Po Par Gyi (, ; March 1917 – January 14, 1980) was a popular traditional Burmese opera performer and two-time Myanmar Academy Award winning

actor 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. ...

known for his comic roles.

Biography

Po Par Gyi was born Nyunt Hlaing in Bassein,

Irrawaddy Division Ayeyarwady Region ( , , ; formerly Ayeyarwady Division and Irrawaddy Division) is a region of Myanmar, occupying the delta region of the Ayeyarwady River (Irrawaddy River). It is bordered by the Rakhine State to the northwest, the Bago Region to ...

(now Pathein, Ayeyarwady Region) to San Pe, a Customs Inspector and his wife Hla. He graduated from

Hinthada Hinthada (; formerly Henzada) is a town located on the Irrawaddy River in Ayeyarwady Region, Myanmar. It is the principal town of Hinthada Township and Hinthada District. The trade of locally grown rice and grain goes through the port of Hinthad ...

Government High School in 1936. Pursuing his interest in

singing Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

and

dancing Dance is an art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoire of movements or ...

, he got his first break in 1938 with a starring role in a silent film ''Lu Pyo Tho'' produced by the Rangoon Film Company. But he would achieve fame in traditional Burmese opera. During the Japanese occupation (1942–1945), he moved to

Yangon Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...

and became an opera actor in Director Kyaw Aye's ''Ye Ye Khaw Daw'' Opera. He continued to gain success in opera after Burmese independence in 1948. His notable opera performances include ''Pyo Letsaung'', ''Nge Kyun Swe'', and ''Ko Kyait Ta Ko Loat''. Between 1960 and 1961, he starred in the renowned opera ''Po Par Gyi''. His best opera performances are considered to be ''Chin Taung Nga Lone'' and ''Gon Ne Marna''. Po Par Gyi also found success in films as a comic actor and focused on his film career from the 1960s onwards. He starred in dozens of movies from the 1940s until his death in 1980.

Awards

In 1958, he was awarded the title ''

Wunna Kyawhtin This article describes the religious, military and civil orders, decorations and medals of the Union of Myanmar. Religious honorary orders Before and after Myanmar's independence, governments presented two religious orders, Abhidhaja Mahā R ...

'', the highest honor given to an artist by the Burmese government. He also won two Burmese Academy Awards, for his roles in '' Phoe Pyonn Cho'' (1955) and '' Ta Kha Ga Ta Bawa'' (1978).

Filmography

*'' Phoe Pyonn Cho'' (1955) *'' Chit Khae Tar A Mhan Par Pae (1958)'' *'' Tein Hlwar Moht Moht Lwin'' (1967) *'' Kyaukme A Kyin Thar'' (1969) *''

Hmone Shwe Yee ''Hmone Shwe Yee'' (, ), is a 1970 Burmese black-and-white drama film starring Win Oo, Khin Than Nu and Aung Lwin. The film won the Best Picture Award and Win Oo won the Best Actor Award in 1970 Myanmar Motion Picture Academy Awards. The film ...

'' (1970) *'' Ta Kha Ga Ta Bawa'' (1978) {{authority control 1980 deaths 1917 births Burmese male silent film actors Burmese male stage actors People from Ayeyarwady Region 20th-century Burmese male actors Recipients of the Wunna Kyawhtin