Leila Abashidze

Leila Abashidze (ლეილა აბაშიძე; August 1, 1929 – April 8, 2018) was a Georgian actress, director and writer. She was Meritorious Artist of Georgia, People's Artist of Georgia, a recipient of Order of the Red Banner of Labour, as well as of awards of European and Asian film festivals, and has her own honorary star in front of Rustaveli cinema on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi, Georgia. During her career she was widely considered as the "Mary Pickford of the USSR". She is one of the most popular Georgian and Soviet actresses.

Biography
In 1951, Abashidze graduated from Rustaveli Theatrical Institute in Tbilisi, Georgia. She worked in the film studio "Georgian film" since 1940 and was a member of the cinematographer's union since 1958.

Abashidze made her screen debut as a child alongside Nato Vachnadze in Kajana (1941), but it was the hit romantic comedy The Dragonfly (1954) which made her popular throughout the Soviet Union and Europe. Then she appeared in another popular comedy The Scrapper (1956). After all that, she was associated with comedies, but this stereotype was destroyed after she starred in the critically acclaimed historical drama Maia Tskneteli (1959). She has had one of her biggest commercial successes with the drama Meeting Past (1966), for which, in 1968, she was awarded on Leningrad Film Festival as a Best Actress. Also she achieved wider fame after her appearance in the tragic drama Khevisberi Gocha (1964) and in one of the most popular romantic comedies Meeting in Mountains (1966).

She was the writer of Anticipation (1970), Silence of Towers (1978). She was the director, writer and leading actress of Tbilisi-Paris-Tbilisi (1980).

Death
On April 8, 2018, Abashidze's health conditions got worse and she was sent to the hospital after suffering a stroke: she was pronounced dead on arrival, the cause of death was ruled as an ischemic stroke of the brain.

Legacy and Impact
Leila Abashidze left an indelible mark on Georgian and Soviet cinema, being recognized as one of the most beloved actresses in the region. Her ability to seamlessly transition between diverse roles, from romantic comedies to dramatic performances, solidified her status as an iconic figure in both Georgian and Soviet film. Her enduring popularity and versatility continue to inspire and influence actors and filmmakers in Georgia and beyond.

Filmography

 * Kajana (1941)
 * Golden Path (1945)
 * Cradle of Poet (1947)
 * Keto and Kote (1948)
 * Spring in Sakeni (1951)
 * They Came from Mountains (1954)
 * The Dragonfly (1954)
 * Our Courtyard (1956)
 * The Scrapper (1956)
 * Where is Your Happiness Mzia? (1959)
 * Maia Tskneteli (1959)
 * I Shall Dance (1963)
 * Khevisberi Gocha (1964)
 * Wreck (1965)
 * Meeting Past (1966)
 * Meeting in Mountains (1966)
 * Anticipation (1969)
 * The Right Hand of the Grand Master (Episode One) (1969)
 * The Right Hand of the Grand Master (Episode Two) (1970)
 * Walking in Tbilisi (1976)
 * Cinema (1977)
 * Tbilisi-Paris-Tbilisi (1980)
 * Commotion (1986)
 * Zvaraki (1990)

Dignities and awards

 * Meritorious Artist of Georgia (1958)
 * People's Artist of Georgia (1965)
 * People's Artist of Chechnya-Ingushetia (1964)
 * Honors: Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1960) (In Georgian: წითელი დროშის ორდენი, in Russian: Орден Трудового Красного Знамени)
 * Best actress at the Leningrad Film festival, 1968.
 * Prize of 2 world festivals, Tokyo, 1997.