The movie director Sergey Parajanov (Parajanian) also deserves mention, whose world famous movie, "The colour of pomegranates" (Nran gouyné), has been shown in several countries; his "Last years" also won several awards across the globe. Other personalities in the movie and theatre world include the actors Sos Sargisyan and Mher Mkrtitchian. During the 20th century, there was a renaissance in Armenian literature, led by many great writers: the poets Yeghishe Tcharents, Avetik Isahakian, Hovhannes Shiraz, Parouyr Sevak and Gevork Emin, authors such as Aksel Bakunts, Vakhtang Ananyan, Atabeg Khnkoyan (children's writer), Silva Kapoutikyan, and the orator Derenik Demirchian. Other important names from this period are the painter Martiros Saryan and the architects Rafael Israelian and Aleksander Tamanian (the creator of the city plan of modern Yerevan). We should also mention the singers Hovhannes Badalian, Rouben Matevosian (Badalian's son in law), the opera vocalist Gohar Gasparian and the internationally renowned doudouk player, Jivan Gasparian.
In the scientific and technical field, Artiom Mikoyan is the most famous Armenian from the Soviet era. He was born in Sanahin, in the vicinity of and was the brother of Anastas Mikoyan (one of Stalin's closest friends and chairman of the Supreme Soviet of USSR and one of the eleven members of the Politburo, in other words, one of the eleven most powerful men in the Soviet Union). Mikoyan educated himself as a machine operator before he began his military service. After military service he continued his studies at the air force academy and graduated in 1937. In 1939 he was appointed head of the airplane construction bureau in Moscow. Together with Mikhail Gurevich, he began to construct airplanes. In 1942 the bureau changed its name to MiG (named after Artiom I. Mikoyan and Mikhail I. Gurevich) and Mikoyan became the creator of the MIG airplane. Mikoyan's constructions were also used in the space program, but he died on December 9, 1970, just before the acceleration of the space race. Other scientists include the astronomer Viktor Hambartsoumian, chairman of the International Astrophysical Organisation. He also headed the Byurakan Astronomical Observatory, located on the southern slope of Mount Aragatz. Anther important physicist and radio-astronomer during the Soviet era was Paris Herouni.
Outside of the homeland, Armenians have reached great heights in politics, sports, business and even cultural life. The oil baron Galoust Gulbengian, the businessman Kirk Kerkorian, the singer and actor Charles Aznavour and the director Atom Egoyan, to mention but a few. Kerkorian and Aznavour have, through their fund raising, contributed a tremendous amount to Armenia, especially after the earthquake of 1988. Some of Egoyan's movies have dealt with his ethnic identity and the movie Ararat (2002), with Charles Aznavour in one of the leading parts, was about the Armenian Genocide. Other names include the actor Eric Bogosian, the motion picture producer Howard Kazanjian (Return of the Jedi, Raiders of the Lost Ark), the painter Arshile Gorky (Vosdanik Adoian), the author William Saroyan and the composer Loris Tchknavorian.
In sports are Tigran Petrosian, grand chess master between 1963-1969, the weightlifter Yuri Vartanian (Olympic and world champion) and more recent names such as Andre Agassi (Agasian, whose family move from Iran to the USA), Youri Yorkaeff, Alain Boghossian, Ara Abrahamian and Sargis Sargsian.
|
