Zaynab Sadriyeva

Zaynab Sadriyeva was born in 1914 in Astrakhan into a Kazan Tatar family. In 1920 the family moved to Kaunchi near Tashkent (now Yangiyul), where her father, Sadriddin, worked at a sugar factory. She learned Uzbek in childhood, and it became the language of her whole stage life.

In 1929 she joined the Workers' Mobile Theatre in Tashkent, and from 1932 she was an actress of the Hamza Uzbek Theatre (now the Uzbek National Academic Drama Theatre), where she spent most of her life. She learned her craft by watching the acting of Makhsuma Kariyeva and the work of the director Mannon Uygur.

She played strong-willed women with difficult fates. Her roles included Vassa in Gorky's «Vassa Zheleznova», Kruchinina in Ostrovsky's «Guilty Without Guilt» and Glafira in his «The Last Sacrifice», Lyubov Yarovaya in Trenyov's play, Gertrude in «Hamlet», Frau Miller and Lady Milford in Schiller's «Intrigue and Love» (1936), and Kharitonova in Lavrenyov's «For Those at Sea!» (1947). One of her best-known stage parts is Farmonbibi in Said Ahmad's «The Daughters-in-Law's Revolt» (1976, directed by Bahodir Yuldashev).

She made her screen debut in 1953 as Poshshoyim in «Boy ila xizmatchi» (Bay i batrak). She then appeared in «Daughter of the Ganges» and «The Rejected Bride» (both 1961), «Suyunchi» (1982, directed by Melis Abzalov), «Armon» (1987), «The Stone Idol» (1989) and «Temir erkak» (1991). As the grandmother Anzirat in «Suyunchi», released across the USSR as «Grandmother-General», she became known beyond Uzbekistan.

She was named People's Artist of the Uzbek SSR in 1952 and in 1979 won the Hamza State Prize of the Uzbek SSR; she also held the Order of the Red Banner of Labour. From 1987 she worked at the Abror Hidoyatov Uzbek State Drama Theatre.

She died in Tashkent on 31 October 1991 and is buried at the Chigatai cemetery. By a presidential decree of 28 May 2026 she was among deceased cultural figures posthumously awarded the Order «For Outstanding Merit» of Uzbekistan.