Kakhi Kavsadze

Kakhi Kavsadze (Georgian: კახი კავსაძე, June 5 1935 – April 27 2021) was a seminal figure in Georgian and Soviet performing arts, celebrated for his extensive work across film, television, and the stage. Born in Tbilisi, then part of the Georgian SSR within the Transcaucasian SFSR of the Soviet Union, he spent his early childhood in the mining town of Tkibuli after his parents relocated there. His father, David Kavsadze, was a choir leader whose wartime experience as a Red Army prisoner‑of‑war—where he organized a choir and saved many Georgian detainees—left a lasting imprint on young Kakhi, instilling a deep respect for music and resilience despite later being falsely charged with treason and exiled to Sverdlovsk Oblast. Kakhi pursued formal artistic training, graduating in 1959 from the prestigious Shota Rustaveli Theatre and Film University and subsequently joining the renowned Rustaveli Theatre, where his thespian talent blossomed.

Throughout a career that spanned 1955‑2021, Kavsadze earned a reputation for versatility, portraying a wide array of characters ranging from the biblical Adam in Divine Comedy to the scheming Rasputin in Kvachi Kvachantiradze. His stage repertoire included iconic Shakespearean roles such as Lord in Richard III and Kent in King Lear, as well as Soviet‑era masterpieces like Simon Chachava in The Caucasian Chalk Circle. Recognized for his contributions, he received the prestigious title of People’s Artist of the USSR in 1981 and won the Festival Prize at Dushanbe in 1989. Kakhi Kavsadze’s later years were marked by continued performances until his death from COVID‑19 complications in his native Tbilisi at the age of 85, leaving an indelible legacy in Georgian cultural history.