Alim Kouliev

Alim Kaisynovich Kouliev (born June 24, 1959) is a Soviet-born American actor, theatre director, and screenwriter of Balkar origin. Kouliev was born in Nalchik — a small city in USSR. His father was a Balkar poet Kaisyn Kuliev and his mother was his Ingush wife Maka. His elder brother Eldar Kuliev was a Russian film director and a screenwriter. His younger brother Azamat Kuliev is a Russian painter, living and working in Istanbul, Turkey. At the age of seven, Kouliev was influenced by Vladimir Visotsky, an acclaimed Russian actor, poet, and singer, and one of his father's younger colleagues in the poetry field. Alim later decided to become an actor.

Biography

He studied acting at the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts (GITIS) in Moscow. After serving in the Soviet Army, he was studying stage directing in GITIS, and continued his education at the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) in Moscow, where he graduated from the acting class of Yevgeny Matveyev, an acclaimed master of theater and cinema. His classmate was Natalya Vavilova.

Ever since he was a student, Kouliev appeared on the professional stage. His first significant role on stage was Mercutio in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet at Aleksandr Demidov Theater-Studio, where he also played Atavio in The Moods of Marianne by Alfred de Musset and Meleander in Maurice Maeterlinck's Aglavain and Selyzett. He broke into films starring as Joseph Codrero in Copper Angel with Leonid Kuravlyov, Anatoly Kuznetsov, Aleksandr Filippenko, Leonid Yarmolnik. He has twelve years of acting experience working in leading Moscow theaters and has had several roles in the famous Russian feature films. Kouliev created many great characters in classic and contemporary productions, under the best Russian theatrical directors.

In 1991, his life changed dramatically; he moved to the United States.

After a long break in his career as an actor, Kouliev made his comeback. In Los Angeles, he became a key member of the theatrical troupe Dreamhouse Ensemble, where he played Sasha Smirnoff in Room Service and Uncle Tobit in Jimmy Christ. In 2009, the producer-actor-director presented his "master project", his own stage adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov’s novel The Master and Margarita. Alim Kouliev performs extensively as an actor in the Hollywood film industry, on stage, and on TV.

Filmography

Stage

Acting YearTitleRoleNotes 1977 ..And Tomorrow Is The Fight SashkaMoscow Young Generation Theater, play 1977 Stop Malakhov HooliganMoscow Young Generation Theater, play 1978 Mozart and Salieri MozartRussian Academy of Theatre Arts, play 1981 Romeo and Juliet MercutioAleksandr Demidov Theater-Studio, play 1982 Aglovenn And Sellezet MelleanderAleksandr Demidov Theater-Studio, play 1982 She Without Love And Death CaptainAleksandr Demidov Theater-Studio, play 1982 Squareness Of Circle AbramAleksandr Demidov Theater-Studio, play by Valentin Kataev 1983 Three Musketeers AthosAleksandr Demidov Theater-Studio, play 1983 The Moods of Marianne OttavioAleksandr Demidov Theater-Studio, play 1983 Madame Bovary Charles BovaryGerasimov Institute of Cinematography, play 1983 The Cabal of Hypocrites BoutonGerasimov Institute of Cinematography, play 1984 The Devil's Disciple RichardGerasimov Institute of Cinematography, play 1984 The Lower Depths The BaronGerasimov Institute of Cinematography, play 1984 I Want To Be An Actor PashkaMoscow Theatre “Ermitazh” (Moscovsky Teatr Miniature), play 1985 Brandenburg Gates SergeantMoscow Theatre “Ermitazh” (Moscovsky Teatr Miniature), play 2003 Room Service Sasha SmirnoffThe Dreamhouse Ensemble Theater, Hollywood, play 2004 Jimmy Christ Uncle TobitThe Dreamhouse Ensemble Theater, Hollywood, play 2008 Master and Margarita WolandMaster Project Production, Hollywood, play 2018 Till Death Do Us Part ManRussian Masters Theatre Projects Production, Hollywood, play based on "Open Couple" by Dario Fo and Franca Rame. 2020 Wake Up Sleeping Beauty SergeiLos Angeles County Department of Mental Health, play

Directing YearTitleNotes 2008 Master and MargaritaMaster Project Production, Hollywood, play. Producer 2018 Till Death Do Us PartRussian Masters Theatre Projects Production, Hollywood, based on "Open Couple" by Dario Fo and Franca Rame play. Producer