’ve lived forty-three more lives on stage, what is it? Herman in “Tane”, Valstakov in “Mad Money”, Mishka Buinosov in “Peter the First”, Protasov in “Children of the Sun”, Verlain in “Maria Stuart”, lawyer Rooster in “Living Company”, Sergey in “Parna from our city”, Rzhevsky in “Long-time” and “Lyubozovozovo”; “Belovozovozovo”, “Vozovo,” and “Vozovozovo, “Vozovo,” in “Vozovozovo,” and “Vozovozovo” In addition to these roles at the age of 24 (!) Sitko becomes the performer of the role of Lenin at once in two sensational performances of the Irkutsk drama theater: “Lenin in the 18th year” and “Kremlin chimes”. Even in our days, sometimes so cruel and merciless to everything connected with the “revolutionary-patriotic themes in art”, Boris Alexandrovich has not once regretted and is not ashamed that he came into contact on stage with the image of the “leader of the world proletariat”. Before him, as an actor, the task was not to play an idol, not a party leader, but a person. A living, normal person. It was a breakthrough, albeit a very dangerous one.
Work in the Irkutsk Theatre can be safely called the creative universities of Boris Sitko. It was the Irkutsk Drama Theatre and its artistic director N.A. Medvedev who skillfully cut the natural talent of the artist. Later, when asked about his theatrical education, Boris Alexandrovich often answered: Irkutsk Drama Theater.
1948 was a turning year for Boris Sitko. He comes on a creative trip to Moscow. It would be naive to assume that after a failed study – work with Ruben Simonov, Boris Sitko decided once and for all to abandon his dreams of working in the capital’s theater. Upon arrival in Moscow, he appeared in a number of the capital's theater troupes. It was accepted everywhere! He is invited to work M.I. Tsarev in the Maly Theater, Y.M. Zavadsky in the Mossovet Theater and A.D. Popov in the Central Theater of the Red Army. The choice was very difficult. Everything was decided by the meeting of the “Siberian bear”, a nickname received in Irkutsk, and Alexei Dmitrievich Popov. “Siberian bear” stood in Popov’s office in the best suit and ... boots. After asking Popov to shout something, the room was shaken by a rolling taiga oh-go!!! With this, a new era in the life of Boris Alexandrovich began - he became an actor of the Red Army Theater. The theater, which was given 45 years of life. Until the end. In this theater, he found not only roles and titles, but a real Director and Teacher in the person of Alexei Dmitrievich Popov. Immediately after joining the CTCA, later renamed the Central Academic Theater of the Soviet Army, Boris Alexandrovich received two roles that became his hallmark: the role of Lenin in the play “Unforgettable 1919” and the role of Ushakov in “Flag of the Admiral”.
In 1950, the life of Boris Alexandrovich included cinema. Legend of Russian cinematography - Mikhail Kolotov approves him for the role of Costa Vara in his film "Conspiracy of the doomed". For this role and for the theatrical role of Ushakov, Boris Alexandrovich at the age of 36 receives two Stalin Prizes at once. Then the titles are added to the awards – first the Honored Artist of the RSFSR, and later the People’s Artist of the RSFSR.
Unfortunately, despite the triumphant beginning, Boris Sitko’s romance with cinema did not fully work out. If hundreds of roles were played in the theater, then in the cinema a little more than a dozen. The most famous of them are Costa Vara in the “Conspiracy of the Doomed”, Dymov in the “Height”, work in “Foma Gordeev”, in the “Case of the Corporal Kochetkov” and “Animals”. It is difficult to name the only reason why the “cinematic novel” did not take place. Figuratively speaking, both sides are to blame. From some roles Boris Alexandrovich refused himself (for example, so it happened with the famous Ogurtsov from “Carnival Night”, others “swimmed away” not by his will: roles in “Circus” and “Sadko” played Sergey Stolyarov. Over time, cinema disappeared from the life of the actor. Boris Aleksandrovich considered himself, first of all, a theatrical actor and fruitful work in the theater was more important for him than roles in films. And yet it's a pity. It’s a pity if you think about how many roles remain unplayed.
If in the cinema a lot of roles remained only on card-photo tests, the theater still pleased the actor with bright interesting roles. In the “Investigator” was played Gorodnichiy, Knurov in “Bespridannitsa”, General Lyubomirov in “White tent”, Kutuzov in “Long-ago”, Vellouto in “My profession is a signor from society”, finally, a medical life in “Paul I”. The stage role of this period was for Boris Alexandrovich the role of Puntil in the annals of theatrical history of the play "Mr. Puntil and his servant Matti". Theatrical criticism appreciated this amazing work of the actor. Fortunately, the performance was filmed and stored in the Gosfilmofond.
In 1974, Boris Alexandrovich was invited by Mark Zakharov to the Lenin Komsomol Theater for the role of Chelnokov in the play Autograd 21. The performance was a success, and Boris Alexandrovich was offered to go to the troupe “Lenkoma”. But Sitko remained loyal to his family.
Unfortunately, in recent years, the theater did not please the actor with new roles - from the previous works of Boris Alexandrovich, only two roles remained in the repertoire of the theater: Vellouto in "My profession is a sergeant from society" and a medical life in "Paul I". A young generation of actors and directors came to the theater and the Old Guard, according to the laws of the genre, gave way to them. Life is life, but you can hardly find an actor who does not dream of a new role at any age. Moreover, age for this is not only not a hindrance, but also an assistant – a carrier of a unique long-term experience.
It is impossible not to mention another very important part of the theatrical life of Boris Sitko. Boris Alexandrovich participated in all the chief trips of the Theatre of the Soviet Army to military units, including tours in Chernobyl, Afghanistan, Germany.
Boris Sitko died on August 10, 1994. He was buried at the Troekurovsky cemetery in Moscow.
Wife B.A.Sitko - Tatiana Fedorovna Ryabchuk-Sitko, actress, director, teacher on the technique of speech of the actor; brother B.A.Sitko - Georgy Alexandrovich Sitko (1922-1997), People's Artist of the Karelian ASSR; daughters B.A.Sitko - Elena Borisovna Sitko, Honored Artist of Russia, actress of the Pushkin Theater, Olga Borisovna Sitko - TV Director; granddaughter of B.A.Sitko - Maria Sitko, actress "