Acting legend Mihal Popi (1909-1979)

Mihal Popi (1909 – 1979)
One of the veteran actor, belongs to the founding generation of the State Theater (Popular). Actor and director in the State Estrada. He deservedly holds the highest title “People’s Artist”

Born in Shkodër on November 7, 1909 in a family with many members and with little financial income. He headed the Jesuit primary school in his hometown and then, in 1921, together with his family, they moved to Tirana. Mihal Popi showed a passion for performing arts at a young age, thus, in 1924, he became active with the amateur theater groups of the city as he was that of the Tirana Society. It should be mentioned that at this time he went for a short time to the Bitola Monastery to become a priest, even there he had the Albanian literary genius Milosh Gjergj Nikollen – Migjen as his godfather. After five months, he returns to Tirana, leaving the religious school. But his true passion will be the Theater, and his innate acting skills lead him naturally to it.

In 1932, he created his own theater group “Tirana”, being its chairman. In this company, near the “Gloria” and “Nacional” cinemas, he performed several roles in Moliere’s comedies together with some well-known figures of the time, such as: Xhevat Serezi, Mihal Stefa, Hasan Reçi,

It is the time when Mihal Popi is admired by the Tirana public, who appoints him “the chief comedian of the city”.

He was also a photographer, a profession he practiced during the occupation of Albania (1939-1944), and he even opened his own photography studio near the new market in Tirana. During this period, he also worked as an actor at Radio Tirana. His talent as a born comic was noticed very quickly in parts such as: “Deafness”; “Two gentlemen without pants”; “Hell and man”; “The wicked remember to believe”; “Doctor Padiashka”; “Cubat” etc. gaining more and more sympathy from the audience.

Mihal Popi is among the first founding actors in the State Theater on May 24, 1945, which was named in 1947 “People’s Theatre”, and 1991 National Theater.

In the years 1945-1947 he attended the two-year professional development course at the theater called “Dramatic School”. In this theater he performed about 40 roles where he excelled in a special way in the role of the prefect Qazim Mulleti “The Prefect”, Anton Antonovich “The Auditor”, Falstaff “The Merry Wives of Windsor”, Zhurdeni “The Noble Bourgeoisie”, Senator Lington. On the stage of the theater, his career and interpretations are countless, from which we can mention some of them: “The fool” (Syleshi), “Microbourgeoisie”, “Tartufi”, “Plato Creciot”, “Deep Roots”, “There are no carnivals for cats” “, “Governor of the province”, “Character of Moscow”, “Makar Dubrava”, etc. In 1947, he played the role of Hafiz in the farce “Ceni hoxhe” by Besim Levonje, while in 1948 he wonderfully interpreted the character of Qazim Mullet in “The Prefect” by B. Levonje. This role made him more popular, giving him the well-deserved name as the most special and brilliant comic actor of the Albanian Theater. M. Popi has performed the role of Q. Mullet more than 250 times for 25 consecutive years, and it is surprising that none of the copies of this comedy exist. Excellent in this role, he used the heavy Tirana dialect as well as many details, finding comic accents, targeting the servility of a high official in the service of the conqueror, the corrupt politician, the shameless man with a false dignity.

In 1949, he played the role of Ahov in the comedy “There is no carnival for the cat” by O. Ostrovsky, pointing to greed and the vice of unsuitable postponed marriages at an age when they put the contending man in a ridiculous position to cry for trouble. .

Another major and unrepeatable role in his artistic career was that of Anton Antonovic in Gogol’s comedy “The Auditor”, staged in 1952, but actually played before in the 1947 version by M. Popi. Here, too, Mihal Popi brings to the stage the figure of another corrupt, deceitful and ambitious official, the Russian prefect of the government, the man of all tricks, bribes, cunning, braggart, etc.

In 1952, he skillfully played the role of Dom Gjoni in the satirical comedy “Dom Gjoni” by Kole Jakove. Of interest are other humorous and beautiful interpretations on Radio Tirana in the show “Happy Hour” together with Besim Levonje and Gjon Karmen, who became beloved by many listeners. In 1959, he stands out in the role of John Falstaff in Shakespeare’s comedy “The Merry Wives of Windsor”, strong comic contrasts of a man who hated and despised women but who would actually become their slave, between the Puritan knight and the enemy of beauty, but falling into the trap of this beauty. Mihal Popi is also remembered for his excellent interpretation of other roles, such as: the role of Rifaprata in Goldoni’s “Lady of the Inn” in 1962. In 1963 in the role of Zhurden in Moliere’s “Noble Bourgeoisie”.

The role of Felistan in G. Zapolska’s “Morals of Mrs. Dulska” in 1962 was also special, where he hardly said a word on stage but caused a lot of humor with his comic presence, silence, mimicry and reactions. His acting was amazing, basically it was very realistic. In his career in the theater, there are about 80 roles, although M. Popi had not finished any special school for acting, on the contrary, directors such as Kujtim Spahivogli and Pirro Mani called it a “school” for finishing Albanian acting.

He also gave a valuable help to the State Theater where he worked there for 10 years as a director and actor, (1955-1965, after the establishment of He continued to work on the stage until the 70s, performing a number of roles in short comedy acts. Mihal Popi’s acting was always characterized by his naturalness on stage , from the truth and simplicity. Mihal Popi was also a little active in the cinema due to the still initial development of the film in that period, he also participated in several feature films, starting with “Skenderbeu” (1953), in the role of Ballaban Pasha He always appeared as a “serious” and “dramatic” actor who found his character here and there: “Fortuna” (1959), “why is the drum beating” etc. In 1966 he retired, although he was always present on the stage. He was among the first four actresses to be awarded the title “People’s Artist”. The actor passed away on September 19, 1979 in Tirana.

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Other roles in the Theater : Platon Kreciot (1947); “Microbourgeois” (1947); “Provincial Governor” (1949); Senator Langton in the drama “Deep Roots” (1949); “Makar Dubrava” (1950); “Family Honor (1951); “Faith” (1951); People of Good Will” (1952); “The Stranger” (1957); Bourgeois in “Kremlin Hours” (1957); Murat Pasha in “Shate shaljanet” (1958; Vasil Ndreka in “The Fool – Syleshi” (1958); “King Lir” (1964) etc.

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Albanian cinematography in activity since 2013
Published for the first time in November 2014 and revised several times in the following years.
Reference: “Encyclopedic Publications” – 1998 (Miho Gjini); Individuality – Academy of Sciences, Study Center in Tirana, 2001 (p.69-87); High Institute of Arts, History of Albanian Theater, School Book Publishing House, 1985 vol. 3, p. 10-16……”Encyclopedia of Albanian Theater and Cinematography” – Toena 2009 (J. Papagjoni p. 356-358).

The photos are a contribution of the administrators of the page K.SH.

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