site.btaRenowned Bulgarian Comedian Nikola Anastassov Dies at 84

Renowned Bulgarian Comedian Nikola Anastassov Dies at 84

Sofia, August 9 (BTA) - Popular Bulgarian actor Nikola Anastassov died on the night of Monday to Tuesday at 84, his son Chavdar Anastassov told BTA.

He belonged to the Golden Generation of the State Theatre of Satire, along with Stoyanka Moutafova and Tatyana Lolova, as well as the late Georgi Kaloyanchev, Georgi Partsalev and Grigor Vachkov.

Born in Sofia on April 22, 1932, he studied acting at the Higher Institute of Theatre and made his debut in the Vratsa Theatre. He has been with the Sofia Theatre of Satire ever since its establishment in 1957. He played in over 25 films, including "With the Devil's Shoulder Straps" (1967), "Mr Nobody" (1969), "The Phoney Civilization" (1974), "Nako, Dako and Tsako" (1974-1976), "Unexpected School Holidays" (1981), and "Only You, My Heart" (1987).

Anastassov was awarded the Order of the People's Republic of Bulgaria (1982), the Order of the Balkan Range, First Class, on the occasion of his 70th birthday (2002) and the Golden Age Badge of the Ministry of Culture (2005 and 2012). In 2015 he won the Union of Bulgarian Actors' Ikar Award for lifelong achievement.