ზურაბ ქაფიანიძე

Zurab Kapianidze (Georgian: ზურაბ ქაფიანიძე; April 1, 1937 – July 4, 2011) was a Georgian theater and film actor and philologist. He was also a member of the Parliament of Georgia from 1999 to 2003. Born in the village of in the highland province of Racha, Zurab Kapianidze graduated from Tbilisi State Theater Institute in 1961 and performed at the Meskhishvili Theater in Kutaisi from 1961 to 1964, when he moved to Tbilisi to join the Kartuli Pilmi film studio. He starred in 43 films produced by this studio. He was awarded the title of People's Artist of the Georgian SSR in 1979 and the State Prize in 1985. Kapianidze was also engaged in the research of ancient alphabets. His ideas regarding the origin of the Georgian alphabet have not to date been taken seriously by the Georgian academic establishment. His book, published in 1990, claimed that the Georgian alphabet was among the first wr...