Metaksia Simonyan


Metaksia Migranovna Simonyan was a Soviet and Armenian stage and film actress and pedagogue.

Biography

Metaksia Simonyan was born in Ashgabat. In 1933 Simonyan moved to Yerevan with her family. In 1948 she graduated from Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Cinematography. In the same year she was invited to Sundukyan State Academic Theatre. Since 1968 she has taught at Yerevan State Academy of Fine Arts of Armenia.
In the course of studying she played the roles of Katerina and Anani.
Among the first memorable roles are Armanush, Nina.

Career

Simonyan continued Arus Voskanyan and Ruzanna Vardanyan's traditions in the Armenian theatre. She also played the same role in the plays of Russian, Western European and Armenian authors, played comic, and tragic roles. Metaksya Simonyan was a leading actress for decades, characters she played include: Shura, Desdemona, Juliet, Cordelia, Susan Then she played the roles of Hudit, Noudar, Catherine Leffier, Martha, etc.
Simonyan also played the role of Nastasia Philipovna. Namus performance is based on Alexander Shirvanzade's Namus poem, which tells about the love of the young couple, Seyran and Susan, which has a tragic end because of patriarchal prejudice. Here Metaksia Simonyan played Susan's role. Metaksia Simonyan has been shotted in cinema. She also recited poetry and played on radio and television shows. Simonyan performed in Moscow, Baku, Tbilisi, Beirut, Damascus and elsewhere.
She died in Yerevan at the age of 61.

Filmography

  • 1947 – Anahit
  • 1949 – A Girl From Ararat Valley
  • 1954 – Trifle
  • 1955 – Looking of the Addressee
  • 1957 – To Whom the Life Smiles
  • 1959 – Her Fantasy
  • 1959 – A Jump Over the Precipice
  • 1960 – Sayat-Nova
  • 1962 – Waters Rise
  • 1970 – A Spring of Heghnar
  • 1971 – Khatabala
  • 1973 – ''The Last Deed of Kamo''

Theatrical performances

YearTitleRoleNotes
1949MasquaradeNinaAuthor: Mikhail Lermontov
1955NamusSusannaAuthor: Alexander Shirvanzade
1960Romeo and JulietJulietAuthor: William Shakespeare
1960OthelloDezdemonaAuthor: William Shakespeare
1970Uriel AcostaHuditAuthor: Karl Gurtzkow
1975Ara BeautifulNvardAuthor: Nairi Zaryan
1980Madam San JeanKatherine LephevrAuthor: Viktorien Sardu
1981Who is afraid of Virginia WulfMartaAuthor: Edward Albee
1982IdiotNastasya PhlipovnaAuthor: Fyodor Dostoevsky