Ostap Bender
Gomiashvili's involvement with Ilf and Petrov's satire started in 1958 when, assisted by Yuri Lyubimov, he produced the musical called "The Adventures of Ostap Bender" (based on "The Little Golden Calf" novel) where he played all the roles, including that of Zosya Sinitsina. In 1971 Leonid Gaidai, looking for the lead for his adaptation of "The Twelve Chairs", rehearsed 22 well-known actors (including Vladimir Vysotsky, Andrey Mironov, and Yevgeny Yevstigneev) to no avail. Then he found Gomiashvili who performed "The Adventures of Ostap Bender" in Gorky and signed the man. The actor's relationships with the director were strained throughout. According to Gomiashvili, Gaidai was trying to dumb down the Bender character whom the actor saw as being much more than just a brilliant crook. "The director wouldn't let me show the warmer side to my hero. As I saw the film I didn't like it at all," Gomiashvili said later.