Gulchehra Jamilova

Gulchehra Mannonovna Jamilova was born on 2 July 1946 in Tashkent. She began on stage as a dancer: in 1964 she graduated from the Tashkent Choreographic School and became a soloist of the Bahor State Folk Dance Ensemble. She then turned to acting and in 1968 graduated from the acting department of the A. N. Ostrovsky Tashkent Theatre and Art Institute.

From 1966 she performed at the Hamza Uzbek State Academic Drama Theatre (today the Uzbek National Academic Drama Theatre). In her first years she played Silvia in Shakespeare’s “The Two Gentlemen of Verona” and Aqiqa in “Qonli sarob”. From 1987 to 1991 she worked at the Abror Hidoyatov Uzbek State Drama Theatre, and in 1991 she returned to the Hamza theatre.

On stage she created the roles of Feruza (“Mirzo Ulugbek”), Gulsanam (“Abu Rayhan Beruni”), Zebunniso, Desdemona (“Othello”), Nodirabegim (“Figon”), Bibikhonim (“Sohibqiron”) and Jamila (“Boy ila xizmatchi”).

In cinema she appeared in “Prozreniye” (“Qalbingda quyosh”, 1965), playing Gulchehra. Her best-known screen part is Kumush in “Bygone Days” (1969), based on Abdulla Qodiriy’s novel. She also acted in “Shiddat” (1971), “The Four Seasons” (1976) and “Legend of Love” (1984), in the television series “Shaytanat” (2000) and in the film “Abdulla Oripov” (2023).

In 1976 she was named Honoured Artist of the Uzbek SSR, and in 1992 People’s Artist of Uzbekistan. She holds the Order of the Badge of Honour; in 2020 a presidential decree gave her the Order “Fidokorona xizmatlari uchun”. In 2026 she received the title Honoured Youth Mentor of Uzbekistan.