Famous actor 

 

Read the text and fill in the gaps with the words from the box. 

 

 

 

influences, judge, estate, bright, instead of, memory, episode, 

 

evidence, eradicate, dream, quickly, oblivion, proud, ascension, tragic 

 

 

 

 M.S. Tshepkin (6 November, 1788 – 12 August, 1863) … Among all the artists – an actor produces the greatest but at the same time the least solid impression. The actor doesn’t leave the (1. _______) of his talent. As V. Belinsky once said “the art of an actor is the least grateful as it lives only at the moment of a performance. It (2. ___________) your soul at present but becomes vague in the past”. Is it really so? Do you believe that when the actor leaves the stage, his work and success will sink into (3. _________)? 

 

 M.S. Tshepkin’s talent was so huge and (4. ______) that his fame is still remembered although actor’s work is, at first sight, transient and isn’t distinguished by everlasting monuments. Except foe acting, about which we can 

 

( 5. _______) only by the comments of his contemporaries, he left one more monument about himself – his reminiscences called “Actor M.S. Tshepkin’s notes”. It’s interesting that the first lines in this book were written by A.S. Pushkin one year before M.S. Tshepkin’s death. The great poet knew that the most difficult thing was to start writing and he did it (6. _______) the actor. 

 

 M.S. Tshepkin came from a serf family. They belonged to the count Volkenshtein who was very ( 7. ______) of Mike’s Granddad’s beautiful voice. Since childhood M.S. Tshepkin also possessed perfect musical hearing and excellent (8. ________). At the age of six he learned the Psalm-book by heart and used to patter it. This habit to speak very (9. ________) remained for all his life: becoming an actor he did his best to (10. ________) it; it was the shortcoming of his performing that was often noted. 

 

 A few years later he was sent to Belgorod to study. On the way to the city they stayed at the count’s (11. ________) where the boy saw the amateur performance – the opera “New Family” was on that evening. Being charmed by it, he couldn’t forget it for a long time and precisely that evening (as he wrote later) defined his future life. 

 

 The boy didn’t give up his (12. _________) of becoming an actor and took part in all students’ performances. They were a success, and the young actors were congratulated by the Governor of Belgorod. However, to become a professional actor helped a funny (13. _______). One actor (a hard drinker) sold all his clothes in order to get money and he couldn’t participate in the performance (actors used to be poor and didn’t have extra clothes), so the young actor offered his own participation and the performance was saved. Since then he started his rapid (14. _________) to the theatrical Olympus. 

 

 In 1830-1840-s he played the most famous roles: the part of Famusov in Griboedov’s “Misfortune because of bright mind” and the part of the Governor in Gogol’s “Inspector”. Being in his late 60-s he performed the (15. _______) role of Baron in the play “Stingy Knight” by A.S. Pushkin. This role became the apotheosis of his work as an actor. 

 

· Chose the best title for the text: 

 

1. A long life of an actor. 

 

2. A born actor. 

 

3. Great and unsurpassed. 

 

4. How to become an actor. 

 

5. An incredible dream.