Leila Abashidze facts for kids

Leila Abashidze (Georgian: ლეილა აბაშიძე; August 1, 1929 – April 8, 2018) was a Georgian actress, director and screenwriter. She was known as Meritorious Artist of Georgia, People's Artist of Georgia.

Abashidze was awarded thr Order of the Red Banner of Labour, as well as of awards of European and Asian movie festivals, also has her own honorary star in front of Rustaveli cinema on Rustaveli Avenue in Tbilisi, Georgia.

During her career she was widely considered as "Mary Pickford of USSR". She was one of the most popular Georgian and Soviet actresses.

Career

The 1954 movie Dragonfly (1954) made her a popular comedic actress. She has had one of her biggest commercial successes with the drama Meeting Past (1966), for which, in 1968, she was awarded on Leningrad (now: Saint Petersburg) Film Festival as a Best Actress.

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

Death

Abashidze died of a stroke in Tbilisi on 8 April 2018 at the age of 88.

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 (1961) (In Georgian: წითელი დროშის ორდენი, in Russian: Орден Трудового Красного Знамени)
• Best actress at the St. Petersburg Film festival, 1968.
• Prize of 2 world festivals, Tokyo, 1997.