Tolib Karimov

Tolib Karimov (full name Tolibjon Raufovich Karimov) was born in 1940 in Tashkent. In 1961 he graduated from the acting faculty of the Ostrovsky Tashkent Theatre and Art Institute.

He began his career, on the institute's assignment, at the Hamza Theatre in Kokand (1961–1963), where he appeared in the plays Hasan-Husan, Olma gullaganda and Serjant militsiyasi.

From 1963 until the end of his life he worked at the Hamza Uzbek State Academic Drama Theatre (now the Uzbek National Academic Drama Theatre). He played leading parts in more than forty productions, among them Yo'lchi (Qutlug' qon), G'ofur (Boy ila xizmatchi), Ulug'bek (Mirzo Ulug'bek), Shah Ma'mun (Abu Rayhon Beruniy), Husayn Boyqaro (Alisher Navoiy) and Amir Temur (Sohibqiron Temur). After independence he played Said Baraka (Sohibqiron), Doctor Tavin (Yetti faryod), the Imam (Bir koshona siri) and Said Obid (Mirzo Ulug'bek).

He took leading roles in more than thirty Uzbek television productions and appeared in the programme Otalar so'zi — aqlning ko'zi. His films include The Bell of Sayat (1966), Roundup of Feral Dogs (1990), Bobur (1990) and Zastava (2007).

He was named People's Artist of the Uzbek SSR in 1987, was a laureate of the Hamza State Prize of the Uzbek SSR and received the Order of Labour Glory (Mehnat shuhrati) in 1997. He died in Tashkent on 19 July 2023, aged 83.