Iuozas Siparis

(Juozas Siparis). Born Feb. 26 (Mar. 10), 1894, in the village of Kusai, now in Rasein-iai Raion, Lithuanian SSR; died Apr. 5, 1970, in Vilnius. Soviet Lithuanian actor. People’s Artist of the USSR (1954).

Siparis began his stage career in 1920 at the Vilkolakis Satire Theater in Kaunas. From 1923 to 1925 he acted in the National Theater, and from 1926 to 1940 in the State Theater in Kaunas. Beginning in 1940 he acted in the Lithuanian Drama Theater in Vilnius.

Siparis’ roles included the title role in Krėvė-Mickevičius’ Šarū nas, Urniežius in Dauguvietis’ The New Furrow, Vingis in The Daughter-in-law, based on a short story by Žemaitė, the title role in Schiller’s William Tell, and Feste and Sir Toby Belch in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. He also acted the roles of Vysh-nevskii in Ostrovskii s A Profitable Post, Levshin in Gorky’s Enemies, Romaniuk in Korneichuk’s The Snowball Grove, Geri-kas in Sruoga’s Predawn Fate, and Kvēdaras in Chlivìckas and Gustáitis’ The Apple Trees Will Blossom. Siparis was the first to act the role of V. I. Lenin on the Lithuanian stage, in Pogodin’s The Kremlin Chimes and Vishnevskii’s Unforgettable 1919 (State Prize of the USSR, 1952). He also acted in the films Marite (1947) and Dawn Over the Neman (1953).

In 1945, Siparis began teaching in the drama studio of the Lithuanian Drama Theater and in the theater department of the Vilnius Conservatory in 1953. Siparis was a deputy to the third convocation of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. He was awarded two Orders of the Red Banner of Labor and several medals.