Life is like cinema. Not every actor gets the chance to appear in so many films. People's Artist Mukhtar Maniyev appeared in 157 films. Mukhtar Maniyev was born in Baku in 1935. He received his early education at school No. 199 in the city. It seems that in his childhood years he had no desire at all to become an actor. He trained as an engineer at the Institute of Oil and Chemistry. But later the art of acting seemed to cast a spell on him. After receiving his engineering diploma, without much hesitation he submitted his documents to the Azerbaijan State Institute of Arts and pursued a second education. Mukhtar Maniyev's entry into cinema began with the film "Can She Be Forgiven?" Soon after, he appeared in the film "Koroghlu". When film director Huseyn Seyidzade came to the institute looking for actors for this film, Mukhtar caught his eye at first glance, and he cast him in the role of Polad, the blacksmith's son. At that time Mukhtar Maniyev was still a first-year student. Critics of the time spoke positively about the character of Polad entrusted to him in this magnificent heroic epic. They said that a new breath, an actor of a new type, had come to cinema. In the following years, one after another, in the films "A Man Settles a Home", "Find That Girl" and "Our Teacher Jabish", Mukhtar proved himself by bringing very successful heroes to the screen. In the film "A Man Settles a Home" (dir. A. Babayev), although Mukhtar's character appears little on screen, the film's conflict is built entirely around him. The events take place at Neft Dashlari (Oil Rocks). The film's hero Ramiz has just been appointed to lead a brigade whose previous leader, Majid, died in an accident. But he had earned so much love from his colleagues that they now cannot see anyone else in Majid's place. True, although we never interact with him directly, his ghost-like image speaks volumes, and M. Maniyev, through his artistic skill, manages to present the character to the audience as the film's central figure. As an actor, M. Maniyev had no fixed type; he successfully created the images of people of very different characters on screen. His heroes were sometimes swindlers, sometimes worthy people capable of looking at events with open eyes, and sometimes characters who brought joy to audiences with their sparkling humour. What united them was Mukhtar's talent and creative intellect. Mukhtar Maniyev's work is connected with a great era of our cinematography. His creative path, which began in the 1960s–70s, continues with confidence to this day. We do not intend to recall all of the actor's roles here. But it must be especially emphasised that over more than 40 years of creative work, Mukhtar Maniyev created valuable characters for our national cinema. These heroes are examples of art with their own distinctive place in our cinema. It is hard to imagine Azerbaijani cinema without him. Indeed, Mukhtar Maniyev rendered invaluable service to the development of our national cinema. His roles are national in character, true Azerbaijanis. It is interesting that directors themselves tended to entrust him with exactly this type of role. Do you remember the role of the burly man in "The Ring of Fortune"? Or picture the role of Seyidrza in the film "If I Die... Forgive Me". Seyidrza finally saw the consequences of the cruelty he had inflicted on people during the hard years of the war. But the role of the guest in "The Kidnapping of the Groom" turned out even more vivid. In this role we see him as a comic hero, and it is clearly felt that he was also a wonderful performer of such roles. In "Winds Blow in Baku", "Our Teacher Jabish", "I Loved You More Than the World" and other films, Mukhtar Maniyev was able to create very interesting images of people of different characters from the war period. Mukhtar Maniyev was one of the most prolific artists. He worked at the film-actor theatre studio operating under the Azerbaijanfilm studio. In earlier years, he would appear in one or two films almost every year. In most of the satirical storylines of the "Mozalan" satirical newsreel, he has memorable roles. In the mature period of his life he continued to appear in films, take part in events, write his memoirs, and so on. He said that if he could, he would not stand even one hour away from a film set. Because only a person's deeds remain as their legacy. The great artist Mukhtar Maniyev suffered for many years from cardiovascular disease and diabetes. As his condition steadily worsened, his left leg was amputated at the Scientific Surgery Centre on 11 August 2015, and his right leg on 15 March 2016. Although his condition had been stable, it worsened again on 22 December, and he passed away in the morning hours. In accordance with his wishes expressed during his lifetime, he was laid to rest beside his parents in the settlement of Gala. Several neighbourhood streets in the Sovetski area of Baku's Yasamal district have been named after Mukhtar Maniyev.
