Gerald Papasian

Born in Cairo to Armenian parents, Gerald Papasian comes from a renowned musical family that founded the first and largest music stores in the Near East in the 20th century. A cosmopolitan /multilingual artist, Gerald resides in Paris, where he has founded the Dikran Tchouhadjian Institute. In parallel to his international acting career, Gerald has produced and directed many works in English and French such as his own translation of the Western Premiere of the Opera Anoush at the Michigan Opera Theater. He is best known for his international tours with stage partner Nora Armani in Sojourn at Ararat, a multiple award-winning play (Drama-Logue Critics' Awards twice - 1987 & 1988). The duo performed the play at the Edinburgh & Avignon International Festivals, The Smithsonian Institute, The Sydney Opera House, and Joe's Pub at the Public Theater in N.Y. to name a few. Other productions by Papasian: Dentiste Pour Dames (Déjazet Theater-Paris), Dikran Tchouhadjian's opera Arshak II, restored in collaboration with Haig Avakian, staged at the San Francisco Opera by Francesca Zambello and the French premiere of Tchouhadjian's opera-bouffe Gariné in France. He has performed under the direction of Irina Brook internationally: The Good Person of Szechuan, Waiting for the Dream, and Somewhere La Mancha (for which he was nominated best actor for his portrayal of Sancho Panza). Film and T.V. credits include Nervous Ticks (w/Bill Pullman), Mauvais Joueurs and Aram (both w/Simon Abkarian), Quand La Ville Mord (w/Aïssa Maïga), 8th Wonderland (Nicolas Alberny, Jean Mach), Le piano (Levon Minassian), Mohamed Dubois (w/Eric Judor), Le French (w/Jean Dujardin), Histoire de fou (Robert Guediguian) Cannes Film Festival Official Selection, OTTG in a lead role, and more. . He starred in the International Emmy award-winning TV series Braquo on Canal+. Also for ARTE as the KGB head of bureau in Au Service de La France. Papasian is an Honorary Member of the National Theater of Armenia and was awarded the Gold Medal from the Ministry of Culture of Armenia in 2013 and the prestigious Movses Khorenatsi Presidential Medal in 2011. He works in the USA, France, and Armenia. He teaches, directs, produces, acts, and is a translator and dramaturg for operatic works.