That's who I am – one theater and one woman for life... I admit, this is mainly due to my conservatism, said the great Bulgarian actor Nikolay Binev. He remained faithful to the Youth Theater and throughout his stage life played almost exclusively on its stage.
„I think my strongest quality is the ability to focus – and in front of the microphone, and in front of the camera, and on the theater stage. But if you put me in front of 50 or 100 people live, my colleagues know I'm just dead. This terrible fear, from the breath of the audience – you don't get used to it”, says the actor, whose career began with music.
„I like to collect and rummage through photos of my friends. My great passion is music. I have over three hundred tapes of opera and symphonic music. I myself graduated from a music school and sometimes I think if it wouldn't have been better if I had become a musician, he says.
IN THE BEGINNING IS MUSIC
Nikolay Binev was born on July 5, 1934 in Sliven. He studied at the Music School in his hometown, playing violin and piano under the guidance of the composer and public figure Misho Todorov.
He inherited his love for music from his father, Dimitar Binev, who is a singer in a choir. “When we came to Sofia, I wasn't sure what I would do next, but I wanted it to be music. But because I knew Russian from a young age and had a good pronunciation, that's why they took me to play the main role in a school play – “Maturity certificate“ by Lydia Geraskina. We played this play in the “Georgi Dimitrov“ I also enjoyed it very much," says Nikolay Binev.
He finished acting under Prof. Krastyo Mirski at the Higher Institute of Theater Arts (VITIZ, today NATFIZ) in 1958. Then he was assigned to play in the Drama Theater “Sava Ognyanov” – Ruse. There, Nikolay Binev made his debut in the role of Andrey, in the production “Every Autumn Evening” by Ivan Peychev, directed by Lubomir Sharlandzhiev. For his role, he received the first award for acting at the Second National Review of Bulgarian Drama and Theater in 1959.
HAND FOR HAND IN THE THEATER AND IN LIFE
On the stage of the Ruse Theater, Nikolay Binev married the actress Domna Ganeva, with whom they went hand in hand. in life and theater. In the same year, Nikolay Binev was invited to the cast of the National Youth Theater in Sofia. On his stage, he was transformed into the role of Monk from the production “Barbarians”, Socrates from the play of the same name by Guillerme Figueiredou, the Old Man from the play “When the Roses Dance” of Valeri Petrov.
Binev took part in three of Peter Shaffer's emblematic plays – “Equus“, “Mozart“ and “Five Finger Exercise“. “This is brilliantly written drama. While I was playing, I could feel how the audience below gradually became engrossed and watched as if under a spell, says the actor.
His musical skills helped him create the image of Nightingale Gorsky in the musical “The Wolf and the Seven Kids”, for which he was awarded first prize at the Second National Review of Children's and Adolescent Drama and Theater in 1976
FOREVER WITH YOUTH THEATER
Nikolai Binev directed on the stage of the Youth Theater the productions “Zikovi“, “Woman, Flower and Windows in the North“, “The Wardrobe“ and “I am waiting for a sign”. In 2000, on the occasion of celebrating his forty years at the Youth Theater, he staged the play "Gin and Honey Buns", in which the actress Ilka Zafirova partnered him.
In his creative biography, Nikolay Binev has over 120 roles. “For me, theater is the warmest, truest, most heartfelt art,” the actor shared in 2001.
The first role in the cinema is in the movie “The Steep Path“ directed by Yonko Yonkov. The recognition of the audience and critics wins with the images recreated in “Love“, “Night with the white horses“, “Die only as a last resort“, “Stars in the hair, tears in the eyes“, “Goodbye, friends“ .
Nikolay Binev is a two-time winner of the “Askeer“ for the leading male role in the play “Two Smiles of Chekhov“ in 1995 and for overall contribution to theater art in 2000.
He died in Sofia on December 8, 2003
On December 9, 2003, in a condolence telegram to the actor's relatives, President Georgi Parvanov noted: “He connected his name, soul and talent with the Youth Theater, to which he gave his all and remained faithful throughout his life life and creative path. Cinema and television preserved unforgettable incarnations in numerous images, recreated with grace and erudition by the great creator. "Destiny assigned him the place of a unique actor, esthete and magician on the stage, the screen and on the air, endowed him with the love of generations of admirers." On January 23, 2006, by presidential decree, the National Youth Theater began to bear his name.
In 2004, on the idea of his wife Domna Ganeva and on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the actor's birth, “Balkanton” released the CD "Nikolay Binev sings". It includes 23 songs and arias.