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Though born in Georgia and having a Russian-sounding name, Akim Tamiroff is actually of Armenian descent. At 19 he decided to pursue acting as a career and was chosen from among 500 applicants to the Moscow Art Theater School. There he studied under the great Konstantin Stanislavski, and launched a stage career. This included road company productions, in one such tour in 1920 Tamiroff came to New York City, which he liked so much he decided to stay there. Broadway suited him, and he worked steadily with the Theatre Guild from the mid-1920s to the early 1930s. He was a short, stout man with a guttural baritone voice and a thick but rather generic Russian accent that, with his skill in characterizations, seemed to mesh with any role calling for a foreign type--whether European, West Asian or even East Asian. His voice became his principal asset. He came west to Hollywood in 1932 to break into the movie business, and first appeared on screen in a bit part in Okay America! (1932). Until 1934 his appearances were usually uncredited, but he managed to stand out in several films, one of his best roles of the time being the servant Pedro of John Gilbert Queen Christina (1933). By early 1934 he was much in demand, appearing in 12 films during that year. The next year was even busier for him, with roles in 15 films altogether, and not just bit parts--he was getting more feature supporting roles, such as Gopal the emir in The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935) and the comic puppet master Rudolpho in the adapted operetta Naughty Marietta (1935). He signed with Paramount in 1936 but was often loaned out to other studios. He went to Warner Bros. for one of his earliest big supporting characters: the sly Cuban mercantile agent Carlo Cibo in Anthony Adverse (1936). For Paramount, his General Yang in The General Died at Dawn (1936) brought him his first of two Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor. Along with substantial supporting roles in top movies, Tamiroff was getting starring roles in "B" pictures, allowing him to show his range by playing everything from amiable rogues to thoroughly evil villains. Two of his roles from that time exemplify what a versatile actor he was. As French trapper and scout Dan Duroc of North West Mounted Police (1940), he was something of a rascal but with a sense of humor and dignity. However, as the vile Colonna in The Corsican Brothers (1941), he is irredeemably wicked, and deservedly dies in the longest sword duel on film. For his role as the self-serving guerrilla Pablo in For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943), Tamiroff received his second Oscar nomination. He continued through the decade with more fine work, and in 1949 he joined the cast of Black Magic (1949) and met Orson Welles, who played late 18th-century charlatan Cagliostro. The two became friends and associates in Welles' later film projects. Through the 1950s Tamiroff's time was fairly divided between T.V. productions and films earlier in the decade and a surprising number of episodic TV and more films later. His three films with Welles, as director and sometime actor, were: Confidential Report (1955) with its Wellesian maze of flash-backs; the over-the-top Touch of Evil (1958) with its gritty surrealism and incredible cast; and The Trial (1962) (The Trial), Welles' stylistic spin on the Franz Kafka story. Certainly it was in "Touch of Evil" that Tamiroff's Tijuana boss Uncle Joe Grandi--outlandishly bug-eyed alternately with fear or mercurial anger intensified by Welles' wild camera angles--stood out as a most intriguing character. He took a last fling at Broadway in 1959. For the 1960s Tamiroff continued to sample American T.V. but was still very active in American, French and Italian movies. His voice and talent were still a draw in films like Topkapi (1964) and Alphaville (1965). In addition, he remained on call for Welles' meandering/unfinished Don Quixote (1992) as Sancho Panza for nearly twenty years. One of the great character actors of film history, Akim Tamiroff appeared in over 150 screen projects.

Mikhail Kalatozov was born on 28 December 1903 in Tiflis, Russian Empire [now Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia]. He was a director and cinematographer, known for The Cranes Are Flying (1957), True Friends (1954) and Zagovor obrechyonnykh (1950). He died on 27 March 1973 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia].

Rouben Mamoulian was born on 8 October 1897 in Tiflis, Russian Empire [now Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia]. He was a director and writer, known for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931), Applause (1929) and Becky Sharp (1935). He was married to Catharine Azadia Newman. He died on 4 December 1987 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Aram Khachaturyan was born in 1903, in Tiflis, Russian Empire (now Tbilisi, Georgia). He was the fourth son in a modest Armenian family. His father was a book-binder and a craftsman; he noticed the son's musical talent and got him a used piano, but he did not have money for a music teacher. Khachaturyan was self-taught until the age of 19, when he moved to Moscow to join his brother, a theater director. He studied physics and mathematics at the Moscow University for one year before entering the Gnesin School of Music in 1922. At the entrance test he saw a cello and said, "I want to learn to play this big violin." He studied cello under Mikhail Gnesin He graduated with honors from the Gnesin School in 1929 and from the Moscow Conservatory in 1934, where he studied composition under 'Nikolai Miaskovsky'. Sergei Prokofiev promoted Khachaturyan's music in Europe, and his piano trio and the First Piano Concerto (1936) has won him international acclaim.

His Ballet "Gayane" (1942), with the brilliant "Sabre Dance", became an international sensation. But his second ballet, "Spartacus", written in 1945, was not staged for 11 years. Khachaturyan was among the Soviet artists and intellectuals affected by official attacks on culture under Joseph Stalin in 1940s and 50s. His music was denounced as being 'formalistic'. Khachaturyan suffered from official attacks along with Sergei Prokofiev, Boris Pasternak, Anna Akhmatova and many other distinguished intellectuals in the Soviet Union. Only in December of 1956 "Spartacus" had it's premiere on the stage of Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, and soon it gained international success. The "Adagio" from the ballet "Spartacus" and the "Sabre Dance" from the ballet "Gayane" became the signature themes of Khachaturyan. He also wrote an acclaimed score for "Masquerade", a drama by Mikhail Lermontov. Khachaturyan was a recipient of many Soviet and International awards. As professor of composition at the Moscow Conservatory he promoted innovative and inter-cultural approach to music education. He cherished his Armenian heritage. He also included in his compositions a taste of the world music and various oriental influences. Aram Khachaturyan died in Moscow in 1978 and was buried in Armenia.

Harry Kleiner was born on 10 September 1916 in Tiflis, Russian Empire [now Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia]. He was a writer and producer, known for Bullitt (1968), Red Heat (1988) and Fantastic Voyage (1966). He died on 17 October 2007 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Mikhail Edisherovich Chiaureli (Micheil Chiaureli) was born on February 6, 1894, in Tiflis, Russian Empire (now Tbilisi, Georgia). In 1916 he graduated from the School of Painting and Sculpture in Tbilisi. Young Chiaureli made his acting debut on stage as an amateur in 1910. In 1914 he married actress Veriko Anjaparidze, they had two sons and a daughter, named Sofiko Chiaureli. In 1920-1921 he took part in organizing the Revolutionary Theatre of Satire in Tbilisi. From 1922-1924 he lived in Germany and worked as a sculptor and continued his career as a sculptor and artist after his return to Tbilisi in 1924. From 1926-1928 he was an actor and director of Krasny Proletkult Theatre in Tbilisi. From 1928-1941 Chiaureli was Artistic Director of Georgian Theatre of Musical Comedy.

His film career began in 1921 with a leading role in the silent film 'Arsena Jorjiashvili' (1921). He continued playing leading and supporting roles in silent films during the 1920's. 1928 Chiaureli became a film director at Goskinprom studio (Sakhkinmretsvi, then renamed Tbilisi Kinostudia). His silent film 'Khabarda' (1931) became a popular comedy and won critical acclaim. Chiaureli made the first sound film in Georgia, 'Ukanaskneli Maskaradi' (The Last Masquerade 1934). He turned to historic films during the 1930's and 1940's under the dictatorship of Joseph Stalin. His political film 'Velikoe Zarevo' (They Wanted Peace 1938) was a typical Soviet propaganda film, for which Chiaureli received his first Stalin's Prize. Chiaureli made a two-part biopic about Georgian national hero Didi Mouravi (Great Mouravi) Giorgi Saakadze covering the history of the 16th and 17th century Georgia, and was awarded two Stalin's Prizes.

Joseph Stalin made Chiaureli his personal friend and a regular guest at private parties in Kremlin and at Stalin's Dacha near Moscow. Stalin used Chiaureli's talent to make films in the line of Soviet propaganda. Chiaureli had to serve the leader. He embellished the image of Stalin by using a tall and handsome actor Mikheil Gelovani in the role of Stalin. Stalin liked the embellishments and personally approved actor Mikheil Gelovani, who depicted Stalin in all Chiaureli's films. He depicted Stalin as an Almighty leader of great wisdom and limitless power in several propaganda films. However, he made a diligent effort as director of 'The Fall of Berlin' and 'The Battle of Berlin' (1949) and was awarded the Crystal Globe at Karlovy Vary, and was again awarded the Stalin's Prize in 1950.

After the death of Stalin, Chiaureli lost much of his clout in Moscow and fell out of favor with Nikita Khrushchev. Chiaureli was removed to Sverdlovsk and was placed at the Sverdlovsk Film Studio. There he was limited to low-budget films and had little or no success. He moved back to his hometown Tbilisi in 1957 and made several films starring his wife Veriko Anjaparidze and his daughter Sofiko Chiaureli. His last feature film was nostalgic and pholosophical 'Rats ginakhavs, vegar nakhav' (aka.. Inye nynche vremena or You Cannot See What I Had Seen. 1965). Chiaureli turned to animation during the last decade of his life. His sarcastic cartoon 'Rogor damarkhes tagvebna kata' (aka.. Kak myshi kota khoronili or "How mice buried the cat" 1969) was based on a satirical painting about the funeral of Tsar Peter the Great, alluding to politics around the death of Stalin. Micheil Chiaureli died on October 31, 1974, in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Kathryn Sergava was born on 30 July 1910 in Tiflis, Russian Empire [now Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia]. She was an actress, known for Hi, Nellie (1934), Bedside (1934) and This Woman Is Mine (1935). She was married to Bernard Sznycer. She died on 26 November 2005 in New York City, New York, USA.

David Pressman began his career in the early 1930s as a teacher at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York. In addition, he acted in Broadway productions and directed several other Broadway shows. A prominent director in the early days of television drama, Mr. Pressman had his career put on hold after his named appeared on a McCarthy blacklist. During his exile Mr. Pressman founded the acting department at Boston University. Pressman returned to Broadway where he directed Jason Robards in the his Tony Award winning role in "The Disenchanted".

Yelena Kuzmina was born on 17 February 1909 in Tiflis, Russian Empire [now Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia]. She was an actress, known for Girl No. 217 (1945), Russkiy vopros (1948) and Sekretnaya missiya (1950). She died on 15 October 1979 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia].

Tamara Garina was born on 15 October 1901 in Tiflis, Russian Empire [now Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia]. She was an actress, known for Darker Than Night (1975), Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974) and Viento salvaje (1974). She was married to Oran Favello Schee. She died on 19 October 1979 in Mexico D.F., Mexico.

Alexander de Seversky was born on 7 June 1894 in Tiflis, Russian Empire [now Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia]. He was a writer, known for Victory Through Air Power (1943), The Mike Wallace Interview (1957) and We, the People (1948). He died on 24 August 1974.

Spartak Bagashvili was born on 7 August 1914 in Tiflis, Russian Empire [now Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia]. He was an actor, known for Arsena (1937), They Wanted Peace (1938) and Khevisberi Gocha (1964). He died on 1 February 1977 in Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, USSR [now Republic of Georgia].

Ludmilla Pitoëff was born on 25 December 1895 in Tiflis, Russian Empire [now Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia]. She was an actress, known for Quartier sans soleil (1939), La danseuse rouge (1937) and Le puritain (1938). She was married to Georges Pitoëff. She died on 15 September 1951 in Rueil-Malmaison, Seine [now Hauts-de-Seine], France.

Shalva Gedevanishvili was born on 23 February 1897 in Tiflis, Russian Empire [now Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia]. He was a director and assistant director, known for Zvigenis kbili (1959), Keto and Kote (1948) and Arsena (1937). He died on 21 January 1990.

Niyazi was born on 20 August 1912 in Tiflis, Russian Empire [now Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia]. He was a composer and writer, known for Arshin Takes a Wife (1945), Vostochnaya plutovka (1989) and Rustam and Suhrab (1972). He died on 2 August 1984 in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, USSR.

Azat Sherents studied in Armenian Theatre Studio in Moscow (R. Simonov's master-class) in 1934-1937. He acted on the stage of Sundukyan Drama Theatre of Yerevan in 1931-34 then in Leninakan Drama Theatre for three years in 1937-1968. Since 1968 he worked at Armenfilm Studio starring in a number of Armenian films.

Kira Andronikashvili was born on 16 June 1908 in Tiflis, Russian Empire [now Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia]. She was an actress, known for Zvigenis kbili (1959), Udabno (1932) and Caucasian Love (1928). She died on 24 February 1960 in Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, USSR [now Republic of Georgia].

Rashid Behbudov was an Azerbaijani singer and actor. He sang in Azeri Turkish, Russian, Persian, Turkish, Georgian, Hindi, Armenian, Urdu, and Bengali among other languages.

Rashid Behbudov was born in Tiflis Tbilisi, Georgia in 1915. His father, Majid Behbudoglu, was a singer as well. From 1938 to 1944, Rashid moved to Armenia and worked at Yerevan State Philharmonia and Opera House, and in 1945, upon the invitation of Tofig Guliyev, Rashid Behbudov moved to Baku. In the same year, he was assigned the main role of Asgar in the film "Arshin Mal Alan" The Cloth Peddler, based on a play by Uzeyir Hajibeyov. His role in this film combined with his vocal skills brought him fame throughout Azerbaijan.

In a short time, Behbudov became also prominent Azerbaijani pop singer. His combination of vocal masterpieces ranged from classical performances to lyrical songs. Behbudov's rare vocal talent gave him opportunity to travel beyond the "Iron Curtain" of the Soviet Union, and as a singer he toured with concert performances in several countries of the world, including Iran, Turkey, China, India, Japan, Argentina, and many other countries in Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Aleksandra Toidze was born on 11 March 1907 in Tiflis, Tiflis Governorate, Russian Empire [now Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia]. She was an actress, known for Tsanis kheobis saundje (1941), Ukanasknel saats (1929) and V gorod vkhodit' nelzya (1929). She died on 30 May 1985 in Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, USSR [now Republic of Georgia].

Jacques Press was born on 27 March 1903 in Tiflis, Russian Empire [now Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia]. Jacques was a composer, known for Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), This Gun for Hire (1942) and Swamp Woman (1941). Jacques died in September 1985 in New York, New York, USA.

Giorgi Makarov was born in February 1894 in Tiflis, Russian Empire [now Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia]. He was an assistant director and director, known for Kali bazrobidan (1928), Nakhvamdis (1934) and Gakra (1931). He died on 21 October 1966 in Tbilisi, Georgian SSR, USSR [now Republic of Georgia].

Arus Asryan was born on 9 December 1904 in Tiflis, Tiflis Governorate, Russian Empire [now Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia]. She was an actress, known for David Bek (1944), Kaj Nazar (1940) and Lernayin ltchi gaghtniqe (1954). She died on 28 June 1987 in Yerevan, Armenian SSR, USSR [now Armenia].

Teodor Bunimovich was born on 22 July 1908 in Tiflis, Tiflis Governorate, Russian Empire [now Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia]. He was a cinematographer and director, known for Moscow Strikes Back (1942), The Mystery of the Third Planet (1981) and Den pobedivshey strany (1948). He died on 29 March 2001 in Moscow, Russia.

Mövsüm Sänäni was born on 19 June 1900 in Tiflis, Tiflis Governorate, Russian Empire [now Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia]. He was an actor, known for O Olmasin, Bu Olsun (1956), Arshin mal alan (1965) and Daglarda döyüs (1968). He died on 11 February 1981 in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, USSR [now Azerbaijan].

Yuri Yurovsky was born on 3 May 1894 in Tiflis, Tiflis Governorate, Russian Empire [now Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia]. He was an actor, known for Zhukovsky (1950), Vstrecha na Elbe (1949) and Die Nibelungen: Siegfried (1924). He died on 30 December 1959 in Riga, Latvian SSR, USSR [now Latvia].