Zurab Kapianidze ( ka, ზურაბ ქაფიანიძე; April 1, 1937 – July 4, 2011) was a

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

theater and film actor and philologist. He was also a member of the

Parliament of Georgia The Parliament of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს პარლამენტი, tr) is the supreme national legislature of Georgia. It is a unicameral parliament, currently consisting of 150 members; of these, 120 are proporti ...

from 1999 to 2003.Kapianidze Zurab
Parliament of Georgia. Accessed July 5, 2011. Born in the village of Nakieti in the highland province of

Racha Racha (also Račha, , ''Račʼa'') is a highland area in western Georgia, located in the upper Rioni river valley and hemmed in by the Greater Caucasus mountains. Under Georgia's current subdivision, Racha is included in the Racha-Lechkhumi and ...

, Zurab Kapianidze graduated from Tbilisi State Theater Institute in 1961 and performed at the Meskhishvili Theater in Kutaisi from 1961 to 1964, when he moved to

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million p ...

to join the ''

Kartuli Pilmi Georgian Film Studio ( ka, ქართული ფილმი, ''kartuli pilmi''; russian: Грузия-фильм; ''Gruziya-Fil'm'') is one of world's oldest film studios that has produced 800 features, made-for-TV and short films, 600 documen ...

'' film studio. He starred in 43 films produced by this studio. He was awarded the title of People's Artist of the Georgian SSR in 1979 and the

State Prize State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

in 1985. Kapianidze was also engaged in the research of ancient alphabets. His ideas regarding the origin of the Georgian alphabet have not to date been taken seriously by the Georgian academic establishment. His book, published in 1990, claimed that the Georgian alphabet was among the first writing systems in the world and attached cosmic-astronomic significance to it.Smith, Graham (1998), ''Nation-building in the Post-Soviet Borderlands: the Politics of National Identities'', pp. 184-185.

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press is the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it is the oldest university press in the world. It is also the King's Printer. Cambridge University Pre ...

, . From 1999 to 2003 Kapianidze was elected to the Parliament of Georgia as a non-party member running on the ticket of the block Aghordzineba ("Revival of Georgia") chaired by Aslan Abashidze. Zurab Kapianidze was buried at the

Didube Pantheon The Didube Pantheon ( ka, დიდუბის მწერალთა და საზოგადო მოღვაწეთა პანთეონი) is a cemetery in Tbilisi, Georgia, where some of the most prominent writers, artists, s ...

in Tbilisi.

Selected filmography

*''

Don't Grieve ''Don't Grieve'' (russian: Не горюй!; ka, არ იდარდო!) is a 1969 Soviet comedy film directed by Georgiy Daneliya. Film is loosely based on the novel "My uncle Benjamen" by French writer Claude Tillier. Plot In the end of ...

'' (1969) *''

Pirosmani Pirosmani may refer to: * Niko Pirosmani (1862–1918), Georgian painter * ''Pirosmani'' (film), a 1969 Soviet biographical film about the painter *Pirosmani, an administrative unit of Dedoplistsqaro Municipality Dedoplistskaro or Dedoplistsqaro ...

'' (1969) *'' The New Adventures of Captain Wrongel'' (1978)

References

External links

*
Zurab Kapianidze
Georgian National Filmography * Kapianidze, Zurab & Mibchuani, Teimuraz (2002)
Sumerian-Georgian Alphabets
Research Center "Sumer". {{DEFAULTSORT:Kapianidze, Zurab 1937 births 2011 deaths Burials at Didube Pantheon Male film actors from Georgia (country) Members of the Parliament of Georgia People's Artists of Georgia Philologists from Georgia (country) Actor-politicians from Georgia (country)