Vakhtang Kikabidze

Vakhtang "Buba" Kikabidze (Georgian: ვახტანგ "ბუბა" კიკაბიძე, Russian: Вахтанг Константинович Кикабидзе, Vahtang Konstantinovich Kikabidze; 19 July 1938 – 15 January 2023) was a Georgian (formerly Soviet) singer, actor, screenwriter, producer, and composer. He performed in a number of films, among them the main role of a helicopter pilot in the iconic Soviet film Mimino.

Contents

• 1979
• Vahtang Kikabidze The Best
• Actor
• Director and screenwright
• Discography
• Death
• References

The son of a Princess Manana Bagration-Davitashvili, Kikabidze was born in Tbilisi. He was a People's Artist of Georgia, has been awarded the USSR State Prize and the Order of the King Vakhtang Gorgasali as well as of Nikolai Wondermonger and Knight Cross of St. Konstantin the Great. He was also acknowledged by a number of various music contests and film festivals in the Soviet Union, Georgia and worldwide.

In 1999, his star was embedded on the "Star Square" in Moscow. Apart from Mimino, Kikabidze also performed in a number of other films, including "Don't be Sad" (Ne Goryui), "Melodies of Veriski Quarter" (Melodii Verijskogo Kvartala), and "Completely Lost" (Sovsem propaschij). His last film, "Fortune" (Fortuna), was directed by the famous Georgian and Soviet film director Georgi Daneliya in 2000.

As a screenwright and director, Kikabidze produced two feature films: "Be Well, Dearest One" (Bud' zdorov dorogoj), which received the top award at the International Comedy Festival in Gabrovo, Bulgaria, and "Men and All Others" (Muzhchiny i vse ostal'nye).

During the August 2008 Russian-Georgian war, Kikabidze rejected Russia's Order of Friendship bestowed upon him in July 2008 and cancelled the concert dedicated to his 70th birthday which was to be held at the Kremlin as a protest against Russia's actions.

Vakhtang Kikabidze was married and has only one child, a son - Konstantin, and two grandchildren - Vakhtang (Vato) and Ioan. Vakhtang's wife, Irina, has a daughter - Marina, from a previous marriage to her first husband - Guram Sagaradze and a grandson, Giorgi. The Kikabidze family is from the Kartli region.