Suimenkul Chokmorov

Acting Nov 9, 1939 Sep 26, 1992 (aged 53) Chong-Tash

Suimenkul Chokmorov (November 9, 1939 – September 26, 1992) was a Kyrgyz Soviet actor and painter who became one of the most recognizable faces of the Kyrgyz Miracle cinema wave during the 1960s and 1970s. He was named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1981.

Born in the village of Chong-Tash, Chokmorov initially pursued a career in the fine arts, graduating from the Leningrad Academy of Arts in 1964. He shifted to acting in his late twenties, making his film debut in Bolotbek Shamshiyev's A Shooting at the Karash Pass (1968). His screen presence and minimalist acting style quickly made him a frequent collaborator for leading Central Asian directors.

Chokmorov starred in several high-profile adaptations of Chingiz Aitmatov's literary works, including Jamilya (1968), The Ferocious One (1973), and The Red Apple (1975). He also appeared in regional action-dramas such as The Seventh Bullet (1972) and gained international exposure by playing a supporting role in Akira Kurosawa’s Oscar-winning Soviet-Japanese co-production Dersu Uzala (1975).

Throughout his career, Chokmorov balanced his work between film sets and his art studio, continuing to paint portraits and landscapes alongside his cinematic activities until his death in 1992.

20 Acting Credits

Suimenkul Chokmorov

Acting

Dersu Uzala

Dzhamilya

The Fierce One

The Seventh Bullet

The Red Apple

Gunshot at the Mountain Pass

Red Poppies of Issyk-Koul

Worship the Fire

Ulan

The Life and Death of Ferdinand Luce

Men Without Women

Early Cranes

Extraordinary Commissar

The First

Sunday Walks

Wolf Trap

Kanybek

The Apple of My Eye

I am Tian Shan

Waves Die On The Shore