After her husband's early death Anna Ivanovna had to raise her two children on her own – Aleksei had a younger brother Arkady.

Smirnov only acted in one part there – Black Eagle in the operetta Rose-Marie – before the Great Patriotic War began.

Aleksei Smirnov took part in the battles at the Western, Bryansk, 1st Ukrainian and 2nd Byelorussian Fronts, many times was sent for scouting behind the enemy lines.

In the front line he once acted instead of his commander (which was down) and dispersed about two enemy squads by intensive mortar fire.

On 22 January, when the Soviet Army was crossing the Oder, Smirnov with his mortar squad ferried the river on their own and demolished two turret machine-guns and 20 enemy soldiers.

The 36th Regiment therefore managed to gain and expand the bridgehead near the village of Eichenrid, and Smirnov was awarded the 2nd class of the Order of Glory.

With no work in cinema and minor parts in theatre, Aleksei, however, had to look after his sick mother who got mental disorder after her younger son Arkady had been killed at war.

Some time later his massive bodily constitution and guileless appearance brought him to the fore and he soon was suggested a number of supporting parts in comedies.

Within early 50s Smirnov had embodied a number of noticeable parts in the Theatre of Music Comedy including those in the Wind of Freedom and Maids' Hustle.

But what brought national fame to the actor were his works in Leonid Gaidai's films – Operation Y and Shurik's Other Adventures and Strictly Business.