Yetim Bobojonov

One of the founders of Uzbek theatrical art, the renowned Uzbek director and actor Yetim Bobojonov (real name Fozil) was born in Tashkent in 1904. He began his early creative career in a Tashkent theater group.

Between 1924 and 1927, Y. Bobojonov studied the intricacies of theatrical art at the Uzbek drama studio in Moscow along with a group of actors from the Hamza Theater led by Mannon Uygur. Upon his return, while working as an actor and director at the Hamza Theater, he gradually gained recognition by performing roles such as Tartaglia in C. Gozzi's «Princess Turandot», Brigella in C. Goldoni's «Servant of Two Masters», the mayor in Gogol's «The Government Inspector», and others, before eventually turning to directing.

He began his directing career at the Bukhara Theater, where he staged the works of several Uzbek playwrights.

In 1934, after successfully staging K. Yashin's «Tor-mor» (Defeat) at the Hamza Uzbek State Academic Drama Theater, Y. Bobojonov caught the attention of the cultural public by staging successive works such as F. Schiller's «Intrigue and Love», Hamza's «The Boy and the Servant», K. Yashin and A. Umariy's «Hamza», and K. Yashin's «General Rakhimov».

In particular, the play «The Boy and the Servant» holds a special place in Y. Bobojonov's directing career, having run on stage for 60 years. In the plays he directed and the roles he performed, the artist reflected the life of the people in an accurate and convincing manner and succeeded in fully revealing the psyche of the characters.

While providing creative support to a number of theaters in our republic, Y. Bobojonov also served as artistic director at the Yangiyul theaters from 1943 to 1946 and at the Toshsovet theaters from 1946 to 1948.

By staging plays such as S. Abdulla's «Tohir and Zukhra», H. Olimjon's «Mukanna», V. Vitkovich and G. Gulam's «Khoja Nasreddin», and K. Yashin's «Oftobkhan», he made a worthy contribution to training and raising theater actors such as Shukur Burhonov, Olim Khojayev, Sora Eshontorayeva, Nabi Rakhimov, Mahmudjon Gofurov, Abdurauf Boltayev, and Farogat Rakhmatova, helping them find their place in art.

He carried out his acting, directing, and pedagogical work simultaneously. From 1950 to 1956, Y. Bobojonov worked as a teacher at the Tashkent Theater Institute (now the M. Uygur Tashkent Institute of Arts), devoting much effort to training young talented actors.

Yetim Bobojonov passed away in Tashkent in 1956.

Yetim Bobojonov holds a worthy place in the history of Uzbek theatrical art as a mature director who staged plays such as «The Boy and the Servant», «Tohir and Zukhra», and «Mukanna», and as an organizational artistic director who helped improve the creative activities of a number of theaters in our republic.