Leila Abashidze ( ka, ლეილა აბაშიძე; August 1, 1929 – April 8, 2018) was a Georgian

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

and

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

. She was

Meritorious Artist Merited Artist, Honored Artist, etc., is an honorary title in the Soviet Union, Russian Federation, Union Republics, and autonomous republics, also in some other Eastern Bloc states, as well as in a number of post-Soviet states. In Russian language ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

People's Artist People's Artist is an honorary title in the Soviet Union, Union republics, in some other Eastern bloc states (and communist states in general), as well as in a number of post-Soviet states, modeled after the title of the People's Artist of the U ...

of Georgia, a recipient of

Order of the Red Banner of Labour The Order of the Red Banner of Labour () was an order of the Soviet Union established to honour great deeds and services to the Soviet state and society in the fields of production, science, culture, literature, the arts, education, sports ...

, as well as of awards of

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an and

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n film festivals, and has her own honorary star in front of Rustaveli cinema on

Rustaveli Avenue Rustaveli Avenue ( ka, რუსთაველის გამზირი, Rust'avelis Gamziri), formerly known as Golovin Street, is the central avenue in Tbilisi named after the medieval Georgian poet, Shota Rustaveli. The avenue starts at ...

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...

. During her career she was widely considered as the "

Mary Pickford Gladys Louise Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American film actress and producer. A Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood, pioneer in the American film industry with a Hollywood care ...

of the

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".День Лейлы Абашидзе
(in Russian) She is one of the most popular Georgian and Soviet actresses.

Biography

In 1951, Abashidze graduated from Rustaveli Theatrical Institute in Tbilisi, Georgia. She worked in the film studio " Georgian film" since 1940 and was a member of the cinematographer's union since 1958. Abashidze made her screen debut as a child alongside

Nato Vachnadze Natalia "Nato" Vachnadze ( ka, ნატო ვაჩნაძე), born Natalia Andronikashvili ( ka, ნატო ანდრონიკაშვილი), (14 June 1904 – 14 June 1953) was a Georgian and Soviet film actress. She started h ...

in ''Kajana'' (1941), but it was the hit romantic comedy ''The Dragonfly'' (1954) which made her popular throughout the Soviet Union and Europe. Then she appeared in another popular comedy ''The Scrapper'' (1956). After all that, she was associated with comedies, but this stereotype was destroyed after she starred in the critically acclaimed historical drama ''Maia Tskneteli'' (1959). She has had one of her biggest commercial successes with the drama ''Meeting Past'' (1966), for which, in 1968, she was awarded on Leningrad Film Festival as a Best Actress. Also she achieved wider fame after her appearance in the tragic drama ''Khevisberi Gocha'' (1964) and in one of the most popular romantic comedies ''Meeting in Mountains'' (1966). She was the writer of ''Anticipation'' (1970), ''Silence of Towers'' (1978). She was the director, writer and leading actress of ''Tbilisi-Paris-Tbilisi'' (1980).

Death

On April 8, 2018, Abashidze's health conditions got worse and she was sent to the hospital after suffering a stroke: she was pronounced dead on arrival, the cause of death was ruled as an

ischemic stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop ...

of the brain.

Legacy and Impact

Leila Abashidze left an indelible mark on Georgian and Soviet cinema, being recognized as one of the most beloved actresses in the region. Her ability to seamlessly transition between diverse roles, from romantic comedies to dramatic performances, solidified her status as an iconic figure in both Georgian and Soviet film. Her enduring popularity and versatility continue to inspire and influence actors and filmmakers in Georgia and beyond.

Filmography

* ''Kajana'' (1941) * '' Golden Path'' (1945) * ''Cradle of Poet'' (1947) * ''

Keto and Kote ''Keto and Kote'' ( ka, ქეთო და კოტე, ''Keto da kote'') is a comic opera in three acts, by the Georgians, Georgian composer Victor Dolidze (composer), Victor Dolidze who also wrote the libretto based on Avksenty Tsagareli's 1 ...

'' (1948) * ''Spring in Sakeni'' (1951) * ''They Came from Mountains'' (1954) * ''The Dragonfly'' (1954) * ''Our Courtyard'' (1956) * ''The Scrapper'' (1956) * ''Where is Your Happiness Mzia?'' (1959) * ''Maia Tskneteli'' (1959) * ''I Shall Dance'' (1963) * ''Khevisberi Gocha'' (1964) * ''Wreck'' (1965) * ''Meeting Past'' (1966) * ''Meeting in Mountains'' (1966) * ''Anticipation'' (1969) * ''The Right Hand of the Grand Master (Episode One)'' (1969) * ''The Right Hand of the Grand Master (Episode Two)'' (1970) * ''Walking in Tbilisi'' (1976) * ''Cinema'' (1977) * ''Tbilisi-Paris-Tbilisi'' (1980) * ''Commotion'' (1986) * ''Zvaraki'' (1990)

Dignities and awards

*Meritorious Artist of Georgia (1958) *People's Artist of Georgia (1965) *People's Artist of Chechnya-Ingushetia (1964) *Honors:

(1960) (In Georgian: წითელი დროშის ორდენი, in Russian: Орден Трудового Красного Знамени) *Best actress at the Leningrad Film festival, 1968. *Prize of 2 world festivals, Tokyo, 1997.

References

External links

*
Leila Abashidze
on Georgian National Filmography {{DEFAULTSORT:Abashidze, Leila 1929 births 2018 deaths 20th-century actresses from Georgia (country) Actresses from Tbilisi Soviet film actresses Soviet stage actresses Soviet child actresses Child actresses from Georgia (country) Film actresses from Georgia (country) Soviet women film directors Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Women film directors from Georgia (country) Film directors from Georgia (country)