Vahram Papazyan

Vahram Papazyan — Biography

Born in Istanbul in 1888, Vahram Papazian was an Armenian actor, writer and stage director whose career began around 1907-1908. He became renowned for his interpretations of Shakespeare, especially the role of Othello, which is said to have dominated Armenian-language stages for more than half a century. Over a long career he performed in Armenian theatres in Constantinople, Tiflis and Baku, at the Maly Theatre in Moscow, and on stages across France, Italy, Austria, Spain and Belgium.

In 1933 he was invited by Iran's Reza Shah to stage productions for the Iranian Red Cross, and he later received the USSR People's Artist title in recognition of his stage work. In his later years he served as the leading actor of the Sundukyan Academic Theatre in Yerevan, and he also appeared on screen occasionally, playing Professor Daniel-bek in the 1955 film "Ghosts Leave the Peaks." Following his death in 1968, an annual "International Shakespeare Theatre Festival" has been held in Yerevan in his honor since 2004.