Veriko Anzhaparidze is a popular Soviet and Georgian actress. The peak of her fame came in the 40-50s. It was then that she became the laureate of three Stalin Prizes, received the title of Hero of Socialist Labor and People's Artist of the USSR.
Actress Biography
Veriko Anzhaparidze was born in 1897 in the Russian Empire. She was born in the city of Kutaisi, on the territory of modern Georgia. Her father was a notary, but at the same time, art was not alien to him. Therefore, the girl grew up in a creative atmosphere.
Veriko Anzhaparidze received primary education in Kutaisi, after which she went to study in Moscow. She learned the basics of the skill of a theater actress in the drama studio at the Maly Theater, with the honored artist of the RSFSR Sergey Aidarov.
At the same time, Veriko Anzhaparidze considered the People's Artist of the RSFSR Illarion Pevtsova to be her first teacher, who revealed to her the secrets of acting. Together with him, she was preparing for the role of Salome in the play of the same name by the famous playwright Oscar Wilde. She performed it on the stage of the musical drama theater.
True, the revolution that started prevented her from getting a full acting education.
Return to Georgia
Veriko Ivlianovna Anzhaparidze was forced to return to Georgia. Then she continued to master acting with the actor of the Paris theater "Antoine" Jabadari. Soon in Tiflis, she met her future husband - the director of theater and cinema, the future people's artist of the USSR Mikhail Chiaureli.
She continued her independent career at the Rustaveli Theater in Tiflis. In 1922, she went on a five-month business trip to Berlin. This trip played a great role in her development as an actress.
Since 1926, she began performing on the stage of the theater in Batumi, periodically receiving roles in the Tiflis Workers' Theater.
A landmark in her career was her acquaintance with one of the founders of the Georgian theater, Konstantin Mardzhanishvili. He brought to Georgia his famous performance called "Fuente Ovehuna", which was staged based on the work of Lope de Vega. Actress Veriko Anjaparidze, whose biography is given in this article, began to work closely with Marjanishvili. They worked together in the State Drama Theater of Kutaisi, in 1930 they moved to Tiflis.
In the early 30s, the heroine of our article briefly left for Moscow. Collaborated with the capital's realistic theater Okhlopkova. In 1933, she returned to Mardzhanishvili in Georgia. She began to work not only as an actress, but also as a director. At the end of the 50s, she completely headed this theater.
Legendary Georgian actress
It is noteworthy that even during her lifetime, actress Veriko Anzhaparadze was called the legend of Georgian theater and cinema. In the history of culture of the XX century, she entered under her sonorous and memorable name Veriko.
Often she is even called the mother of Georgia. This despite the fact that she had a truly explosive character, a sharp and ironic mind, independence.
At the same time, her theatrical career was far from smooth. Her oriental temperament often prevented her from getting along with people, especially with directors, with whom she broke off all sorts of relationships without finding a common language. At the very beginning of her career, she sharply broke up with the Soviet theater innovator Alexander Akhmeteli. Lingered for a short while in Moscow with Okhlopkov. Due to a serious quarrel with him, Veriko played only one role in his performance. It was a play "Mother" based on the novel of the same name by Maxim Gorky.
The actress died in 1987. She was 90 years old. She spent almost 70 years of her life on stage. During her bright creative career, she was friends and had close contacts with Solomon Mikhoels, Faina Ranevskaya, Vasily Kachalov, Maria Babanova and many other famous actors.
Fairy of the XX century
There is a legend about the heroine of our article that those who personally knew Veriko or were a fan of her talent like to tell.
They say that in 1900, the Georgian poet Akaki Tsereteli solemnly made a toast at the celebrations marking the onset of the new century, picked up little Veriko and declared her a good fairy of the 20th century. Then he said that the girl is obliged to glorify her homeland in this century.
In 1992, in the English film encyclopedia Veriko was included in the top ten most outstanding actresses of the century.
Actress family
Veriko's father's name was Ivlian Grigorievich. He was a nobleman and headed the Georgian Drama Society in Kutaisi.
The actress was married twice. In 1919, she married the poet and publicist Shalva Amirejibi, with whom she eventually parted.
Her second husband was the director Mikhail Chiaureli. In 1937, their daughter Sofiko was born, who, like her mother, became an actress. She played in the cinema and theater. Received the title of People's Artist of the Georgian and Armenian SSR.
Theater work
In the theater, Verico was a representative of the romantic movement. She was endowed with brilliant appearance, beauty and an amazing chest voice. She managed to create an unforgettable stage image on the stage, filled with lyricism and an accurate psychological picture.
Her acting technique was impeccable, she literally could weave lace from the details of the characters of her characters, played with facial expressions, gestures and intonations. She got the most difficult roles in world and domestic drama. Thanks to this, she won the glory of the Georgian Komissarzhevskaya.
For the whole 40 years Veriko played Judith. Also among her favorite roles were Margarita Gauthier, Ginatra and Cleopatra. Veriko herself admitted that she regrets most of all because she never managed to play Juliet. Anzhaparidze planned to stage this Shakespearean tragedy, but the project remained unrealized.
Spectators were struck by the versatility of Verico. She brilliantly played comedic roles. For example, Mirandolins in the "Mistress of the hotel" or the countess in "The Marriage of Figaro." At the same time, she coped brilliantly with dramatic images. Many remember her Margarita in "Lady with the Camellias."
Films of Veriko Anzhaparidze
Veriko began acting in films in 1925. Basically it was a picture of her husband Chiaureli. Her first works were the tapes “Nightmares of the Past”, where she played Sandro’s wife, and “At the Cost of Thousands”, she appeared in the image of the peasant’s wife.
At the same time, she often admitted that she did not like to work on the set. In the movie roles, she lacked the logic of creating the character of the characters, and she also did not like the fact that it was impossible to see and feel the instant reaction of the audience to work, like in a theater.
Actress Veriko Anzhaparidze herself in the filmography singled out the role of Rusudan in the historical drama Chiaureli "George Saakadze." The events of the picture unfold in the XVII century. Georgia is divided into many small principalities, because of this it is constantly attacked by neighbors. The national hero Saakadze stands at the head of the combined army to confront the invaders. Veriko plays his wife Rusudan.
She also singled out her work in another drama of her husband, Otarova the Widow. She plays the main role. In the story, her son, a peasant named George, fell in love with Princess Keso. To get as close as possible to his beloved, he is hired by a handyman on the estate in which she lives. But the princess does not notice him, although she tells at every corner that she dreams of drawing closer to the people.
Critics believe that these roles were especially close to Veriko, because the heroines, like herself, lost their adult sons.
The masterpiece in the episode
The uniqueness of the actress lies in the fact that she did not need a major role to create a masterpiece. Sometimes a short episode was enough.
A vivid example is the psychological drama of Tengiz Abuladze "Repentance". She appears on the screen for just a minute and speaks only one phrase, which immediately becomes an aphorism.
“Why do we need a road if it does not lead to the temple?” - asks her heroine.