Mikheil Gelovani was a
GeorgianThe Georgians are an ethnic group that have originated in Georgia, where they constitute a majority of the population. Large Georgian communities are also present throughout Russia, European Union, United States, and South America....
-
SovietThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
actor, known for his many portrayals of
Joseph StalinJoseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
in cinema.
Early life
Mikheil Gelovani was a descendant of the old Georgian princely house of
GelovaniHouse of Gelovani - is a Georgian princely family from the lower part of the mountainous province of Svaneti, formerly - rulers of Svaneti.The family can be traced back to...
. He made his stage debut in a theater in
BatumiBatumi is a seaside city on the Black Sea coast and capital of Adjara, an autonomous republic in southwest Georgia. Sometimes considered Georgia's second capital, with a population of 121,806 , Batumi serves as an important port and a commercial center. It is situated in a subtropical zone, rich in...
during 1913. From 1919 to 1920, he attended the Drama Studio in Tiflis. In the two following years, he was a member of the cast in the city's
Rustaveli TheatreRustaveli National Theatre also referred to as Rustaveli State Drama Theatre, is found in Tbilisi, Georgia. The theatre is conveniently located at 17 Rustaveli Avenue, one of the main streets in Tbilisi...
. From 1923, he worked as an actor and a director in
Georgian SSR's Goskinprom film studio. At 1924, he first appeared on screen in the film
Three LivesThree Lives is a 1924 Georgian silent film directed by Ivan Perestiani.-Cast:* Nato Vachnadze as Esma* Mikheil Gelovani as Bakhva* Dimitri Kipiani as Yeremia Tsarba...
. He moved to the
Armenian SSRThe Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic The Armenian Soviet...
's Armenkino production company at 1927. In addition to his cinematic work, Gelovani continued to appear in theater, and performed on stages in
KutaisiKutaisi is Georgia's second largest city and the capital of the western region of Imereti. It is 221 km to the west of Tbilisi.-Geography:...
and
BakuBaku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
. In 1936 he returned to the ensemble of the Rustaveli Theatre, and remained there for three years.
Antebellum
At 1938, Gelovani first portrayed Stalin in
Mikheil ChiaureliMikheil Chiaureli was a Soviet Georgian film director and screenwriter. He directed 25 films between 1928 and 1974. Mikheil Chiaureli was awarded the Stalin Prize six times, twice in 1941, 1943, 1946, 1947, and 1950.-Selected filmography:as actor...
's
The Great DawnThe Great Dawn is a 1938 Soviet Georgian film directed by Mikhail Chiaureli...
. His performance won him the Order of the Red Banner of Labor in 1 February 1939 and the Stalin Prize during 1941. Afterwards, Gelovani "established a monopoly on the role of Stalin", which he continued to portray in twelve other pictures until the premier's death. Gelovani greatly resembled Stalin physically, except in his stature: he was much taller than the latter. Reportedly, he was not the premier's favorite candidate for depicting himself on screen: since he was Georgian, he mimicked Stalin's accent "to perfection". Therefore, the leader personally preferred
Aleksei Dikiy-Ukraine:He was born Aleksei Denisovich Dikiy on February 24, 1889, inEkaterinoslav, Russian Empire, now Dnepropetrivsk, Ukraine. At youngage he moved to Kharkov, where his sister, named Maria Sukhodolska - Dikova, was a popular actress, and she helped...
, who used classic Russian pronunciation; still, Gelovani appeared in his role much more than Dikiy. According to the
The Guinness Book of Movie Facts and Feats, Gelovani had probably portrayed the same historical figure more than any other actor. When the two met, the general secretary told the actor: "you are observing me thoroughly... You do not waste time, do you?"
Soviet cinema played an important part in cultivating the leader's
cult of personalityA cult of personality arises when an individual uses mass media, propaganda, or other methods, to create an idealized and heroic public image, often through unquestioning flattery and praise. Cults of personality are usually associated with dictatorships...
: from 1937 and onward, in a gradual process, Stalin's reign was legitimized by depicting him as
Vladimir LeninVladimir Ilyich Lenin was a Russian Marxist revolutionary and communist politician who led the October Revolution of 1917. As leader of the Bolsheviks, he headed the Soviet state during its initial years , as it fought to establish control of Russia in the Russian Civil War and worked to create a...
's most devout follower and by positively presenting historical autocrats - like in
Sergei EisensteinSergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein , né Eizenshtein, was a pioneering Soviet Russian film director and film theorist, often considered to be the "Father of Montage"...
's
Ivan the TerribleIvan the Terrible is a two-part historical epic film about Ivan IV of Russia made by Russian director Sergei Eisenstein. Part 1 was released in 1944 but Part 2 was not released until 1958 due to political censorship...
.
Later years
Due to his identification with Stalin, Gelovani was barred from playing other roles in cinema; he was not allowed to depict "mere mortals." From 1942 to 1948, he was a member of the cast in the
Gorky Moscow Art TheatreThe Moscow Art Theatre is a theatre company in Moscow that the seminal Russian theatre practitioner Constantin Stanislavski, together with the playwright and director Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, founded in 1898. It was conceived as a venue for naturalistic theatre, in contrast to the melodramas...
. During World War II, the personality cult was abandoned in favor of patriotic motifs, but returned already at the war's late stages, and with greater intensity than ever after 1945: Stalin was soon credited as the sole architect of victory. In the postwar films in which he portrayed him -
The VowThe Vow is a 1946 Soviet film directed by Mikhail Chiaureli. It is considered a representation of Joseph Stalin's cult of personality.-Plot:...
,
The Fall of BerlinThe Fall of Berlin is a 1950 two-part Soviet film directed by Mikhail Chiaureli. The plot revolves around the history of the Great Patriotic War, focusing on the role that Joseph Stalin played in the events...
and
The Unforgettable Year 1919The Unforgettable Year 1919 is a 1952 Soviet film directed by Mikhail Chiaureli. It is considered an important representation of Joseph Stalin's cult of personality.-Plot:May 1919...
- Gelovani presented the leader as "a living god."
The actor was awarded three more Stalin Prizes, all of which were granted for his performances of the premier in film: at 1942 for
The Defence of Tsaritsyn, at 1947 for
The VowThe Vow is a 1946 Soviet film directed by Mikhail Chiaureli. It is considered a representation of Joseph Stalin's cult of personality.-Plot:...
and at 1950 for
The Fall of BerlinThe Fall of Berlin is a 1950 two-part Soviet film directed by Mikhail Chiaureli. The plot revolves around the history of the Great Patriotic War, focusing on the role that Joseph Stalin played in the events...
. In 3 June 1950, he was given the title
People's Artist of the USSRPeople's Artist of the USSR, also sometimes translated as National Artist of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to citizens of the Soviet Union.- Nomenclature and significance :...
.
After Stalin's death in 1953, Gelovani was denied new roles in films, since he was
completely identified with the characterIn TV, film, and theatre, typecasting is the process by which a particular actor becomes strongly identified with a specific character; one or more particular roles; or, characters having the same traits or coming from the same social or ethnic groups...
of the dead ruler. From 1953 until his death at 1956, he acted in Moscow's State Theater for Film Actors. Andreas Kilb wrote that he ended his life "a pitiful
Kagemushais a 1980 film by Akira Kurosawa. The title is a term used for an impersonator. It is set in the Warring States era of Japanese history and tells the story of a lower-class criminal who is taught to impersonate a dying warlord in order to dissuade opposing lords from attacking the newly vulnerable...
" of Stalin. Gelovani is buried in the
Novodevichy CemeteryNovodevichy Cemetery is the most famous cemetery in Moscow, Russia. It is next to the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent, which is the city's third most popular tourist site. It should not be confused with the Novodevichy Cemetery in Saint Petersburg....
, alongside his wife Ludmila.
Following
Nikita KhrushchevNikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
's Secret Speech in 1956, most of the pictures he appeared in as Stalin were either banned or had the relevant scenes removed.
Filmography
actor
| Year | Film |
| 1924 |
Three Lives Three Lives is a 1924 Georgian silent film directed by Ivan Perestiani.-Cast:* Nato Vachnadze as Esma* Mikheil Gelovani as Bakhva* Dimitri Kipiani as Yeremia Tsarba...
|
| 1925 |
Rider from the Wild West |
| 1926 |
The Ninth Wave |
| 1927 |
Two Hunters |
| 1927 |
Evil Spirit |
| 1931 |
Out of the Way! |
| 1934 |
Good-bye |
| 1934 |
The Last Masquerade |
| 1937 |
The Return of Maxim The Return of Maxim is a 1937 Soviet film directed by Grigori Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg, the second part of trilogy about the life of a young factory worker, Maxim....
|
| 1937 |
Orange Valley |
| 1938 |
The Man with the Gun |
| 1938 |
The Great Dawn The Great Dawn is a 1938 Soviet Georgian film directed by Mikhail Chiaureli...
|
| 1939 |
Lenin in 1918 Lenin in 1918 is a 130-minute long Soviet revolution film released in 1939. It gives the background of the Russian Civil War after the October Revolution.The film was directed by Mikhail Romm with E. Aron and I. Simkov as co-directors...
(scenes deleted) |
| 1939 |
The Vyborg Side The Vyborg Side is a 1939 Soviet film directed by Grigori Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg, the final part of trilogy about the life of a young factory worker, Maxim. The film was also released in the United States under the title New Horizons....
|
| 1940 |
Siberians |
| 1941 |
Valery Chkalov Valery Chkalov is a Soviet 1941 film about the life of Valery Chkalov. Directed by Mikhail Kalatozov. Screenplay by Georgy Baidukov, Boris Chirskov and Dmitri Tarasov. Produced by Lenfilm...
(scenes deleted) |
| 1942 |
The Defense of Tsaritsyn |
| 1946 |
The Vow The Vow is a 1946 Soviet film directed by Mikhail Chiaureli. It is considered a representation of Joseph Stalin's cult of personality.-Plot:...
(banned) |
| 1949 |
The Fall of Berlin The Fall of Berlin is a 1950 two-part Soviet film directed by Mikhail Chiaureli. The plot revolves around the history of the Great Patriotic War, focusing on the role that Joseph Stalin played in the events...
(banned) |
| 1953 |
The Fires of Baku (scenes deleted) |
| 1952 |
Miners of the Don |
| 1952 |
The Unforgettable Year 1919 The Unforgettable Year 1919 is a 1952 Soviet film directed by Mikhail Chiaureli. It is considered an important representation of Joseph Stalin's cult of personality.-Plot:May 1919...
(banned) |
| 1953 |
Jambyl Jabayev |
| 1953 |
Hostile Whirlwinds Hostile Whirlwinds is a 1953 film Soviet directed by Mikhail Kalatozov based on a screenplay by Nikolai Pogodin.- Plot summary :Film exercises the first years of Soviet government, biography of Felix Dzerzhinsky in 1918-1921....
(scenes deleted) |
director
| Year | Film |
| 1927 |
Evil Spirit |
| 1929 |
Youth Wins |
| 1931 |
Deed of Valour |
| 1931 |
True Caucasian |
External links