Actor Romualds Ancans: biography and filmography

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

In 1975, the premiere of the adventure musical film "Arrows of Robin Hood", directed by Sergei Tarasov, took place in the Soviet Union.

The plot is based on the English medieval ballads about the noble leader of the forest robbers Robin Hood. The picture tells how Robin Hood helped the young knight pay off his debts and marry Lady Anna.

At the box office, the film was watched by almost 30 million viewers. For the Soviet actor Romualds Antsans, participation in the filming of Robin Hood's Arrows has become one of the most famous works of his entire career. However, the list of his roles does not end there: Ancans played in 48 more films and 16 performances.

Biography

Romualds Ancans was born on April 1, 1944 on the Stari farm in the Lebanese region of Latvia.

In 1969, after graduating from the Riga Evening High School, the future actor entered the Latvian State Conservatory at the theater department. He received his diploma in 1974.

BIn his final year of study at the Romualds Ancans Conservatory, he began working at the Rainis Art Theater (currently called the Dailes Theatre). He played in such performances as "A Brief Instruction in Love" (character Kaleis), "The Last Barrier" (the role of Kirskalns), "Minutes of a Meeting" (character Solomakhin) and others.

The role of Willie Stutley in the film "Arrows of Robin Hood" was Anzance's debut in the cinema - before that he could only be seen in the theater. Participation in the filming of the film by Sergei Tarasov was followed by other work in the cinema.

The last film with Romualds Ancans was released in 2010 - it was the film "Rudolf's Legacy", in which the actor played the role of Rudolf Rudups.

Ancans died on September 15, 2011 at the age of 67 in Riga. The cause of death was hepatitis. According to the memoirs of Janis Streicha, director of Rudolf's Legacy, the actor fell ill in the summer and died out in just a month.

Private life

Not much is known about Romualds Ancans' personal life. He was married to a woman named Anna, with whom he lived until his death in 2011. There is no reliable data on whether the spouses had children and where the actor's wife is currently located.

Roles in the theater

Before appearing in Robin Hood's Arrows, Romualds Ancans worked in theater. One of his first roles was Kaleis in a play based on the play by the Latvian playwright Rudolfs Blaumanis A Brief Instruction in Love.

The main theme of the play, permeating the entire narrative, is love, not only in a romantic sense, but also as a feelingattachment to the native land, relatives, friends.

Romualds Ancans did not leave work in the theater even after his film debut:

• in 1977 he played Kaspar in the play "The Twins of the Devil's Ridge" based on the novel by the Latvian writer Egon Livs;
• in 1979 - Dausprung in the play "Mindovg";
• in 1980 - Karlis in "Ash alley".

The last role of the actor in the performance of the Rainis Art Theater is Maitre Buis in the play "Freddie". It was an episodic character: since the early 1990s, Ancans did not have big roles. In 1997, he left the theater, devoting himself entirely to cinema.

Movie roles

The second feature film with the participation of Romualds Ancans was the drama "Under the Overturned Moon", directed by Erik Latsis, which premiered in 1976. Antzans played a navigator in a seiner team fishing in the Atlantic Ocean.

The same year, Ada Neretniece's two-part film "Death Under Sailing" was released, in which the actor played the role of a reporter.

One of Anzance's first major roles was Commissioner Martin Beck in the detective film Unfinished Dinner. In the story, Beck investigates the mysterious murder of the director of a large concern, which took place in an expensive restaurant.

In 1985, the film “Document P” was released, based on the novel of the same name by Irving Wallace. The action takes place in the near future, at the beginning of the XXI century. In the US, a conspiracy is being prepared against the president:several politicians are planning to assassinate their leader in order to establish dictatorial power. Romualds Ancans played the role of Christopher Collins in this film.

Many also know the actor from the five-episode military drama "Special Forces". Antzans played SS-Sturmbannführer Ulrich von Ortel.

In his latest film Rudolf's Legacy, the actor also played the lead role of the man whose name is mentioned in the film's title, Rudolf Rudup. This is an old lonely and rich bachelor, a soldier of the tsarist army, who recently returned from a military campaign.