Bulgarian Actor and Director Yosif Sarchadzhiev Has Passed Away

Yosif Sarchadzhiev passed away yesterday, his daughter, Ana Sarchadzhieva, announced on July 2.

His funeral service was held today in a private ceremony, attended only by close family and friends, in accordance with the express wishes of the great Bulgarian actor and director, who wanted to be remembered not for his passing, but for his contribution to Bulgaria's cultural life.

He was born on 2 May 1945 in Sofia to the family of Prof. Stefan Sarchadzhiev, a long-serving director at the Ivan Vazov National Theatre, and Anna Fadenhecht, daughter of the lawyer and politician Yosif Fadenhecht.

His first theatrical performances came in the home theatre "101 Holes", which he founded with his two brothers, Bogdan and Nikolay. The name referred to the curtain they used as their "official" stage curtain, which had been torn in 101 places.

The first film in which Yosif Sarchadzhiev appeared was Our Land (Nasha zemya, 1952), directed by his father, Stefan Sarchadzhiev. At the age of 16, he appeared in Chronicle of Feelings (Hronika na chuvstvata), written by Todor Monov and directed by Lyubomir Sharlandzhiev.

He first took to the stage in 1960 at the Ivan Vazov National Theatre, when he was 15 years old. The production was Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand, directed by Stefan Sarchadzhiev.