Georgi Ivanov Partsalev ( bg, Георги Иванов Парцалев; 16 June 1925 – 31 October 1989) was a

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

and film

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

mainly known for his roles in

comedies Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term origin ...

. Born in Levski,

Pleven Province Pleven Province ( bg, Област Плевен or Плевенска Област) is a province located in central northern Bulgaria, bordering the Danube river, Romania and the Bulgarian provinces of Vratsa, Veliko Tarnovo and Lovech. It i ...

in 1925, Partsalev finished high school in Pleven and studied

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...

from

Sofia University Sofia University, "St. Kliment Ohridski" at the University of Sofia, ( bg, Софийски университет „Св. Климент Охридски“, ''Sofijski universitet „Sv. Kliment Ohridski“'') is the oldest higher education i ...

. In 1956, he was employed by the Satirical Theatre in

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and h ...

. His first film role came in 1958 with '' Lyubimets 13''. Related to the

variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

and

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...

concerts of the 1950s and 1960s, he gradually became a legend of Bulgarian comedy with his appearances in ''

The Tied Up Balloon ''The Tied Up Balloon'' ( bg, Привързаният балон, translit=Privarzaniyat balon, italic=yes) is a Bulgarian satirical comedy-drama film released in 1967, directed by Binka Zhelyazkova, starring Georgi Partsalev, Grigor Vachkov, Ge ...

'' (1967), ''

Whale Whales are a widely distributed and diverse group of fully aquatic placental marine mammals. As an informal and colloquial grouping, they correspond to large members of the infraorder Cetacea, i.e. all cetaceans apart from dolphins and ...

'' (1970), ''Petimata ot Mobi Dik'' (1970), ''

Three Reservists ''Three Reservists'' ( bg, Тримата от запаса, translit=Trimata ot zapasa, italic=yes) is a Bulgarian comedy-drama war film released in 1971, directed by Zako Heskiya, starring Georgi Partsalev, Kiril Gospodinov and Nikola Anas ...

'' (1971), '' With Children at the Seaside'' (1972), ''

Indian Summer An Indian summer is a period of unseasonably warm, dry weather that sometimes occurs in autumn in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Several sources describe a true Indian summer as not occurring until after the first frost, or more s ...

'' (1973), ''Bashta mi boyadzhiyata'' (1974), ''

The Phoney Civilization ''The Phoney Civilization'' ( bg, Криворазбраната цивилизация / ''Krivorazbranata tsivilizatsiya'') is a five-acts satirical play written by the Bulgarian playwright Dobri Voynikov published in 1871. In a comical folklo ...

'' (1974), '' Farsighted for Two Diopters'' (1976), ''13-ata godenitsa na printsa'' (1987), etc. In the late 1960s, he was charged on grounds of homosexuality, in a trial that resulted in the legalization of homosexuality in Bulgaria in 1968. Partsalev died in 1989 in

, at an age of 64. He never married or had any children and after his death his acquaintances have claimed he was

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

. The community centre (''

chitalishte A ''chitalishte'' (, . Derives from the verb "чета" - "to read" or "читател" - "reader") is a typical Bulgarian public institution and building that fulfills several functions at once, such as a community centre, library, and a theat ...

'') and a street in his hometown have been named after Partsalev. Also, in his hometown, there is a memorial museum, dedicated to Partsalev.

References

Literature

* Илия Ангелов, ''„Тъжният клоун Георги Парцалев“''. ИК "ДБ Мария", 2002. * Севелина Гьорова, ''„Георги Парцалев. Сълзата на Дон Кихот“''. София: Дамян Яков, 2005. . * Иван Келиванов, ''„На лицето усмивка, на сърцето тъга“''.

External links

Georgi Partsalev
at Kino.Dir.bg * Bulgarian male film actors Bulgarian male stage actors People from Levski, Pleven Province 1925 births 1989 deaths Burials at Central Sofia Cemetery Bulgarian comedians 20th-century Bulgarian male actors 20th-century comedians Bulgarian gay actors Gay comedians Bulgarian LGBT comedians 20th-century Bulgarian LGBT people {{film-actor-stub