Shukufa Yusupova

Shukufa Muhaddin gizi Yusupova was born on May 30, 1954, in Baku. As a student in the course led by the outstanding director Mehdi Mammadov, the young actress played the role of Tatyana in her teacher's 1974 production of Samad Vurgun's drama "Man" at the Academic National Drama Theatre. Around that time the young actress was released from an assignment because she was appearing in the films "The Sound of the Tutek" and "The Cares of Happiness" at the "Azerbaijanfilm" studio. When the Academic Theatre's chief director Tofig Kazimov was staging "The Sword and the Pen" (Mammad Said Ordubadi), he invited Shukufa Yusupova to play the role of Rana. In 1976 the actress was taken onto the acting company of the Academic National Drama Theatre. At the Academic National Drama Theatre, Shukufa Yusupova has performed the following roles: Anyuta ("The Flood", A. Safronov); the defendant's wife ("The Investigation", Rustam Ibrahimbayov); Tahmina ("Khurshidbanu Natavan", Ilyas Afandiyev); Zara khanim ("Our Strange Fate", Ilyas Afandiyev); Sadagat ("In the Crystal Palace", Ilyas Afandiyev); Hamida khanim ("I Have Come for You", Anar); Khavar ("The Devil", Huseyn Javid); Gulnar ("Vagif", Samad Vurgun); Anna ("The Lower Depths", Maxim Gorky); Shola khanim ("The Vizier of the Lankaran Khan", Mirza Fatali Akhundzade); Lucie ("The Unburied Dead", J.-P. Sartre); Zahra khanim ("The Old House", Ali Amirli); Sona Arablinskaya ("The Patron", Ali Amirli); the Woman ("The Murderer", Elchin); Hasanzade's wife ("The Boy Flower", Ilyas Afandiyev). The actress has also appeared in televised productions on Azerbaijan State Television, including N. Hajizade's "Live, Oh Truth" (Umbulbanu), Jean Cocteau's "The Human Voice" (the Woman), and M. Norman's "'night, Mother" (the daughter). Among the Academic Theatre's actresses, Shukufa Yusupova is also one of the most frequently cast in film. Beginning in 1974, she has appeared in films such as "Four Sundays" (the master's daughter), "Birthday" (Rana), "1002 Nights" (Sheherazade), "Music with Khash" (the Woman), "Asif, Vasif, Aghasif" (the mother), "Memories of a Pomegranate Tree" (Madina), "The Legend of Gumushgol" (Saida), and "Hope" (the mother), among others. Shukufa Muhaddin gizi Yusupova was awarded the honorary title of Honoured Artist of the Republic of Azerbaijan in 1991 and People's Artist in 2005. She received the Presidential Prize on May 9, 2012, April 30, 2014, and May 6, 2015. On June 3, 2014, she was awarded the Order of "Shohrat" (Glory). On May 6, 2016, she was granted a personal pension from the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. On March 10, 2024, she was awarded the "Sanatkar" (Master Artist) medal established by the Azerbaijan Union of Theatre Workers.