'I came, I saw, I left'

EghtesadOnline: Having been housebound due to suffering from the Alzheimer’s for several years, renowned Iranian cinema and theater actor and producer Davoud Rashidi passed away at the age of 83 on Friday (Aug 26).

News ID: ۷۳۶۲۷۲

28 August 2016

Born in Tehran, the prominent veteran artist who had played eminent roles in theater, cinema and television productions was succumbed to a cardiac arrest earlier in the day in his house in the same town he was born, reports IRNA.

Following his demise, several high ranking Iranian officials and artists including Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Foreign Minister Mohamamd Javad Zarif as well as First Vice-President Es'haq Jahangiri in separate messages expressed their condolences over the passing away of veteran Iranian actor.

In a message President Rouhani said that Rashidi played 'a valuable role in promoting culture and art' in Iran and his grand and magnificent works had helped him become 'an eternal figure in the artistic history of the country.'

The Iranian president expressed hope that the “perseverance and artistry of Davoud Rashidi in creating lasting works would set an example for the young artists of our country.”

meanwhile, Zarif, while noting that demise of the popular artist Davoud Rashidi caused deep sorrow, offered his condolences over the great loss to the family of the deceased, art community as well as the Iranian nation.

Zarif also asked God to bestow His divine mercy to the venerable artist who committed his lifetime to the real of arts.

Graduated with a degree in political science from the University of Geneva in 1960 and attending the school of theater in Geneva, the iconic figure of the Iranian cinema and theater managed to receive the first class Order of Culture and Art in 2012 by the then Iranian president.

Acclaimed Iranian artist who was distinguished for his 'stony and cold' facial expression, Rashidi has played astonishing role in numerous cinema movies and television series, including Kamalolmolk, Hezardastan, Velayat-e Eshq and Atr-e Gol-e Yas and plays such as Waiting for Godot, Richard III, Victory in Chicago, Minus Two and Who is Mr. Schmit?

Basically a powerful actor on the theater stage, Rashidi's play in 'Victory in Chicago' was his most successful work in the Iranian theater which was warmly received by theater fans in Iran.

Meanwhile, Rashidi's role as Moffatesh Shesh Angoshti (Six-Fingered Inspector) was also considered among his most remembered plays by viewers.

Rashidi's last appearance in the Iranian cinema was in 2012 when he acted in Mehrshad Karkhani’s Ekbatan while he also had a role in Kolah Pahlavi TV series produced by Ziaeddin Dorri.

Rashidi in his latest note revealed after his demise wrote, 'I am not afraid of death. Death is a reality that man should accept. I love to die like my father all of a sudden. I do not want anything to be written on my gravestone. But, if I had to, I would prefer to choose the sentence 'I came; I saw; I left', alluding to 'veni, vidi, vici' which means 'I came; I saw; I conquered'. A Latin phrase popularly attributed to Julius Caesar.