Olim Xo'jayev

A famous Uzbek actor, director, and public figure, Olim Khojayev was born in Bukhara in 1910. He was a man of high culture, a master of lyrical, dramatic, and tragic roles, and a true symbol of intellectualism.

In 1929, he graduated from the Bukhara Pedagogical School and began his professional career as an actor at the Hamza Uzbek State Academic Drama Theater. He created his first roles, such as Calaf in C. Gozzi’s «Princess Turandot» and Nomozov in Z. Fatkhullin’s “Traitors”. These early roles, performed by an energetic and tireless actor who never stopped working on his craft, served as preparation for the mature characters he would later portray.

O. Khojayev skillfully played the title role in the play «Hamza», based on a drama by K. Yashin and A. Umariy. Both in this stage production and in the 1960 feature film «Hamza» directed by Z. Sabitov, he was able to convey to the audience the appearance, energetic nature, pure heart, and poetic spirit of Hamza.

Many new actors have played the role of Alisher Navoi. However, the Alisher Navoi they created can never be compared to the Navoi of Olim Khojayev.

In the 1960 play «Faith» by playwright Izzat Sultan, staged at the Hamza Theater, his portrayal of Professor Yuldash Komilov stood out for its artistic maturity.

In roles such as Polvonov in S. Azimov’s «The Beauty of the Stars» and Professor Sodiq Sobirovich in Uyg‘un’s «The Murderer», O. Khojayev celebrated the noble feelings and the best human qualities of our intelligentsia.

O. Khojayev was also an artist capable of perfectly portraying negative characters. This includes his performances as Paratov in A. Ostrovsky’s «Without a Dowry», Pyotr in M. Gorky’s «Philistines», Solihboy in Hamza’s «The Rich and the Servant», Iago in Shakespeare’s «Othello», and Julius Caesar in «Julius Caesar».

Another role that brought the artist fame in the 1960s was King Lear in Shakespeare’s tragedy «King Lear». For his masterful performance in this role, the actor was awarded the State Prize of Uzbekistan in 1967.

O. Khojayev also worked effectively as a director, staging plays such as B. Rahmonov’s «Secrets of the Heart», Hamza’s «The Rich and the Servant», and others.

O. Khojayev passed away in 1977 in Moscow and was buried in Tashkent.