Rafig Aliyev was born on 14 November 1949 in the village of Mardinli in the Fuzuli district. In 1957 he began the first grade at secondary school No. 58 in Baku, and after finishing that school in 1968 he entered the directing department of the cultural-educational faculty of the Institute of Culture in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). In 1971 he was called up for military service in the Red Banner Black Sea Fleet and served for three years. In 1974 he was admitted to the faculty of musical comedy acting at the Azerbaijan State Institute of Arts, from which he graduated. In 1976 he was invited to work at the Azerbaijan State Theatre for Young Spectators. Over more than 30 years working in theatre, he created a gallery of interesting characters, including Bumbarash in "Bumbarash", Aramis in "The Three Musketeers", Andrei in "Contact", Hatamkhan agha in "Monsieur Jordan and Dervish Mastali Shah", Karabas-Barabas in "Buratino", Gena in "Graduation Night", Dobchinsky in "The Government Inspector", Suleyman in "The Last Night of the Past Year" and Akif in "The Well", among other roles. The character of Akif that the actor created was named the best male role of the 1966 season. Alongside his theatre work, Rafig Aliyev appeared in more than 20 feature films produced by the Azerbaijanfilm studio. Among them, his roles particularly stand out: the reporter in "Our Grandfather's Grandfather's Grandfather", Suleyman in "The Last Night of the Past Year", Ali Terequlov in "The Life of Uzeyir", the governor-general in "The Window of Sorrow", the astrophysicist and psychiatrist in "Contact", the Komsomol leader in "The Joke", the middle brother in "A Boring Affair", Garif in "The Family Circle", Ramiz in "How Beautiful This World Is", and the English professor Lewis in "Hotel Room". Rafig Aliyev also created fine characters for television, striking examples being Stalin in the film about M. A. Rasulzade, Karim in "Punishment", and the Man in "Mirage". Since 1994 he has worked as a stage director at the Theatre for Young Spectators. On that theatre's stage he has given interesting productions of "Blaise", "The Snow Maiden and the Seven Dwarfs", "Once in Brazil", "The Extraordinary Adventures of Donald", "Nasraddin", "How Saryköynak Brought the Sun", "Indian Fantasy", "The City Son-in-Law", "Crocodile Gena's Vacation", "The One Who Makes Wishes Come True", "The Secret" and "Mrs. Chimnaz Is Asleep", all of which were warmly received by audiences. Rafig Aliyev's directing career is not limited to the Theatre for Young Spectators alone. Among the works he has successfully staged as a director are "Like Juice" at the Ibrus Theatre, "Hamlet" at the Academic National Drama Theatre, "Like a Lion" at the Istanbul Municipal Theatre, and "Flame" at the Gazakh State Drama Theatre. Engaged in a wide-ranging creative career, Rafig Aliyev has also worked as second director and casting director on a number of international film projects. Among the fine screen characters the distinguished actor has created in recent years are Ali Omarov in director R. Fataliyev's film "The Moment of Truth", the prison warden in "Count Krestovsky", captain Vanya in "The Ruler's Fate", the Leader in Orkhan Fikratoglu's film "Papakh", and the investigator in Mehriban Alakbarzade's film "Those Condemned to Death". Sharing his rich experience with newly established cultural venues distinguished by their fresh approach, such as the Ibrus Theatre and the Uns Creative Stage, Rafig Aliyev has created the roles of the Guest in the play "The Trust Telephone" and Nazim in "Farewell, City of the South" at the Ibrus Theatre, and the role of the Venetian in the play "Shakespeare" at the Uns Creative Stage. Rafig Aliyev has also actively participated in theatre festivals held in Azerbaijan and abroad. He has taken part in the First and Second International Theatre Festivals "Young Theatres of Russia" held in Omsk, Russia, and in the "Baltic House" festival held in St. Petersburg. He has chaired the organising committee of the "Fullness of Empty Space" and "New Theatre" festivals held in Azerbaijan. In addition, Rafig Aliyev has also worked as a producer. He produced the ritual tragedy "Ali and Nino" by Gurban Said, prepared in 2007 by the Creative Youth Centre-Laboratory of the Azerbaijan Union of Theatre Workers. Alongside his work in theatre and cinema, Rafig Aliyev taught for many years at the Musical Theatre Acting faculty of the Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Arts, passing on the secrets of his craft to the rising generation. From May 2004 until the end of his life, he served as deputy chairman for creative affairs of the Azerbaijan Union of Theatre Workers. He died in Baku on 16 April 2020 after a long illness.
