As we reported, People's Artist, State Award laureate Haji Murad Yagizarov has passed away.
We present the dossier of the late artist.
Haji Murad Haji Ahmad oghlu Yagizarov was born on July 18, 1939, in Baku. From an early age, he showed interest in stage art by performing in the school's drama club. It was one of these enthusiastic performances that prominent actor Alasgar Alekperov saw and recommended young Haji Murad to pursue theatrical education. Thus, Yagizarov embarked on the path of acting in his youth and formed himself as a future renowned artist.
After completing his secondary education, Haji Murad Yagizarov entered the acting faculty of the Azerbaijan State Institute of Arts named after M. A. Aliyev (now the University of Culture and Arts) in 1958 and graduated from the institute in 1962. From that very year, he began working as an actor at the Azerbaijan State Russian Drama Theater named after Samad Vurgun in Baku. The young actor quickly achieved great success on the theater stage. Yagizarov proved his professionalism by portraying more than 200 characters based on the works of Azerbaijani and world playwrights on the theater stage. Alongside this, he also worked in the film industry starting from 1958. For the first time, he played an episodic partisan role in Tofiq Taghizade's film "On Distant Shores" (1958) and later the role of Ayaz in the film "Stepmother" (1958). Then, including the role of Suleyman in the film "Arshin Mal Alan" (1965), he played main and supporting roles in numerous films one after another. Thus, Yagizarov had a long and productive creative career both on the theater stage and on screens, holding a special place in the history of Azerbaijani theater and cinema.
Haji Murad Yagizarov represents a famous generation. His father Haji Ahmad Yagizarov was originally from the city of Buynaksk in Dagestan. After the 1917 revolution, Haji Ahmad, sent into exile as a wealthy family, later came to Baku and married Tamara khanum Aliyeva here. His mother Tamara Aliyeva was of noble lineage connected to the Khans of Shamakhi. Her great-grandfather was Mahmud Agha, the Khan of Shamakhi. During the Soviet era, Tamara khanum rose to the position of Deputy Minister of Food Industry, being one of the first Azerbaijani women to work in such a high government post. Haji Murad was the only child of his parents. His mother was his greatest supporter in choosing the arts, although his father had wished that his son select a "more serious" profession such as jeweler or dentist. His parents later divorced, and from his father's second marriage, Yagizarov had a half-brother. Haji Murad mentioned in interviews that he always maintained close relations with his half-brother and his children. Regarding his personal life, he stated that although he had a short marriage in his youth, since 1981 he has lived happily with his second wife. Yagizarov had children and grandchildren from this marriage. One of his daughters pursued a career in the arts.
For his services in the arts, Haji Murad Yagizarov was awarded high honorary titles and awards in Azerbaijan. In 1974, he received the title "Honored Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR," and in 1982, the title "People's Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR." In 1986, Yagizarov was awarded the State Prize of the Azerbaijan SSR. After the Soviet era, the artist's achievements continued to be recognized. In 1996, he received the "Golden Dervish" award, and for his contributions to Azerbaijani culture, he was decorated with high state orders by the President of the country. Specifically, Haji Murad Yagizarov was awarded the "Shohrat" Order in 2009 and the "Sharaf" Order in 2019. These honorary titles and awards demonstrate that Yagizarov's services to Azerbaijani culture were valued at the state level both during the Soviet period and the period of independence.
Haji Murad Yagizarov lived with his family in Germany for about the last twenty years. It should be noted that in the early 1990s, during a difficult period for Azerbaijan, he had refused offers to leave the country. When Mirza Khazar invited him to work in radio in Germany, he showed patriotism by responding, "My homeland is going through hard times; I cannot leave it." However, in the later period, as life circumstances allowed, he moved to Germany and continued an active creative career there as well.
People's Artist Haji Murad Yagizarov spent the last years of his life in Germany. He died on September 13, 2025, at the age of 86 in Germany after a long illness. (Lent.az)