site.btaActor, Director Iossif Sarchadzhiev Passes Away

Actor and director Iossif Sarchadzhiev passed away Wednesday, his daughter Ana Sarchadzhieva told BTA.

The funeral service was held Thursday, attended only by a small circle of people, at the actor's request, who wanted to be remembered not for his passing, but for his presence in Bulgarian cultural life.

That is what our life is like. To face death with love and to journey to the beyond, which is the most beautiful thing. The beyond. Fear not! There is nothing to fear. And this is not what makes it sad. What is sad is reality. But beauty transcends reality. Those were Sarchadzhiev's words to BTA during the premiere of his film January (2023).

Born on May 2, 1945 in Sofia in the family of director Stefan Sarchadzhiev, founder of the Sofia Satirical Theatre, and Anna Fadenhecht, daughter of lawyer and politician Yosif Fadenhecht.

The first film Sarchadzhiev appeared in was Nasha zemya [Our Land] (1952), directed by his father. At the age of 16, the young actor made an appearance in the film Hronika na chuvstvata [Chronicle of Feelings] (1962), written by Todor Monov and directed by Lyubomir Sharlandzhiev. He made his stage debut at the National Theatre in 1960, 15 years old at the time, in the play Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand, directed by Stefan Sarchadzhiev.

Sarchadzhiev graduated with a degree in acting from the Krastyo Sarafov National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts (NATFA) in 1969, studying in the classes of Mois Beniesz, Elka Mihaylova, and Apostol Karamitev.

His professional career began at the Stefan Kirov Drama Theatre in Sliven, where he worked from 1969 to 1972. Later, he began working at the Adriana Budevska Drama Theatre in Burgas (1994-2000), while the actor was living in Sinemorets.

From December 5, 1997, to 2001, Sarchadzhiev served as a member of the National Council for Radio and Television, representing the National Assembly. In 2002, he returned to the Sofia stage with a role in the play Poruchik Bents [Lieutenant Benz], directed by Bina Haralampieva, and had been performing at Sofia's Zad Kanala Theatre. 

In 2004, he suffered a severe stroke. After that he worked primarily as a theatre director, staging five productions at the Burgas Drama Theatre.

Sarchadzhiev received many awards, including the Union of Bulgarian Artists for Best Male Performance, the Award for Chamber Plays, the Ministry of Defence Award for Outstanding Acting, the Askeer Awards for Best Male Role, and the Grand Askeer Awards for Lifetime Achievement (2010). He has appeared in more than 60 theatre roles, over 50 feature films, 30 television productions, and more than 100 radio programmes.