Archive photo: Actor Imants Skrastins – 80

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“Play, Gamblers, all your life, all your life and beyond …”. These words are from the poetry performance “Play, Playman!” By director Pēteris Pētersons Aleksandrs Čaks, in which the main actor – the actor – was Imants Skrastiņš. This performance is considered to be the most important Latvian theater performance of the 20th century, but for the actor Imants Skrastiņš it was the brightest, it can be said – the role of life, which recorded an unforgettable page in the history of our theater.

Actor Imants Skrastiņš was born on April 12, 1941 in Skulte. After graduating from Riga Secondary School No. 1 and the Latvian State Conservatory, he spent almost 30 years on the stage of the Latvian Youth Theater (1963-1992). The artist has also been active in the Radio Theater as both an actor and a director. Viewers of Imants Skrastiņš are also known as film actors. Filming during school, he made his feature film debut “Rita” (1957), which in later years was followed by roles in several Riga film studio and television feature films.

In the eighties, Imants Skrastiņš was also a popular songwriter of the composer Raimonds Pauls, the best known of which is the “Mikrofona-80” survey winning song “Kamolā tinēja”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfIaih2NYrg

For his professional work, the artist has received both recognition and love from the audience, as well as high state awards.

In 1989, Skrastiņš received the title of People’s Performer of the Latvian SSR, but in 2003 he became a knight of the Order of the Three Stars. Laureate of the Alexander Chuck Prize (2001) and guardian of his friend’s actor Edgars Liepiņš.

In various interviews, Imants Skrastiņš ‘colleagues have described him as a unique personality with charm, masculine charm, a wonderful sense of humor and great manners. He was simple, sincere, responsive and welcoming. “An artist with an open heart that pulsates on his wrist …,” said colleague Guna Kārkliņa about Imants Skrastiņš.

The Latvian State Archive of Cinematographic and Photophono Documents, remembering the artist Imants Skrastiņš, offers to get acquainted with the photographs of creative activity and watch feature film “Rita”. The archive website also provides information on other documents related to artist.

Imants Skrastiņš passed away in September 2019, at the age of 78.

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