# Itzhak Fintzi

Itzhak Fintzi (Izko Fintzi, Ицко Финци) is a Bulgarian actor known for his work on stage and on screen.

## Biography

Born in Sofia, Bulgaria in 1933.
He graduated at the National Academy for Theater and Film Arts "Krastyo Sarafov" (Sofia, Bulgaria) in 1955 and in the same year began his career at the Municipal Theatre "Apostol Karamitev" - Dimitrovgrad (1955–1957). After that he performed at the Drama Theater "Adriana Budevska" - Burgas (1957 - 1960). Then he moved to Sofia.
In the period 1960 - 1966, he was part of the theatrical troupe of the Satiritical Theater "Aleko Konstantinov".
In the period 1967 - 1988 he performed at "Theater Sofia". The following two years he worked at the National Theater for youth "Lyudmila Zhivkova" (1988 - 1990). In 1990 he joined the theatrical troupe of the Little City Theatre "Off The Channel".
He performed on the stage of Theatre 199 "Valentin Stoychev". His footprints are placed on the Wall of fame there.
Aside from his stage work, Itzko Fintzi has starred in numerous Bulgarian films like "The Hare Census", "Villa Zone", "Belated Full Moon", "A Cricket in the Ear", "William Shakespeare: The Most Famous Person Who Never Existed".
In 2017, alongside the film director Liza Boeva, he created the educational platform for courses and lectures on Arts for children and adults - "Filizi 33". Among their recent courses are: "Italian and Northern Renaissance", "Hieronymus Bosch", "Pieter Brueghel The Elder", "Franz Kafka", "Oscar Wilde", and others.
Itzko performs in various theatrical lecture-spectacles like "Who killed Romeo and Juliet?" (2018, director: Liza Boeva, City Art Mark Center, Sofia, Bulgaria), "The Black Square" (2021, director: Liza Boeva, Little City Theatre "Off The Channel"), "The Master and Margarita". Bulgakov and the authority" (2022, director: Liza Boeva, Little City Theatre "Off The Channel").

## Awards

* "II prize", "for a male role" for the role of the old man from the play "When the Roses Dance" (1962)
* "II Prize" for the film "The Hare Census" (Varna, 1973)
* Critic's Award for the film "The Hare Census" (Varna, 1973)
* Honored Artist (1979)
* "Award of the CS of the SBP" "for acting achievement" for the role of Shiyaka in the film "Elegy" (Varna, 1982)
* The award "for a male role" for the role of Dimitar Lukov in the film "The Great Love of D. Lukov" (1983)
* The prize "for a male role" for the role of Hrily in the play "Puk" at the International Festival of Puppet Theaters (Varna, 1984)
* SBFD Best Actor Award for role in Belated Full Moon (1997)
* Askeer Lifetime Achievement Award (1991)
* Best Actor Award: at the International Television Film Festival - Prague
* "Best Actor" Award: at the "Golden Rose" International Film Festival - Varna
* "Best Actor" Award: at the Festival of Small Theater Forms - Vratsa
* Best Actor Award: Sofia Film Fest
* Order "Stara Planina" - 1st degree (2004)

## Theater Roles

* "Talks with Karel Čapek"
* "Sisyphus and Death" (Robert Merle) - Death
* "The Threepenny Opera" (Bertolt Brecht)
* "Molière" (Mikhail Bulgakov) - Molière
* "The Birthday Party" (Harold Pinter) - Stanley
* "Can't Pay? Won't Pay!" (Dario Fo)
* "The Light Is Lost At The Fifth Lamp"
* "Bedbug" (Vladimir Mayakovsky), 1960
* "The End of the Beginning" (Sean O'Casey), director: Metodi Andonov, 1965

## Voice Over Actor

Itzko Fintzi is a voice over actor for many audio tales of children stories like "Putz, Zhalturko and friends", "Pop!", "Nils Holgersson and the White Goose", "The Ebony Horse", "Robinson Crusoe" and others.
He is a voice over actor for many of Filizi 33's projects (audio lectures, documentary movie-lectures, feature films, short films and others).

## Filmography

| Year | Original Title | English Title | Co-production | Role | Notes |
| 2018 | Уилям Шекспир: най-известният човек, който никога не е съществувал | William Shakespeare: The Most Famous Person Who Never Existed | | T.S. Selznik, the voice of Philip | directed by Liza Boeva |
| 2018 | Времето е наше | Time is ours | | | |
| 2017 | Моторът | The Motorcycle | | | |
| 2017 | Крал Опа – („König Opa“) | King Grandpa | Germany | Clemens Opa | directed by Martin Grau |
| 2016 | Уилям Шекспир. Откъси от пиеси | William Shakespeare. Pieces of plays | | | directed by Liza Boeva |
| 2014 | Аз бях Джек Керуак | I was Jack Kerouac | | | directed by Liza Boeva |
| 2013 | Лятото на Мона Лиза | The Summer of Mona Lisa | | | directed by Liza Boeva |
| 2013 | Космос | Cosmos | | | directed by Liza Boeva |
| 2012 | Преди нощта да изтече | Before The Night Ends | | the father | directed by Katerina Borisova |
| 2012 | Вера | Vera | | | directed by Liza Boeva |
| 2011 | Миграцията на паламуда | The Migration of the Belted Bonito | | Strashilov | directed by Lyudmil Todorov |
| 2010 | Детето чудо – („L'enfant prodige“) | The Child Prodigy | Canada | Sergeï Rachmaninov | directed by Luc Dionne |
| 2009 | Бащината игра – („Das Vaterspiel“) | Kill Daddy Good Night | Austria/ Germany/ France/ Eire | Lucas | directed by Michael Glawogger |
| 2007 | 13 кратки опуса за голям екран | 13 Short Opuses for the Silver Screen | | | directed by Liza Boeva and Itzko Fintzi |
| 2007 | Летете с Росинант | Fly By Rosinant | Bulgaria/Serbia/Austria | | directed by Georgi Stoev |
| 2007 | Малки разговори | | | | |
| 2007 | Чифликът на чучулигите – („La masseria delle allodole“) | The Lark Farm | Italy/Bulgaria/Spain/France/Germany | grandpa Hovannes | directors: Paolo Taviani and Vittorio Taviani |
| 2006 | Заекът на Ватанен – („Le lièvre de Vatanen“) | | Belgium/ Bulgaria/ France | Inouc | directed by Marc Rivière |
| 2006 | Пазачът на мъртвите | Warden of the Dead | | old man Angel | directed by Iliyan Simeonov |
| 2006 | Докосване | | | professor Pavlov | |
| 2006 | Март | | | | |
| 2004 | Откраднати очи | | Bulgaria/Turkey | the grandfather | |
| 2004 | Боси | Bare-feet | | the blind man | directed by Liza Boeva |
| 2001 | Бунтът | Uprising | USA | Rabbi Lebowicz | directed by Jon Avnet |
| 2001 | И Господ слезе да ни види Посетени от Господ – алтернативно заглавие | The Lord came down to see us (Visited by God - alternative title) | | Francophone writer | |
| 2001 | Съдбата като плъх (тв) | | Bulgaria/Macedonia | | |
| 2001 | Градът на страха“ | City of Fear | Canada/ UK/ Bulgaria/ USA | Timoshenko („Emil Boev“) | |
| 2001 | Сивата зона | The Grey Zone | USA | | |
| 2000 | Пансион за кучета | | | Charlie Chaplin | |
| 1999 | Вишнева градина | The Cherry Orchard | Greece/Cyprus/France | the foreigner | |
| 1999 | Операция Делта Форс 4: Смъртна опасност | Operation Delta Force 4: Deep Fault | USA | General Kisimir Nabiža | |
| 1998 | Ден и половина от живота на Маргарита | | | | |
| 1998 | Дълбоко в сърцето – („In fondo al cuore“) | | Italy | | |
| 1996 | Всичко от нула | | | the elder actor | |
| 1996 | Закъсняло пълнолуние | Belated Full Moon | Bulgaria/Hungary | the old man | directed by Eduard Zahariev |
| 1996 | Завръщане у дома | ? | | Max | |
| 1994 | Тя – (Elle) | Her | France/Bulgaria/Chili/Switzerland/Portugal | | |
| 1993 | Душевен смут | | Hungary | | |
| 1990 | („Neuschwanstein sehen und sterben“) | | Germany | professor Petkov | |
| 1993 | Голгота | | Germany/ Bulgaria | | |
| 1993 | Фатална нежност | | | | |
| 1991 | Резерват | | Bulgaria/ Hungary | Vasil | |
| 1990 – 1993 | Съдебни хроники | | | the lawyer/ the judge/ the inspector | |
| 1990 | Под игото | | Bulgaria/ Hungary | hadji Atansiya | |
| 1990 | Племенникът чужденец | | | Kyun | |
| 1990 | Разходки с ангела | | | the painter | |
| 1990 | Немирната птица любов | | | the director | |
| 1990 | Лагерът | | | the voice of elder Todor | |
| 1989 | Разводи, разводи | Divorces, divorces | | the photographer | |
| 1989 | Аз, Графинята | | | dr. Gerenski, the psychiatrist | |
| 1988 | Пибипкащият нос | | | | |
| 1987 | Патилата на Спас и Нели | The Adventures of Spas and Nelly | | the chimney sweeper | |
| 1987 | Само ти, сърце | | | Archimandrite Hessarius, Sasho | |
| 1985 | Константин Философ | | | Halil (Dimitrii) | |
| 1985 | Характеристика | | | Penchev | |
| 1985 | Пътят на музикантите | | | the old man | |
| 1984 | Романтична история | | | the director | |
| 1983 | Господин за един ден | | | the tax collector | |
| 1983 | Константин Философ | | | Halil (Dimitrii) | |
| 1983 | Търси се нова майка | | | | |
| 1982 | Голямата любов на Д. Л. (тв) | The big love of D.L. | | Dimitar Lukov | |
| 1982 | Елегия | Elegy | | Ivan Shiyaka | directed by Eduard Zahariev |
| 1982 | („Szívzür“) | | Hungary | dr. Gati | |
| 1981 | Нашият Шошканини | Our Shoshkanini | | Docho Shoshkov | directed by Georgi Stoev |
| 1980 | Чонтвари – („Csontváry“) | Csontváry | Hungary | Csontvary | directed by Zoltán Huszárik |
| 1980 | Въздушният човек | | | Kusho | |
| 1979 | Бумеранг | | | the violin player | |
| 1979 | Случки на открито (тв) | | | | |
| 1978 | По дирята на безследно изчезналите | | | Todor Strashimirov | |
| 1978 | Чуй петела | Hear the Rooster | | the old veteran | |
| 1978 | Утрото е неповторимо | | | Kasamov | |
| 1977 | Слънчев удар | | | Dragiev | |
| 1976 | Над Сантяго вали – („Il pleut sur Santiago“) | | Bulgaria/ France | Minister of the Economics | |
| 1976 | Щурец в ухото | A Cricket in the Ear | | Gosho | directed by Georgi K. Stoyanov |
| 1976 | Земя без въздух | | | | |
| 1975 | Белег за човещина | | | the inspector | |
| 1975 | Вилна зона | Vila Zone | | Yonko | directed by Eduard Zahariev |
| 1974 | Гардеробът | The Wardrobe | | доцентът | |
| 1974 | На чисто | | | Gurkov | |
| 1974 | Баща ми бояджията (тв) | My Father, the painter | | the agent | directed by Stefan Dimitrov |
| 1974 | Къщи без огради | Houses without fences | | the architect | |
| 1973 | Преброяване на дивите зайци | The Hare Census | | Asenov | directed by Eduard Zahariev |
| 1973 | Последната дума | The Last Word | | the priest | |
| 1973 | Бягство в Ропотамо | Escape to Ropotamo | | dr. S. Penkov | directed by Rangel Valchanov |
| 1973 | Сиромашко лято | Poor man's summer | | Tsvetarski | directed by Milen Nikolov |
| 1973 | Зелена слънчева пътека | The Green Sunny Path | | Doctor Oh-it-hurts | |
| 1972 | Голямата победа (тв) | Big win (TV) | | Izko, the actor | |
| 1972 | Трета след слънцето | Third after the Sun | | Nedev, the commander | |
| 1971 | Шарен свят (тв) | Colorful world (TV) | | the lieutenant | |
| 1971 | Края на песента | The End of the Song | | Deli Mehmed | directed by Milen Nikolov |
| 1970 | Весела антология (тв) | Merry Anthology (TV) | | the blind musician | |
| 1970 | Задушница | | | the blind musician | |
| 1969 | Птици и хрътки | Birds and Hounds | | the inventor of the machines for the trials | |
| 1967 | Морето | The Sea | | the inspector | directed by Petar Donev |
| 1959 | Звезди – („Sterne“) | Stars | Germany/ Bulgaria | a Greek Jew | directed by Konrad Wolf |

## Books

* "Five plays told by an actor" ("Пет пиеси, разказани от актьор"). Sofia, 2024. Publisher: "Filizi 33". ISBN 978-619-92797-0-0
* "The Motorcycle, Romulus the Great, The Naive, Then Again in Sao Paulo, What Am I to Peter Brook?, Bobo and Other Readings". Sofia, 2009. Publisher: Riva. ISBN 978-954-320-271-3.