Mikheil Chiaureli

Director, Writer, Actor, Producer

January 25, 1894 — October 31, 1974 (80 years)
Soviet, Georgian film actor, theater, film, animation director, animator, screenwriter, sculptor, teacher; People's Artist of the USSR (1948). Winner of five Stalin Prizes (1941, 1943, 1946, 1947, 1950). In 1909 he graduated from the Tiflis vocational school. In 1912 he graduated from the Tiflis School of Painting and Sculpture (now the Tbilisi Academy of Arts), a student of Yakov Nikoladze. Since 1915 he worked in the theaters of Tiflis, Kutaisi and Batumi as an actor, director and artist. In 1917, under the guidance of the historian Ekvtime Takaishvili, together with the futurist poet Ilya Zdanevich, the artists Lado Gudiashvili and Dimitri Shevardnadze, he was on an expedition to the southern regions of Georgia (Turkey). Archaeological activities were held in the churches of Ishkhan, Oshki and Khakhuli. In 1921, he participated in the organization of the Theater of Revolutionary Satire at the Georgian branch of ROSTA. From 1922 to 1924 he lived in Germany, where he worked in sculpture workshops, after which from 1924 to 1926 he worked as a sculptor in Tiflis (the author of the first sculpture of V. Lenin in Georgia). From 1926 to 1928 - actor and director of the "Workers' Theatre", "Red Theater" under Proletkult. From 1926 to 1941, he was the director and artistic director of the Georgian Theater of Musical Comedy named after V. Abashidze, organized by him in 1934 together with David Dzneladze on the basis of the mobile musical and drama theater "Kopteatr", which existed since 1926. Since 1928, he was the director of the trust JSC Goskinoprom of Georgia (since 1938 - the Tbilisi Film Studio, now - Georgia-Film), since 1940 - the artistic director of this studio. In 1946-1955 he was the director of the Mosfilm film studio, in 1955-1957 - the Sverdlovsk film studio. He taught at the film acting school at the Tbilisi Film Studio, in 1950-1960 - a teacher at VGIK (Moscow) (since 1951 - professor). Member of the CPSU (b) since 1940. Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR 1-3 convocations (1937-1954). He died on October 31, 1974 at the age of 81 in Tbilisi. He was buried in the Pantheon of Georgian Cultural Figures on Mount Mtatsminda.

Known For

  • The Fall of Berlin
    The Fall of Berlin1950
  • Wedding
    Wedding1944
  • Keto and Kote
    Keto and Kote1948
  • You Can't See What You Have Seen
    You Can't See What You Have Seen1965
  • The Vow
    The Vow1946
  • Otar's Widow
    Otar's Widow1958
  • George Saakadze
    George Saakadze1942
  • Arsena Georgiashvili (murder of General Griaznov)
    Arsena Georgiashvili (murder of General Griaznov)1921
  • The Unforgettable Year 1919
    The Unforgettable Year 19191951
  • Arsena
    Arsena1937
  • Saba
    Saba1929
  • The Last Hill
    The Last Hill1944
  • The Surami Fortress
    The Surami Fortress1922
  • The Last Masquerade
    The Last Masquerade1934
  • Story of Young Girl
    Story of Young Girl1960
  • Natela
    Natela1926
  • Khanuma
    Khanuma1926

Filmography

1965
1960
1958
1951
Nezabyvaemyy 1919 god · as Screenplay
1950
1946
The Vow · as Screenplay
1938
1937
Arsena · as Screenplay
1934
Ukanaskneli maskaradi · as Screenplay
1931
Khabarda · as Screenplay

1940
Nashe kino · as (archive Footage)
1926
Khanuma · as Saqo
1926
Natela · as Djondo, Friend Of Utu
1922
Suramis tsikhe · as Osman, Rich Merchant
1921
The Murder of General Gryaznov · as Arsena Jorjiashvili

1948
Keto and Kote · as Production Director
1944
Marriage · as Creative Producer
1926
Samanishvilis dedinatsvali · as Production Design