Childhood and youth
Teimuraz Tania was born and raised in Sukhumi; the nationality of the comedian does not raise any questions. At home, Timur graduated from secondary school, and in 1998 he entered the Abkhaz State University at the Faculty of Economics. At this university he made his first appearance on stage as part of a competition, where he offered the audience a humorous miniature. Later, at another creative festival, Timur Taniya became the winner in the “Best Pantomime” category.
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Timur Taniya as a child and his mother
In his 2nd year, he finally decided that the specialty he was studying would not become his profession. Not only did financial disciplines fail to captivate the young man, but the economic situation in Abkhazia did not allow him to rely on the application of the acquired knowledge.
Timur recalls that in coursework he regularly had to use the expression “if” in relation to the methodology for conducting banking operations. Therefore, he soon became completely immersed in the creative process and, in addition to playing in KVN, which he was already doing professionally by the time he graduated from high school, he performed in the state dance ensemble “Caucasus”.
Timur Tania: “I’m afraid of my wife when she repairs the washing machine”
Timur Tania
THE LAST TIME I CRIED BECAUSE ... I was chopping an onion while I was cooking dinner.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY SOME ... step over themselves and go against their conscience. Situations are different, and, of course, it happens that you have to do this, but there are also those who do this unnecessarily, just for the sake of petty gain. And vice versa, I admire people who move towards a goal without changing their principles, remaining themselves. For them, the word “honesty” is not an empty phrase; they have convictions in life and treat others with respect.
I WILL NEVER EAT ... something completely inedible - a stone, for example. In general, I am ready to try any cuisine of the world and national dishes of different countries. In this way I get to know the culture of other peoples. My taste buds are hungry for new discoveries!
AT NIGHT I OFTEN SEE ... Malevich's square. And to be honest, I don’t remember my dreams at all lately. I sleep soundly and peacefully, otherwise the next day I won’t be able to work productively—I’ll be distracted.
WHEN THEY RECOGNIZE ME ON THE STREET, THEY USUALLY SAY ... “Oh, Once Upon a Time in Russia, say hello to Olya and Azamat!”
Timur will not refuse children a fairy tale, even if he is very tired
IF I HAD TO LISTEN TO THE SAME SONG FOR THE rest of my life, I WOULD ... without hesitation choose the track by Dzharo & Hanza “Whiskey, Cola, Queen of the Dance Floor”, because it plays absolutely everywhere now, including in my head.
TO MAKE ME LAUGH, YOU NEED ... just my good mood. In fact, it’s not so difficult - I’m almost always in a good mood.
I DIDN’T BECOME A CIRCUS PERFORMER BECAUSE ... no one invited me there. Although I really love everything about this place. It’s a pity that I didn’t receive such offers at one time; a good representative of this unusual type of art died inside me.
THE WORST THING THAT HAPPENED TO ME ON SET WAS ...Having my role cancelled. There were times when I had already gotten used to the character as much as possible, but in the end the character’s line was simply removed. It's a shame!
WHEN I STAND IN MOSCOW TRAFFIC TRAFFIC FOR A LONG TIME, USUALLY ... I listen to the radio, I can look for something on my phone, watch passers-by, catch their emotions, thereby charging myself with positivity.
WHEN I'M IN A BAD MOOD, I ... immediately try to correct the situation. For me, such a state means giving up, and I can’t afford it.
I'M AFRAID OF MY WIFE WHEN SHE ...repairs the washing machine. The question immediately arises: what else can my soulmate do?!
THE MOST DIFFICULT THING ABOUT BEING AN ACTOR is... finding the right image and your genre. Comedy is the closest thing to me, I work a lot in this direction. I would also like to try myself in a dramatic role. But I understand that I need to acquire the appropriate skills.
IN NO WAY PEOPLE THINK THAT ALL ABKHAZIANS ...are handsome. Although, perhaps, I will not try to dissuade them! Seriously, I think that everyone is attractive in their own way, but in general, appearance is not the main thing, especially for a man.
ON THE SET OF “ONCE UPON A TIME IN RUSSIA” ON TNT, FOR THE FIRST TIME … I played a mannered director. By the way, many new images are expected in the next season. However, some old ones will remain. There will definitely be a lot of humor. Naturally, in first place in terms of ridicule is the social topic with all its acute moments.
I CONSIDER MY MOST HARMFUL HABIT … smoking. This is an addiction that needs to be gotten rid of, but somehow it hasn’t worked out yet.
Comedian with his wife
AT THE FACULTY OF ECONOMICS I LEARNED ... everything, just not to spend money wisely. In my second year, I became slightly disillusioned with finances, which did not exist as such. My diploma described business processes that, in principle, did not exist in Abkhazia at that time. Almost every paragraph of the work began with the words “If it were possible to carry out operations ...”, so it was more reminiscent of probability theory. As a result, I did not work a single day in the field in which I received my education. By the time I graduated from high school, I had already been playing KVN professionally for two years.
MY REFRIGERATOR ALWAYS HAS ...what my wife put in it. She's an amazing cook. The children and I are always delighted with her dishes.
IF MY CELL PHONE IS TAKEN AWAY FOR A WEEK, THEN ...the world will end. The 21st century is the era of technology, people have become so dependent on gadgets that the mere thought of life without them becomes scary.
CHILDREN OFTEN ASK ME ... to tell me a fairy tale. And I never refuse. Even after a long day of filming, I understand how important this is for them.
IT'S BETTER NOT TO TOUCH ME WHEN ... I'M EATING. Each person has his own personal space. For example, I don’t like being distracted from lunch. In addition, we were taught from childhood: “When I eat, I am deaf and dumb.” So communicating with your mouth full is not my thing.
IF I COULD GO BACK TO THE PAST, I WOULD definitely take that chance. Not to change anything, I just wouldn’t mind experiencing happy moments again.
LOOKING IN THE MIRROR, I THINK THAT I AM ... STILL 25. I don’t understand how it is that time flies so quickly. But what’s more important is how old you are in your heart, isn’t it?
I WILL NEVER SUBSCRIBE TO ... a fortune teller on INSTAGRAM. I always avoid such accounts.
I DID NOT BUY A HELICOPTER BECAUSE ... in Moscow there is often bad weather and problems with parking, and you can’t build a garage of that size in the yard.
I WOULD BE VERY SURPRISED IF ... I found the keys to the apartment under the pillow. I've been looking for them for a long time! I'm generally lucky with stories like this; I can find a lost item in the most unusual place.
Photo: TNT press service, Instagram
KVN
The team, which was later renamed Narty from Abkhazia, first played in the Voronezh Start league, and in 2002 entered the Moscow Olimp league. The guys were not taken seriously for a long time, especially by officials, whom they turned to for financial help. The captain's father was also dissatisfied. The attitude, according to Tania, changed when those around them began to say “that it was not Vladimir who came with his son, but Timur with his father.”
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Zakhar Vikharev and Timur Taniya in their youth
Taniya talks about her victory in “Voting KiViN” with special trepidation, because it was the first of such a scale. “Narts” then beat such masters as “Ural Dumplings”, “Pyatigorsk Team” and “RUDN Team”. At that time, Ararat Keshchyan, who later became Tania’s friend, fought for the honor of the Peoples’ Friendship University.
In 2005, “Narts” scored the same number of points in the final with their rivals from the Moscow “Megapolis” and became the champions of the Major League for the first time in their history. Later, Timur Tania raised the KVN Summer Cup in 2008 and 2010, as well as the gold and presidential “KiViNov” music festival in Jurmala in 2009.
First victory
One of the most significant first victories of the “Narts from Abkhazia” team was won in 2004, when we went to the Jurmala festival “Voting KiViN”. There we already performed with teams from the KVN major league; At the same time, the anniversary Kivin was played. And it so happened that we took first place. Our opponents were such great teams as “Ural Dumplings”, “Burnt by the Sun”, “Pyatigorsk Team”. To win when such famous teams are competing with you is incredible. Emotions at that moment overwhelmed all of us, there was complete euphoria. Some of us even shed tears; I won’t name his name, because today he may be a big official. (laughs)
Movies
Tania’s breakthrough as an actor came after the release of the comedy sitcom about the life of a Russian-Caucasian family, “Friendship of Peoples.” Timur Tania won the right to play the head of the Muslimov family over such stars as Mikhail Galustyan and Dmitry Nagiyev. Actors from Austria and the USA were also considered for this role, but the Abkhaz artist was personally approved by the creator of the project, Shaban Muslimov.
Another popular project with Timur’s participation started in 2014. The humorous show “Once Upon a Time in Russia” began broadcasting on the TNT channel and is a comedy television show on the verge of the absurd. Taniya has a wide variety of roles, but most of all he likes to play traffic police officers and other government officials.
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Actor Timur Tania
The comedy “Thanks to Grandfather for the Victory” is not just a dream come true about having your own film. This is also Tania’s thesis work as a director and screenwriter: he completed a special course with Vladimir Fenchenko and Vladimir Khotinenko. It took Timur 3 years to write the script; the Russian Ministry of Culture helped finance the project.
In 2020, Timur Tania played a sports coach in Ara Hovhannisyan’s romantic comedy “Take the Blow, Baby.” The central characters of the melodrama are twin sisters Sveta and Tanya (both roles were played by Ekaterina Vladimirova).
Personal life
The actor met Diana, a companion in his personal life, in 2002 at the birthday party of a neighbor who was the sister of his friend. From the first minute, Taniya realized that this modest, able to behave in public and, of course, beautiful girl would be his wife. The couple are raising sons Bagrat and Ainar and daughter Naala.
Timur is a caring family man. The interests of his wife and children are his priority. After finishing playing in KVN, he stayed in Moscow and, at every opportunity, came to Sukhumi, where his relatives lived. In 2018, the artist moved his family to the Russian capital.
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Timur Tania with his family
The actor does not recognize loneliness. For him, the best relaxation is to be in a cheerful, friendly company. Timur goes hunting and fishing with friends, although the game and catch are not important. The main thing is communication with dear people. Tania doesn’t like to cook, but if she does, she makes excellent kebabs, pasta or steaks.
On Instagram, where the comedian has hundreds of thousands of subscribers, photos from family and friend gatherings often appear. The artist also likes to post selfies and travel photos.
“I still don’t know my neighbors”
— Have you personally encountered manifestations of nationalism? Maybe there was some specific, illustrative case?
- You know, I was lucky, and in my life I met many more good people than bad ones. And I am friends with many of them.
Among them there are representatives of different nationalities and religions, but we understand each other perfectly. Perhaps this is friendship of peoples for me. To be honest, nationality doesn’t matter to me at all, the main thing is the inner content of a person. Well, of course, the residents of Moscow are different from, say, the residents of Abkhazia. Let me give you an example. I have been renting an apartment in Moscow for a long time. And I still don’t know my neighbors, can you imagine?! Moreover, they don't know me either. In Abkhazia, this is simply impossible. If a new person comes to us and rents an apartment, residents of the neighboring houses will come to meet him!
“Once Upon a Time in Russia”, new season, from April 17 at 21:00 on TNT
Timur Tania now
“Narts from Abkhazia” give several concerts a year. Colleagues have something to discuss when they meet; in addition, they share their experience with young Kaveen players. Timur continues to make sparkling jokes in the show “Once Upon a Time in Russia”, writes scripts for events and corporate events, participates in charity events and does not part with cinema.
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Timur Tania in 2020
In 2018, the actor starred in the comedy anthology “Zomboyashchik” as an Afghan terrorist. The image on the brink, as Tania himself described it, turned out to be unexpectedly funny and touching. The acting ensemble of the film included Alexander Revva, Azamat Musagaliev, Roman Yunusov and other stars of the Comedy Club and “Once Upon a Time in Russia.”
The artist, it seems, will not soon receive the coveted serious role: the next film with his participation is again a comedy. “The Taming of the Mother-in-Law” was directed by Vladimir Basov, the youngest, the son of actors Natalya Fateeva and Vladimir Basov. The main roles are assigned to Elena Valyushkina, Elizaveta Arzamasova and Kristina Babushkina.
Teimuraz Tania on social networks:
Vkontakte: vk.com/id166191738 Instagram: instagram.com/tteymuraz
Timur Tania Born in Abkhazia, he studied at a regular high school and was always in the center of attention, but at that age he did not yet understand that he wanted to become an actor. The idea to connect my life with stage and cinema arose in my first year at university.
Timur entered the economics department, studied well, but due to the unstable economy of the country at that time, the future profession of an actor was irrelevant in advance. Despite this, Taniya performed almost perfectly all the tasks in the subjects, but devoted most of his time to the stage.
For the first time he appeared on stage with a small miniature - the “Student Spring” competition was taking place, and a little later, at another festival, Timur took first place, performing a humorous pantomime.
When the KVN games gained popularity in Abkhazia, Taniya was already performing with all his might with his comic skits - it is not surprising that he immediately became part of the student team, which was later called “Narts from Abkhazia”. Timur led the team, under his leadership the guys first won regional competitions, then got into the Voronezh League, and only then into the Moscow League.
From 2002 to 2010, the KVN team actively competed in the Major League , occupying a leadership position. This is one of the few teams that use the traditions of the people in their performances, and the guys also fascinated with their singing - everyone knows how Timur sings, although he has no musical education.
In 2012, another important event occurred in Tania’s life, which influenced his future life - the comedian was invited to star in the film “August. Eighth." And although this was not his first film role, after this work Timur realized how much he liked the filming process itself.
In 2013, the KVN member was invited to the filming of the comedy sitcom “Friendship of Peoples ,” and among his competitors were other actors, Mikhail Galustyan and Dmitry Nagiyev. The creator of the project even then said that a more colorful Abkhazian could not be found and could not be replaced either by an Armenian or by the sex symbol of the country.
Since 2014, Taniya has been part of the show “Once Upon a Time in Russia” and to this day actively performs in it, taking on various images. The charming Timur has a lot of work under his belt, but each time he approached them with special zeal - his colleagues unanimously insist that they do not know a more positive and responsible person.
And his relatives are proud of Timur, because once on television he never disgraced his people and family.
In his personal life, Taniya is no less responsible, he has a wonderful wife and children , and in his plans they always come first. The actor is a very family man, he does everything for the sake of his loved ones and devotes every free minute to communicating with them. Timur, in principle, cannot stand loneliness; he often goes fishing with friends, hunts, meets them on walks and at each other’s houses.
Recently, the artist began performing on the theater stage - he plays an oligarch in the play “Fools,” and in 2016 a film with his participation, “Take the Blow, Baby,” was released.
