Celebrated actor, director Gogi Kavtaradze dies at age 80

Gogi Kavtaradze, celebrated actor and director of Georgia's cinema and theatre stages, died aged 80 on Monday, with obituaries flowing for the recipient of the country's state awards, recognised for his stage work.

Cast in Soviet Georgian cinema productions including director Mikheil Kobakhidze's 1964 short Wedding and filmmaker Giorgi Shengelaia's 1973 Melodies of the Vera Quarter, Kavtaradze was also cast in a number of cinema works produced in Georgia following independence.

He also worked on Golden Spider, his only directorial work in film, in 1992, with a much more prolific work in theatre that included staging around 90 productions while also leading troupes across Georgia.

Stints as artistic director for state theatre companies in Kutaisi, Sokhumi and Rustavi, as well as the Alexander Griboyedov Russian Drama Theatre in Tbilisi - in addition to his cinema work - brought Kavtaradze recognition from the state.

He was awarded the State Prize of Georgia, the Kote Marjanishvili Prize and the title of the Chevalier of the Order of Honour in the country, while also holding membership of the Creative Union of Cinematographers of Georgia.