Godziashvili, Vasilii Davydovich

Born Nov. 14 (27), 1905, in Tbilisi. Soviet Georgian actor. People’s Artist of the USSR (1958). Member of the CPSU from 1943.

Godziashvili studied with A. N. Pagava at the drama workshop. in Tbilisi in 1922–24. He was an actor at the Sh. Rustaveli Georgian Theater (Tbilisi) from 1924 until 1930 when he joined the K. Mardzhanishvili Georgian Theater (Tbilisi). His best roles include Akhma in Anzor by Shan-shiashvili, Tsar Iraklii in At the Crossroads by Gotua, Luar-sab in Is He a Man? adapted from Chavchavadze, Lieutenant Cheshmakov in Eclipse of the Sun in Georgia by Antonov, Avetik in The New Age by Tsagareli, Don Caesar in Ruy Blas by Hugo, Arbenin in Masquerade by Lermontov, Khlestakov in The Inspector-General by Gogol, Richard HI in Shakespeare’s tragedy and Caesar in Caesar and Cleopatra by Shaw. Godziashvili is also a variety actor (winner at the First All-Union Competition of Variety Performers). He makes films.

He was a deputy to the fourth and fifth convocations of the Supreme Soviet of the Georgian SSR. He received the State Prize of the USSR in 1952, the Sh. Rustaveli State Prize of the Georgian SSR in 1971, the Order of Lenin, two other orders, and medals.