In 1975, the premiere of the adventure musical film “Robin Hood Arrows”, directed by Sergei Tarasov, took place in the Soviet Union.
The plot was based on English medieval ballads about the noble leader of the forest robbers Robin Hood. The picture tells how Robin Hood helped the young knight pay off his debts and marry Lady Anne.
Almost 30 million viewers watched the movie at the box office. For the Soviet actor Romualds Antsans, participation in the filming of "The Robin Hood Arrow" became one of the most famous works of his entire career. However, the list of his roles does not end there: Antsans has played in 48 more films and 16 performances.
Biography
Romualds Antsans was born on April 1, 1944 in the village of Stari, which was located in the Lebanese region of Latvia.
In 1969, after graduating from Riga evening high school, the future actor entered the Latvian State Conservatory at the theater faculty. Received the diploma in 1974.
In the last year of study at the Romualds Conservatory, Antsans began working at the Rainis Art Theater (current name is Dailes Theater). He played in such performances as “Brief Instruction in Love” (character Kaleis), “The Last Barrier” (role of Kirkkalns), “Minutes of one meeting” (character Solomakhin) and others.
The role of Willy Statley in the film "Arrows of Robin Hood" became the debut of Anzans in cinema - before that he could only be seen in the theater. For participation in the filming of the film, Sergei Tarasov was followed by other works in the cinema.
The last film with Romualds Antzans was released in 2010 - it was the film "The Legacy of Rudolph", in which the actor played the role of Rudolph Rudups.
Antsans died on September 15, 2011 at the age of 67 in Riga. The cause of death was hepatitis. According to the memoirs of Janis Streich, the director of The Legacy of Rudolph, the actor fell ill in the summer and died out in just a month.
Personal life
Not much is known about Romualds Antsans personal life. He was married to a woman named Anna, married to whom he lived until his death in 2011. There is no reliable data on whether the spouses had children and where the actor’s wife is currently located.
Theater roles
Before appearing in Robin Hood's Arrows, Romualds Antzans worked in the theater. One of his first roles was Kaleis in the play based on the play by the Latvian playwright Rudolf Blaumanis “Brief admonition in love”.
The main theme of the play, permeating the whole story, is love, not only in a romantic sense, but also as a sense of affection for one’s native land, relatives, friends.
Romualds Antsans did not leave his work in the theater even after his film debut:
- in 1977, he played Caspar in the play “The Twins of the Devil's Ridge” based on the novel by the Latvian writer Egon Leaves;
- in 1979 - Dausprung in the play “Mindovg”;
- in 1980 - Karlis in Asheneva Alley.
The last role of the actor in the performance of the Rainis Art Theater is Mater Buis in the play "Freddy". This was an episodic character: since the beginning of the 1990s, Anzans did not have large roles. In 1997, he left the theater, fully devoting himself to cinema.
Movie roles
The second feature film with the participation of Romualds Antsans was the drama directed by Eric Latsis “Under the Tilted Month”, which premiered in 1976. Anzans played a navigator as part of a seiner fishing team in the Atlantic Ocean.
In the same year, the two-part film Ada Neretniece “Death under the sail” was released, in which the actor played the role of a reporter.
One of the first main roles of Anzans is Commissioner Martin Beck in the detective "Unfinished Dinner." According to the plot, Beck is investigating the case of the mysterious murder of the director of a large concern in an expensive restaurant.
In 1985, the painting “Document R” was created based on the novel of the same name by Irving Wallace. The action takes place in the near future, at the beginning of the XXI century. In the United States, a plot is being prepared against the president: several politicians plan to kill their leader in order to establish dictatorial power. In this film, Romualds Antzans played the role of Christopher Collins.
Many also know the actor in the five-part military drama "Special Forces." Anzans played the SS Sturmbanfuhrer Ulrich von Ortel.
In his last film, “The Legacy of Rudolph,” the actor also played the main role of the man whose name is mentioned in the name of the picture - Rudolph Rudolph. This is an old lonely and wealthy bachelor, a soldier of the imperial army, who recently returned from a military campaign.