TEHRAN – Toronto-based Iranian stage director Abbas Javanmard, the pioneer of teleplay in Iran, died of heart failure at his home in the Canadian city on Monday. He was 92.

Javanmard’s death news was announced by director Nilufar Beizai, daughter of the celebrated Iranian director Bahram Beizai, in an Instagram post.

He was a graduate of dramatic arts from the University of Tehran and established Hanare Melli Group (National Art Group) in 1955, which gave numerous outstanding performances in the country.

He organized courses at the Iranian television organization, training many students that were employed in the teleplays he directed.

He also set up the Teleplay Organization, which was composed of six troupes working under the leadership of great actors and writers such as Ezzatollah Entezami, Ali Nasirian, Jafar Vaali, Movahed Dilmaqani, Rokneddin Khosravi and himself.

He directed Iran’s first teleplay by staging French dramatist Armand Salacrou’s 1941 work “La Marguerite”.

Among his acclaimed works are “The Golden Viper” and “Bewildered Nightingale”, both written by Nasirian, and “Akbar, the Champion Dies”, “The Story of the Hidden Moon” and “Sunset in a Strange Land”, all three by Bahram Beizai.

He was also the writer of several fascinating books, including “An Introduction to Tazieh and National Play”.

Photo: Iranian staged director Abbas Javanmard in an undated photo.
 
MMS/YAW