Galkin's very first appearance (06.02.2001)
Maksim Alexandrovich Galkin (Russian: Максим Александрович Галкин) was born on June 18, 1976 in Naro-Fominsk District, USSR.
He first became famous as an impersonator and is known for his talent at parody and his duets with the famous Russian pop singer Alla Pugacheva and Ani Lorak.
Maksim Galkin was also the host of the Russian version of Kto khochet stat' millionerom? on February 19, 2001 after it was renamed from O, Schastlivchik! (Oh, Lucky Man!) and to 2008.
He hosted the Desyat Millionov, Russian version of The Million Pound Drop.
During his University years Galkin appeared in KVN, the Russian youth stand-up comedy competition, which kick-started his career. Recently, he acted as a judge on the show.
Galkin and Pugacheva were hosts of a Russian TV show similar to Mozhesh? Spoy (But Can They Sing?), Dve Zvezdy (Two Stars). Pairs made up of a professional singer and a celebrity compete for the honour of being named Two Stars. Famous alumnae include the singers Zhasmin, Alsu and Nastya Kamenskikh.
Maksim had a very classical and strict upbringing. His mother was a teacher, and he finished music and maths school, and knows four languages, Russian, English, German and French. He is a graduate of the Russian State University of the Humanities.
Galkin is one of the few comedians currently performing an impression, albeit 'light-hearted', of President Vladimir Putin, notoriously sensitive to humorous depictions of himself, on Russia's Channel One TV channel.
On August 24, 2013 Igor Nikolayev and Yuliya Proskuryakova had Maxim as Phone-a-Friend. He answered C option. The couple doubted and "Double Dip" lifeline used. Contestants first time answered D option, who was right. They won 100,000 rubles (minimum amount). On March 10, 2018, Igor Nikolayev and Albina Janabayeva had Maxim as Phone-a-Friend again. On the 7th question, he immediately gave the correct answer and helped the couple to go further. In episode on March 16, 2019, couple Yury Nikolayev and Alexander Buynov on 10th question (Near which mountain was the gem tanzanite first found? with A: Kilimanjaro, B: McKinley, C: Aconcagua and D: Elbrus options) phoned to Maxim (third time), who gave the right answer A: Kilimanjaro. On February 13, 2021, couple Igor Nikolayev and Yuliya Proskuryakova had Maxim (former host of Russian version) as friend again, on their 5th question. In total, celebrities Igor and Yuliya phoned Maxim two times.
On February 18, 2017 in first time he appeared as contestant, have chosen 200,000 rubles as minimum amount, answered the 13th question wrong, lost 200,000 rubles and won them. He periodically changes places with Dmitry Dibrov.
Maxim's Full Run[]
| 500 rubles (1 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| Finish the story: "We ..."? | |
| ⬥ A: With hair | ⬥ B: With a mustache |
| ⬥ C: With clock | ⬥ D: With debts |
| 1,000 rubles (2 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| How is the plant called in everyday life, which is often given to women for the holiday of 8th March? | |
| ⬥ A: Olivier | ⬥ B: Vinaigrette |
| ⬥ C: Mimosa | ⬥ D: Dressing herring |
| 2,000 rubles (3 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| How can passengers often get on a plane? | |
| ⬥ A: Jet bridge | ⬥ B: Collar |
| ⬥ C: Lapel | ⬥ D: Cuffs |
| 3,000 rubles (4 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| What was the name of the song that Lev Leshchenko sang? | |
| ⬥ A: "The Passerine's Pack" | ⬥ B: "Nightingale's Grove" |
| ⬥ C: "Swallow's Nest" | ⬥ D: "Crow's Slobodka" |
| 5,000 rubles (5 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| What kind of playing field is missing on the chessboard? | |
| ⬥ A: h8 | ⬥ B: b7 |
| ⬥ C: k6 | ⬥ D: g5 |
| 10,000 rubles (6 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| What course did Hogwarts learn from Harry Potter when he revealed the secret of the Chamber of Secrets? | |
| ⬥ A: At the first | ⬥ B: On the second |
| ⬥ C: On the third | ⬥ D: On the fourth |
| 15,000 rubles (7 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| What rite before the wedding was called a hand-hitting? | |
| ⬥ A: Finding out who is stronger | ⬥ B: Holiday of groom's friends |
| ⬥ C: Dressing the bride | ⬥ D: Contract binding |
| 25,000 rubles (8 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| Who is the author of the lines: "Lenin was living, Lenin is alive, Lenin will live"? "Ask the Audience" lifeline used | |
| ⬥ A: Yesenin | ⬥ B: Mayakovsky |
| ⬥ C: Stalin | ⬥ D: Lenin |
| Ask the Audience Results: A: 11% ⬥ B: 50% ⬥ C: 35% ⬥ D: 4% | |
| 50,000 rubles (9 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| With whom did the title hero of "The Tale of Igor's Campaign" fight? | |
| ⬥ A: With the Kipchaks | ⬥ B: With the Sarmatians |
| ⬥ C: With the Scythians | ⬥ D: With the Pechenegs |
| 100,000 rubles (10 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| Who can be seen in Levitan's painting "March"? "50:50" lifeline used | |
| ⬥ A: Dog | ⬥ B: Cow |
| ⬥ C: Horse | ⬥ D: Cat |
| 200,000 rubles (11 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| Which the Moscow store used to be called the Upper Trade Rows? | |
| ⬥ A: TsUM | ⬥ B: Petrovsky Passage |
| ⬥ C: Moscow Gostiny Dvor | ⬥ D: GUM |
| 400,000 rubles (12 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| What birthday of a character in Riga is celebrated on Jauniela Street? | |
| ⬥ A: John Silver | ⬥ B: Sherlock Holmes |
| ⬥ C: Gleb Zheglov | ⬥ D: Count Dracula |
| 800,000 rubles (13 of 15) - Not Timed | |
| What letter has disappeared from the Russian alphabet as a result of the reform of Peter I? "Phone-a-Friend" lifeline used | |
| ⬥ A: Phi | ⬥ B: Yat |
| ⬥ C: Omega | ⬥ D: Dotted I |
| Maxim uses the Phone-a-Friend lifeline. Alexander Barulin is not sure of the answer, calling option A and C. Maxim believed his friend and lost. |
Scandals[]
As Maxim Galkin's popularity grew, so did his demands. Sometimes there were serious scandals. Here are some of them.
Scandal of 2007[]
In February 2007, during a filming of the show, the presenter left the set, explaining that he couldn't work in the givenconditions . While Galkin went on tour in Siberia, the program, beloved by millions of viewers, changed its' shooting location from the old film pavilion (11, Kasatkina street, Moscow) to the "Teledom" (1, Liza Chaykina street, also in Moscow).
In spite of other actors somehow putting up with the tight, stuffy dressing rooms lacking air conditioning and the lack of water in the toilet, Maxim Galkin did not tolerate such inconveniences. He categorically expressed his claims, collected his things and left. At that moment, many employees of the Channel One thought that Galkin was gone forever.
Galkin came to the filming a little tired due to a long flight. Maxim went to the dressing room and demanded a dresser.
- Well, what is this, my dressing room, or what? - Maxim began to complain to the staff. "Why is it so tight?" Where's the toilet? On the other floor?! Why so far?! I don't like this!
For half an hour, while the participants of the show were preparing for the taping and the technical staff was adjusting the equipment, Maxim paced around the rooms. At the same time, he loudly expressed his dissatisfaction with the new studio and shook his nerves to the editors. And when he was called to the cameras, Maxim shocked everyone with amazing news.
- Do not turn on the cameras! Maxim said to the sound engineer. - I'm not doing anything. I will not participate in the taping. Tired of everything!
After these words, Maxim left the studio and, without changing his clothes, got into his car and left.
With great difficulty, the staff of the show managed to reassure people who came from other cities to participate in the show, convincing them that the filming is only postponed indefinitely.
The next day, the Channel One tried to get through to Maxim, but the TV presenter sat in his favorite casino and relieved the stress behind the roulette table. The decision to leave "Millionaire" was given to Galkin uneasily, because the TV host had continuously commuted for four years and it had still occupied the top spot of TV ratings.
- The fact that Maxim was tired of the commuting had been understood for a long time, - said one of the collaborators of the Channel One. - For a long time there had been a feeling that he was not immersed into the process of taping, hosting the game like a machine. The new studio was just an excuse to leave KHSM, and it is unclear what will happen with the show.
The participants of the program, who came from different parts of Russia, suffered the most of all people in this situation.
- We were told that the shooting was canceled, because Maxim Galkin was ill, said 31-year-old Vlad K. - Naturally, we started asking when they would start. The editors' response amazed us that it would not take place earlier than June. I was terribly surprised, thinking "What kind of madness is this?", because Maxim seemed absolutely healthy. I called my friends from the film crew, and they told me that Galkin had left the show. Meanwhile an anonymous employee of Channel One reported that on the very same day Maxim Galkin returned to the studio and taped the episode.
The management made every effort to return the humorist to the show, and in the beginning of May the famous voice of Maxim again sounded in the corridors of the pavilion. Thankfully, the toilet was also fixed and now had running water,.
Scandal of 2008[]
In September 2008, Galkin wanted to abandon the role of the host of Russian version of KHSM at the insistence of the singer Alla Pugacheva. Pugacheva convinces him, that "It's not the Tsar's business to carry on with [this] show, [which is] watched only by a pathetic 3.8% of TV viewers. In his place Maxim thought of offering his friend Sergey Drobotenko the place of host.
On the sidelines of "Ostankino" there were rumors that the humorist decided to leave the program he had been hosting for seven years after the New Year, when Maxim's contract with Channel One ended. As it turned out, the problem was the decreasing ratings of the show. According to the materials of Gallup Media, this program has moved down from 48th to 54th place in recent months. The show was slowly becoming dull, being even moved from the primetime, which had high advertisement costs, to daytime.
- There is no question that KHSM will not be ending, - explained the Director of Public Relations of Channel One. - The game has its' audience despite the ratings.
In 2001, there were two significant events that became a turning point in Maxim's career: his acquaintance with Alla Pugacheva at the festival "Slaviansky Bazar" in Vitebsk and an offer to take the seat of the KHSM's host.
As the friends of the star tell, recently Alla recommended to Maxim not to renew the contract with "Millionaire", saying that her future spouse should not be taking part in low-rating projects, no matter what the money was [being] paid. Maxim decided to oblige.
In the September 13, 2008 episode Sergey Astakhov used the Phone-a-Friend lifeline, his friend handed the phone to his mother, Nina Tiranovna, who admitted that she liked all programs that Maxim Galkin hosted and was involved in, bar KHSM. After that, Maxim finally left the show.
A competition for the now vacant position of the presenter was announced. That's when Dimitry Dibrov was offered the host position. In spite of most of the audience voting for Sergey Svetlakov and Ivan Urgant, in December 2008, Dmitry Dibrov returned to the show. Gallup Media was replaced by Red Square Media on the production side of the show.
| Preceded by Dmitry Dibrov (October 1, 1999 - January 28, 2001) |
Russian host Maksim Galkin (February 19, 2001 - September 13, 2008) |
Succeeded by Dmitry Dibrov (December 28, 2008 - June 18, 2022) |