Makhmud Esambayev (Chechen: Махмуд Эсамбаев) (July 15, 1924 - January 7, 2000) was a Chechen actor and dancer. Makhmud was regarded as one the most famous dancers of the Soviet Union.[1]
Makhmud Esambayev | |
|---|---|
| File:MakhmudEsambayev.jpg Makhmud Esambayev |
Biography
Makhmud was born in Starye Atagi, Chechnya, to Chechen parents. As a child, his father would take him to village weddings where he would perform dances. At the age of fifteen Makhmud joined the Chechen-Ingush Song and Dance Company, and at nineteen he joined the operetta theater of Pyatigorsk, where he would give concerts to Red Army troops fighting in the Second World War. The next year, Makhmud joined the Kirghiz theater of opera and ballet as a soloist, where he played the lead role in productions of Swan Lake (playing the part of Von Rothbart), The Fountain of Bakhchisarai and The Sleeping Beauty.[2]
Makhmud was known for always wearing his papakha hat, calling it "my crown" and not even removing it when meeting with a head of state. His papakha made an unparalleled and very conspicuous presence on the floor of the Soviet legislature. On noticing it, the Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev would murmur in content that "Makhmud is here, it's time to call the session open."
Makhmud died of natural causes on January 7, 2000.
Filmography
- Swan Lake (1969)
- The Sannikov Earth (1973)
- Upright Magic (1975)