People's Artist Rafael Kotanjyan passed away aged 79, the ‘First Channel’ reports.
Rafael Kotanjyan was born in Tbilisi on September 9, 1942, and moved to Yerevan in 1946.
In 1960-1964 he studied at the acting faculty of the Yerevan Institute of Fine Arts and Theater.
In 1964-1966 he worked as an actor-director at the Shirvanzade Theater in Zangezur.
In 1966-1968 he was an actor of "Arshaluys" youth theater.
In 1968-1970 he attended higher courses in television directing in Moscow.
In 1970-1993 he worked at the Hrachya Ghaplanyan Drama Theater in Yerevan as an actor-director.
Kotanjyan starred in a number of films including including “Chaos,” “Diamond Hand,” “Foreign Games,” “Countess de Monsoro,” “For Honor” and others.
In 1980 he was awarded the title of Honored Artist of the Armenian SSR, in 2003 he was named People’s Artist of the Republic of Armenia, and was honored with a gold medal of the Ministry of Culture and the Movses Khorenatsi Medal. In 2017 he was awarded the Order of Merit for Services to the Homeland.
