Muhammadali Abduqunduzov

Muhammadali Abduqunduzov was born on 14 July 1952 in the village of Yaypan in the Uzbekistan district of the Fergana region, in a working-class family. He finished secondary school in 1969, entered the acting faculty of the A. N. Ostrovsky Tashkent Theatre and Art Institute in 1971 and graduated in 1974.

After the institute he was posted to the Mannon Uyghur Regional Musical Drama Theatre in Termez, in the Surkhandarya region, and worked there until 1985. On its stage he played Ferdinand (Schiller's “Intrigue and Love”), Davronbek (“Love of the Homeland”), Paratov (Ostrovsky's “The Dowerless Bride”) and Alibek (Aitmatov's “My Poplar in a Red Kerchief”). For Ikromjon in Said Ahmad's drama “Ufq” (“Horizon”) he received the main prize in the “best male role of the year” category in 1975. In Termez he also directed the productions “Qoraqum fojiasi”, “O'n sakkiz yoshligim” and “Uyqusiz tunlar”.

Since 1986 he has worked at the Hamza Theatre (now the Uzbek National Academic Drama Theatre). His first role there was Yermakov in Dozortsev's “The Last Visit”; he went on to play Humayun and Babur in “Starry Nights” after Pirimqul Qodirov, Qodiriy and Otabek in the stage version of Abdulla Qodiriy's “Bygone Days”, Husayn Bayqaro in “Alisher Navoi” and Claudius in Shakespeare's “Hamlet”. His Cho'lpon in Usmon Azim's “Nights Without Dawn” has been in the repertoire since 1997.

His best-known screen role is Babur in the ten-part television film “Babur” (1990), directed by Maqsud Yunusov after Pirimqul Qodirov's novel “Starry Nights”; it was also shown on Turkish and Pakistani television. In video films he also played Alisher Navoi (“Layli and Majnun”), Cho'lpon (“Night and Day”) and Emir Umarkhan (“Uvaysiy”). Since 2005 he has appeared in feature films such as “Naxotki sen”, “Faryod”, “Tavba” and “Jigarbandim”, including as a modern businessman and as the father of the lead character; in 2023 he played Shotursin Mirvaliyev in “Abdulla Oripov”. He also took part in the dubbing of “Narshakhi”, “Bahouddin Naqshband”, “Imam Termizi” and “Al-Farghani”.

Beyond the stage he held administrative posts: from 1996 he was Deputy Minister of Culture; in 1998–2002 he was general director of the “Uzbekteatr” creative-production association and chairman of the Union of Theatre Workers of Uzbekistan, while continuing to act. Since 2002 he has again worked at the National Academic Drama Theatre.

He was named Honoured Artist of the Uzbek SSR in 1983 and People's Artist of Uzbekistan in 1997, the year he also won the international Babur Prize. In 1998 he received the “Astana” medal and later the title of People's Artist of Karakalpakstan. By a presidential decree of 24 August 2021, issued for the thirtieth anniversary of independence, he was awarded the Order “Mehnat shuhrati”.