Azimov Vokhobzhon (Vladimir) Iminovich (Russian: Азимов Вохобжон (Владимир) Иминович, pronounced [ɐʹzɪməf]; born 18 September 1961) is a Russian actor, director, composer, arranger, singer, Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation.
Vokhobzhon Azimov was born on September 18, 1961 in Uzbekistan in the family of a hairdresser. As a child, he studied at the Pioneers Palace Theatre Studio named Comrade (Russian: Товарищ).
In 1983, he graduated from the Theatre Department, Krasnoyarsk State Institute of Arts (since 2018 – Dmitri Hvorostovsky Siberian State Academy of Arts), Albert Yakovlevich Mamontov and Viktor Vasilyevich Busarenko’s class. After graduating from university, he was accepted into the troupe of A. M. Gorky Chelyabinsk Regional Drama Theatre (now the Ozersk Theatre of Drama and Comedy “Our House”).
Azimov participated in such performances as The Poisoned Tunic (N. Gumilev, directed by E. Guseva, 1988); The Master and Margarita (M. Bulgakov, directed by M. Kalmykov, 1988); A Midsummer Night's Dream (W. Shakespeare, directed by V. Zykov, 1989); La Viuda Valenciana (Lope de Vega, directed by N. Volozhanin, 1991); Woe from Wit (A. Griboyedov, directed by N. Volozhanin, 1994); L’uomo, la bestia e la virtù (L. Pirandello, directed by N. Nikolenko, 1995); The Last Victim (A. Ostrovsky, directed by N. Volozhanin, 1998); Alexander Pushkin (M. Bulgakov, directed by N. Volozhanin, 1999); The Lower Depths (M. Gorky, directed by N. Volozhanin, 2000) and many others.
Vladimir Azimov's creative activity is not limited only to acting. He is the author and director of many theatrical compositions, literary soirées, and music cycles. In 1997-2002, in the Small Hall of “Our House” Theatre, Azimov staged a series of literary soirées based on the works by Russian and foreign poets. He also produced the music cycle The Revival of the Author's Song. In 2010, his performance Variations of Passion (based on the novel by John Fowles) was awarded the diploma of the II Theatre Competition ROSATOM’s Territory of Culture.
Vladimir is musically gifted. One of the biggest hobbies in his life is the author's (original) song. He is a composer, author of arrangements and background music for performances. The audience knows and loves him as a member of the Actor Company Trintet and the Trio Three (since 2009, with Yulia Guseva and Andrei Iodlovsky), who have won awards at various festivals and competitions of actor’s song.
Vladimir Azimov's talent has been noted by professional awards. He is a diploma winner of the Merry Goat competition (1998, Nizhny Novgorod); the winner of Russian and International contests: Drama Actors Singing (1994, 1996, Nizhny Novgorod), Small Theatre Forms Festival (1996, Arzamas-16), A. Mironov International Festival of Actor’s Song (1997, Moscow), Satire and Humour Festival Golden Ostap (1998, St. Petersburg), the festival of theatrical skits Yekaterinburg-2000. Following the results of the festival ROSATOM’s Territory of Culture (2014), Azimov was awarded a Diploma “For Teacher’s Proficiency”. In 2015, he received the theatre prize “Figaro”.
In 1998, Azimov was awarded the title of Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation.