What does Alexander Druz do? The fates of the most famous experts of the club "What? Where? When?" Reference. Star Trek by Alexander Druz

Participant name: Alexander Abramovich Druz

Age (birthday): 10.05.1955

City: St. Petersburg

Education: St. Petersburg

Family: married, 2 daughters

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Alexander Druz is one of the most charismatic and even odious personalities in the entire history of the elite club.

An outstanding scholar, a living legend, a true leader - these are just some of the epithets that this player was awarded.

But to truly understand this expert, you should pay attention to his biography as a whole, and not just the facts related to the TV game “What? Where? When?".

Alexander was born in Leningrad, graduated from secondary school No. 47 named after K.D. Ushinsky there. Then the future star entered the Industrial Pedagogical College of Vocational Education.

But he didn’t stop there and in 1975 he became a student at the Leningrad Institute of Railway Transport Engineers named after Academician V.N. Obraztsov. Exactly five years later, Alexander left the walls of this university with a diploma in the specialty “Computers”.

Friends' debut in the program “What? Where? When?" took place in 1981. It should be noted that from that moment on, Alexander never took a break from participating, which is an unprecedented fact and a kind of club record.

Oddly enough, young Druz was distinguished by his emotionality and even lack of restraint. These facts are supported by the fact that in 1982 he became the first player to be disqualified for tipping.

In 1990, Alexander Druz was recognized as the best player of the series for the first time and received the Crystal Owl. Then he was awarded this statuette 5 more times.

Alexander was also found by the “Diamond Owl” - with it he was awarded as the best expert of the club in 2011. A significant fact in Alexander’s career as a member of the elite club is that in 1995 he became the first master of this TV game!

Druz was also featured in the sports version of “What? Where? When?”, taking first place with the Troyard team at the 1st World Championship in 2002.

Being the captain of the same team, he Won the Governor's Cup of St. Petersburg 9 times in a row. On this moment he is one of 11 players who have taken part in all official world championships in the sports world championship.

Special attention should be paid to Alexander’s participation in another intellectual game, popular all over the world - brain ring.

At first he participated in its television version, namely in the 1991-1994 seasons.

Then there was a long break, but in 2009, Druz returned to this game again.

It was then that he performed for the first time as an invited member of the Nikita Mobile TeTe team at the national championship of Uzbekistan.

Druz also has a performance for the British national team in the Nations Cup “What? Where? When?".

But that's not all. Like many players of the intellectual club Alexander tried himself in the TV show “Own Game”. Here he became a champion several times, and also set one of the main records, managing to earn 120,001 rubles in one game.

Besides everything else, this mastodon “What? Where? When?" He is the author of various television shows and he himself is an interesting host of the “Hour of Truth” program.

This project is aired on the 365 Days TV channel and tells the viewer about interesting facts of world history.

In parallel with this, he is the head of programs on the STO-TV channel.

Alexander’s biography also includes a page dedicated to his own business.

For example, in 2007 he opened the company Stroy-Azhio, then in 2011 - Trans-Agio.

True, just a year after registering the second company, Druz decides to sell them - time for development own business the intellectual had none at all.

The famous connoisseur makes no secret about his personal life.

He has been married since 1978, his wife’s name is Elena. And with future wife I met my friend in first grade!

True, the romance began only at 10, but in any case, they have known each other for a very, very long time.

The couple had two daughters - Inna and Marina. Interesting fact- both girls are also experts in “What? Where? When?" and even received a Crystal Owl.

Photo by Alexander

You can find photographs of Alexander Druz from various events.

Alexandra Druz can be confidently called one of the most charismatic and even odious personalities of the elite club of experts, an erudite, a living legend and a true leader. He received the “Crystal Owl” six times, and once became the owner of the “Diamond Owl” as part of the intellectual television game “What? Where? When?”, became the world champion in the sports version of the ChGK three times.

And Sasha was born on May 10, 1955 into an intelligent Jewish family in Leningrad. Parents' education played a role. Sasha early became interested in reading books that filled the apartment. I read with interest both weighty encyclopedias and works of art. True, this did not stop him from being a cocky boy, playing football, swimming in the pond and violating the prohibitions of adults.

I studied well at school, but was not an excellent student. Alexander had an excellent memory and could easily memorize a long poem or a prose passage. Took part in intellectual competitions. Received his first award at the age of 9 at an evening interesting questions. After school, he studied at a technical school and then at the Leningrad Institute of Railway Engineers, graduating with honors. True, he was still given one B in the political economy of socialism because of his personal conflict with the leadership of the department. After graduating from university, he worked briefly as an engineer.

His life changed dramatically after a truly fateful invitation to participate in the television program “What? Where? When?" in 1981. It didn't happen right away. Before this, Alexander applied several times to participate in this project. And he ended up on “What? Where? When?" thanks to his amazing knowledge of various fields, having successfully passed tests and trials. The host of the intellectual show Vladimir Voroshilov managed to discern in him an intelligent, comprehensively developed, integral personality

The friend showed himself to be a gambler. He argued with the presenter and other experts. He was even expelled from the club for harsh behavior and tips, but was brought back due to the demands of the audience. The first time this happened was in 1983, when Alexander, along with two participants, left the program for a year. However, he was nevertheless returned to the club based on the results of a spectator vote. Three times after that he “flew out” of the project and returned to it. Since the end of 1992, Druz has been a regular participant in the intellectual show “What? Where? When?".

I must say that this project not the only one in which Alexander Abramovich took part.

In 1990 he was invited to the intellectual show “Brain Ring”. The chance was not missed. The friend defeated all rivals and received the “Golden Brain” award.

Since 1995, he has been a regular participant in the program “Own Game,” where he won 22 games out of 35. He did not take the first prize, a foreign-made passenger car, because he had nothing to pay the tax with. The reward was given to him in money, for which he purchased a domestic Zhiguli. In the entire history of the program, it was Druz who received the two maximum winnings in one game.

In 2009 and 2015, for the second time, together with the bard Alexander Rosenbaum, he participated in the program “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”

In 2011, he tried his hand and was quite successful as the host of the educational historical program “Hour of Truth” on the “365 Days of TV” channel.

Thanks to his extraordinary intelligence, deep knowledge in various fields, and charisma, Alexander Druz is a frequent guest on other television programs: “Guess the Melody,” “While Everyone is Home,” “Evening Urgant,” etc.

Since 1991, he has been preparing school students for club games “What? Where? When?”, holds school, interregional and even international tournaments, for which he has a medal “In memory of the Tercentenary of St. Petersburg.” Currently, at the Presidential Physics and Mathematics Lyceum No. 239, where, by the way, his daughters studied, Alexander Abramovich works with youth teams of experts and conducts ChGK school games in a slightly modified format.

But everyone still knows Alexander Druz as one of the most successful players of the “What? Where? When?”, who (at the end of June 2017) had 55 winning games. They also set a record for the number of participations in games - 88. Alexander Abramovich was the first in the club to receive the title of Master. Since 2009, the eminent player has occasionally played in the Nikita Mobile TeTe team, which plays in a sports analogue of intellectual games. He, speaking as a debutant at the Brain Ring Championship in Uzbekistan, immediately won. Then he continued his participation as part of a team in Israel, Great Britain, and Ukraine.

The intellectual show brought him not only fame and fame, but also certain income. Although Druz himself admitted that the game does not feed him, so he connected his life with television not only through this intellectual show.

In 2002, an expert in an interview called TV a full-time job. At that time, he directed the programs of the Golden Calf television company in St. Petersburg, which supplied content for the projects “Fatherland and Destiny” of TC “Culture” and “Agency” REN-TV.

In 2007 Druz became the founder construction company"Stroy-Azhio", which was engaged in wholesale trade construction materials, in 2007 - another company called Trans-Agio, which specialized in freight transport. But a year later he sold his entire business, not having time to develop it and due to the economic crisis. So, by and large, it is intelligence, colossal knowledge in various areas became the factors that provided financial income to the life of Alexander Druz.

The intellectual connoisseur is happy in his personal life. From a young age, he thought about getting married once and for all. And so it happened. After all, Alexander met his future wife in first grade. Then fate pulled them apart. The teenagers met after 7 years. At first they were just friends, walked together, visited museums. And in the tenth grade, Alexander and Elena’s friendship turned into love and romantic relationship which led to the wedding in 1978. A year later, Inna was born to the couple, and in 1982, Marina. The father actively participated in raising his daughters. From the age of three months, he read educational literature to them, instilling a thirst for knowledge and developing intelligence. The daughters did not let their father down. IN different years they took part in the intellectual show “What? Where? When?". Both were awarded Crystal Owls.

The couple of Friends have been together for almost forty years. Their daughters gave them three granddaughters. And now Alexander combines the work of head of the department game programs on the St. Petersburg TV channel "STO" with training for Alisa, Alina and Ensley.

Alexander Abramovich Friends. Born on May 10, 1955 in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). Soviet and Russian engineer, player of intellectual games. Master of the club “What? Where? When?”, winner of the “Diamond Owl” prize, six-time winner of the “Crystal Owl” prize, three-time world champion in the sports version of the ChGK. TV presenter.

Alexander Druz was born on May 10, 1955 in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) into an intelligent Jewish family.

In 1972 he graduated from Leningrad Secondary School No. 47 named after. K.D. Ushinsky. According to him, he fell just short of the silver medal.

It’s interesting that, despite my intelligence, I couldn’t get into college the first time.

Then he went to the Leningrad Industrial Pedagogical College of VET, from which he graduated in 1975 with a degree in electrical technician, master of industrial training.

After which he became a student at the Leningrad Institute of Railway Engineers named after. Academician V.N. Obraztsova with a degree in systems engineering, graduating in 1980.

Served in the army. He worked on construction sites as an engineer.

Since 1975, the program “What? Where? When?". Druz first appeared in it in 1981. He recalled: “In 1980, I watched several programs and decided that I was capable of showing good results in this game. It was at that time that the film crew invited viewers to apply to participate in the television club. I graduated from the Leningrad Institute of Railway Transport Engineers, wrote a diploma, was free time. And I wanted to try myself. Besides, it was interesting how TV shows are made. Wrote a letter. The answer came a few months later, when I had already forgotten about it. I passed the selection... And although later I was already “harnessed” to the work of a software engineer, I began to travel to Moscow and play. I still can’t stop. Does this mean that I am a gambling person? Apparently yes!"

Since then he has performed almost without breaks, which is a game record.

In 1982, he became the first expert to be disqualified for giving tips to players.

Champion of the television game "Brain Ring" in 1990, 1991, 1994, 2010.

In the television game “Own Game” he won “Line Games” (1995), “Super Cup” (2003), was the captain of the team that won the III “Challenge Cup” (2002), established absolute record performance for one game - 120,001 rubles (breaking his own record that he had previously set). Alexander Druz is in 2nd place in terms of total winnings of all times (855,634 rubles). Has the highest percentage of games won from the number of games played (of players who played 10 or more games) - 82.86% (29 games won out of 35 games played).

In the final game of the 1995 winter series, Alexander Druz was awarded the honorary title of Master of the game “What? Where? When?”, was awarded the “Big Crystal Owl” and the Order of the Diamond Star as the best player in the entire 20 years of the elite club’s existence; later, Maxim Potashev, Viktor Sidnev and Andrey Kozlov also received the title of Master.

In 2009, as a foreign player, he competed for the Nikita Mobile TeTe team at the Uzbekistan championships in “Brain Ring” (1st place) and in “What? Where? When?" (2nd place), then at the I Open Cup of Tashkent (1st place in “What? Where? When?” and “Brain Ring”, as well as in the overall standings - 2nd place in erudite quartet) and at Znatokiade-2009 in Eilat (including 2nd place at Olympic tournament by “What? Where? When?"). In the same year he played for the British team at the Nations Cup in the game “What? Where? When?" in Kirov.

In 2010, he also played several times for the Nikita Mobile TeTe team, which won the VII Championship of Uzbekistan, and then the VIII World Championship in Eilat (Israel). In 2011 and 2012, this team won the national championship without the Master, but at the IX and X World Championships of those years he joined the NMTT team. In Odessa (2011), together with the team, he became a silver medalist, and in Saransk (2012) - gold (becoming the only three-time world champion in the game “What? Where? When?”).

Alexander Druz stated that he would stop playing “What? Where? When?" after playing his 100th game at the TV club. However, he later clarified that it was a joke.

He is the head of the gaming programs department on the STO TV channel in his hometown of St. Petersburg.

In 2017, Alexander Druz acted in films for the first time - he played an episode in the third season of the series “Mommies”, aired on the STS TV channel.

Scandal with Ilya Ber

In response, Alexander Druz made counter-accusations - allegedly it was Ber who offered him a deal with questions for money. “The voice on Ber’s recordings is really mine and I’m not going to hide it, but Ilya Ber told the story exactly the opposite. It was he who offered me a deal with questions for the money that I would pay him from the winnings,” said Druz.

Channel One canceled the outcome of the game “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” with the participation of Alexander Druz (released in November 2018) and ordered a trial.

In September 2019, it was reported that . “Alexander Druz will be present at the games, but will not participate in them this season. We hope to see him at the gaming table next season,” the television company noted.

Social and political activities of Alexander Druz

Since 1991, Alexander Druz has been teaching schoolchildren. He worked in the 171st French gymnasium, in the physics and mathematics lyceum No. 239, in the gymnasium No. 330. He repeatedly organized school tournaments for the ChGK of city and international significance. According to him, for intellectual games, first of all, intelligence is important and only secondarily erudition. "Intelligence, of course. In principle, the set of knowledge necessary for the game is given in high school. Therefore, in a month, by training people who did well at school, I can form a team that will win various tournaments,” he said.

For services in the field of education he was awarded the medal “In memory of the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg.”

In December 1998, he ran for deputies of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg of the 4th convocation, but unsuccessfully.

On April 5, 2008, Alexander Druz became one of the Russian participants in the Olympic torch relay, along with members of the government, sports stars and artists.

On presidential elections 2012 Druz was a confidant of Mikhail Prokhorov.

Alexander Druz in the program "Alone with Everyone"

Alexander Druz's height: 178 centimeters.

Personal life of Alexander Druz:

Married. My wife's name is Elena, she is a doctor. He has known his wife since first grade. Serious relationship between them began in ninth grade. He said: “We studied together in the 1st and 2nd grades and were friends, as much as a boy and a girl can be friends. Then Lena moved to another school, but we still talked for a while. Then came the age when girls become uninteresting to boys . And a few years later, in the 9th grade, I suddenly decided to congratulate all the girls who were in my address book on March 8. I also called Lena. Besides, it was interesting to see how the person who was once yours has changed friend. We've been dating ever since..."

They got married in 1978.

The couple has two daughters: Inna (born 1979) and Marina (born 1982).

Both daughters studied at the Physics and Mathematics Lyceum No. 239, where Alexander Druz still coaches youth teams of experts, and also conducts games “What? Where? When?" in a modified format for the entire school. Inna teaches at the University of Economics and Finance. Marina attended graduate school at the University of Lugano in Switzerland.

Inna and Marina also play “What? Where? When?”, were awarded “Crystal Owls”.

And only the master's wife intellectual games does not take part - she is proud of her husband and daughters, while Elena noted with irony that at least one normal person should remain at home.

Alexander Druz has four granddaughters: Alisa (born 2008), Alina (born 2011), Ensley (born 2014), Roni (born 2016).

Alexander Druz with his wife and daughters

Daughters of Alexander Druz Inna and Marina

Alexander Druz collects anecdotes and jokes about himself and retells them with pleasure.

Filmography of Alexander Druz:

2017 - Mommies - episode

Awards and prizes of Alexander Druz:

1990 - Crystal Owl
1992 - Crystal Owl
1995 - Crystal Owl
1995 - honorary title Master of the game “What? Where? When?"
1995 - Order of the Diamond Star
2000 - Crystal Owl
2002 - World champion in the sports version “What? Where? When?"
2006 - Crystal Owl
2010 - World champion in the sports version of “What? Where? When?"
2011 - Diamond Owl
2012 - Crystal Owl
2012 - World champion in the sports version “What? Where? When?"

Photo from the personal archive of Inna Druz

The owner of the “Crystal Owl” and the title of immortal member of the elite club of experts “What? Where? When?" Inna Druz told the editor-in-chief of the newspaper “Diaspora” Yulia Gusina about her life in California, about how she raises her daughters and about the worst punishment in childhood.

When the 15-year-old girl appeared before the gaze of TV viewers, they were touched: the expert’s daughter would also play “What? Where? When?". But based on the results of the first game, the girl with a fluffy and unruly hair proved that Inna Druz is not just the daughter of Alexander Druz, but an independent entity and a real erudite.
After the first game as part of Alexei Blinov’s team, Inna received the red jacket of an immortal member of the television club, and a few years later - the main prize, the “Crystal Owl”.

After the owl was the title of prize winner International Association clubs, graduation from the Physics and Mathematics Lyceum, St. Petersburg state university Economics and Finance, University of Pierre Mendes-France in Grenoble, University of Paris-Dauphine in France. Then there was a career: leading consultant in the corporate finance department of the Industrial Construction Bank, associate professor of the department of finance at his native university.

And then the move to America happened. Where, like most emigrants, Inna began to explore another world.

I can't become a housewife

Inna has been living in California for three and a half years. I didn’t go for “ American dream”, and followed by her husband, programmer Mikhail Pliskin. And despite the fact that she lived in California Native sister(Marina Druz moved with her family to the USA several years earlier), it was not easy at the first stage.

“When there is change, fears always arise,” admits Inna. “And although I was confident in myself, I understood that I was moving to another world.

The question of whether to become a classic American housewife or look for a job was not even raised. As Inna herself explains, it is unrealistic for a family in California to live in which one parent works. And she herself is not the kind of person who can send her husband to work, children to school and sit at home.

– I never wanted to be a housewife. I was confident in myself, although it was brave for a person with no experience working in America. But I sent my resume to one company, answered the test questions and passed the first stage, at which almost 2000 people were eliminated, and 40 passed. I worked for this company for a year, and then changed jobs. I coordinate analytical teams at Flex.

Inna says she never felt like a star. During my school years, at the lyceum, it was much more prestigious to win the Olympiad in mathematics than to be “on TV.” But participation in “What? Where? When?" undoubtedly brought enormous benefits: the ability to quickly analyze, draw parallels, logical connections and chains. Later this came in handy in my work, as it formed certain style thinking.

How would it be in Russian?

In the three years that Inna and her family have been living in America, she has had to face the same things that happen in any Russian-speaking family. And for many mothers this seems like an irreversible disaster: children forget Russian. When they moved to the USA, Inna and Mikhail's girls were 5 and 2 years old.

Those who say that children instantly and painlessly join American environment, most likely, they are lying. Inna recalls that at first it was not easy for the eldest, Alisa, and she had to go through a period of adaptation in which you do not understand what they are saying to you, you do not know what to answer. For the youngest, Alina, everything was new: home child got into kindergarten, and here we must pay tribute to the director, who paid a lot of attention to the baby, sat with her on her lap until Alina got used to the new environment. Now, three years later, the girls are already chatting with all their might in English, and Inna has another task - to preserve Russian.

“We have a rule in our family: we speak only Russian at home,” Inna shares her secret of upbringing. – If the girls start speaking English, I answer that I don’t understand and ask them to speak Russian.

If they forgot and don’t know the word they need and ask: “Mom, can I say it in English,” we together remember how it would be in Russian and together we figure out how to say it correctly.

Family communication alone, according to Inna, is still not enough. Therefore, children study the Russian language, at home they must read and write in Russian, and it is important that the child writes in capital letters. And before bed, Inna always reads books to them in Russian.

– This is a very important ritual – reading before bed. Laying down and falling asleep can take about an hour, says Inna. – And it’s not just reading. When the lights go out, we are still talking in the dark. I believe that friendship between children and parents is very important for a family, and we succeed.
Inna recalls that she and her parents always had friendly and trusting relationships:

“Our parents always gave us freedom. Although, I remember, in response to my statement that I wanted to become a doctor, my mother (and she is a doctor by profession) said: only over my corpse. Although, I'm sure that if I insisted and I would have desire to become a doctor, my parents would support me.

Where do children who read come from?

Perhaps this habit is inherited, science does not know. In the Friends family, everyone reads, always and everywhere. Inna recalls that at any free minute, dad would pick up a book. And I started reading aloud to my daughters almost from birth. When Inna learned to read, she “swallowed” books one after another and grabbed everything. And sometimes incidents happened.

“I had a passion for books about Lenin,” says Inna. – One day I stole a book of ditties from my dad, seeing a familiar theme: “Lenin said to Trotsky: “I got a bag of flour...”.” However, the ditties about Lenin quickly ended, and then completely different topics began. In general, I learned a lot of new words. I believe that while the child is small and has an interest in reading, this should be supported and encouraged in every possible way.

It's no secret that even the most ideal children are, first of all, children who are naughty and who have to be punished. The worst punishment in the Druz family was that the parents stopped talking to their daughters.

“This happened two or three times,” Inna recalls. – In all seriousness – they didn’t say a word, and it was very difficult for me. You could be punished for lying or because what you did could harm another child. I remember how I was once punished for locking Marina in a closet. We played, and we both knew very well that you couldn’t lock yourself in a closet, because you could suffocate. But for some reason I closed Marina and, I remember, was punished for it.

Recipe for nostalgia

“Of course I miss St. Petersburg, but I like the place where I live now, and for now I don’t plan to return in the foreseeable future,” Inna admits and shares her recipe for adaptation to the USA.

– To adapt as quickly as possible, you need to start participating in local life and take from what is happening around you everything that you like. Then - take part in this and not refuse public life and communication. But I don’t know what to do so as not to miss my hometown... If I knew the recipe, I would use it myself.

Alexander Druz was born and raised in Leningrad. His father and mother were the most ordinary Soviet people. From a young age, the boy read a lot, but at the same time he dreamed of becoming a fireman or a sailor. In the elementary grades of the 47th Secondary School, Sasha took part in various shows and competitions. When he was nine years old, he won the first prize in his life - a book written by Vladimir Maksimov.

Young Druz received it for first place following the results of an evening of entertaining questions, which took place in one of the rest homes in Ukraine. After this, Sasha repeatedly became the winner of various competitions in his educational institution. As a tenth-grader, he won the title of laureate of the quiz “You are a Leningrader,” dedicated to Druz’s hometown.

The beginning of star trek

After graduating from school, Alexander became a student at the Leningrad Industrial Pedagogical College. Here he studied as an electrical technician and industrial training master. Second higher education he received from the Leningrad Institute of Railway Transport Engineers.

After receiving a university diploma, the future owner of the “Diamond Owl” entered the position of systems engineer and immediately applied to become a member of the “What? Where? When?". First time in live popular television program Friends was seen in 1981.

According to Alexander, his application lay in the editorial office of the program for about a year. Then he had to go through a selection process and only after that he was accepted as a member of the intellectual club.
It is worth noting that in 1982, for the first time in the history of “What? Where? When?" the expert was removed from the table after prompting from those present in the hall. It turned out to be Druz.

Diamond Master

Alexander has one of the longest careers in the popular program. Six times he was recognized as the best expert of the year. In 1995, Druz was the first to be awarded the title of “Master”, and in 2011 he was awarded the “Diamond Owl” as the best player of “What? Where? When?".

Alexander participated not only as an expert on the intellectual casino. He could be seen in other television programs, for example, in “Brain Ring”, where Druz’s team won four times, as well as in “Own Game”. Also, the “Master” often goes on “intellectual business trips” abroad.

For example, he was a repeated participant in Ukrainian, Israeli and Uzbek television projects. At home, Druz keeps numerous awards from different parts of the world.

Businessman friend

In addition to success on television, Alexander managed to become successful businessman. He was the owner of two companies:

1. "Stroy-Agio".
2. "Trans-Agio".

They did business in the building materials market.
Druz sold his business in 2012, after another crisis situation in the global economy.

The owner of the Diamond Owl manages a branch of an intellectual casino in St. Petersburg. He is the most titled participant in the famous TV show throughout its existence.

Success in your personal life

Throughout its entire adult life The expert lives with his wife Elena. Two daughters grew up in their family:

• Marina;
• Inna.

They followed in their father's footsteps and different time took part in smart casino games. Each of Druz's daughters was awarded a "Crystal Owl". The eldest Inna already has her own children - Alina and Alisa. Grandfather Sasha also takes part in their upbringing.

What do you think about Alexander? We are waiting for your comments.