The Iranian society of art and culture lost two veteran figures on December 29.
Veteran actor Valiollah Momeni suffered a fatal heart attack on Tuesday night, and veteran author of children’s stories Masumeh Zabbah passed away the same night after years of battling with cancer.
Momeni, 72, was one of the actors in the TV series ‘Shah’s Mystery’ being aired on IRIB channel 1 these days. The series is still being filmed at the Ghazali Cinema Town in western Tehran, and he was supposed to play in front of the camera on Wednesday, but his sudden death has created a void, IRNA reported.
Momeni was born in Ardabil, northwest Iran, and started his work as a voiceover artist at the age of 25. Later he took up acting and since 1981 he has acted in over 25 plays, films and series.
His roles as Mirza Koochak Khan (an early 20th century revolutionary who was considered a national hero in modern Iranian history) in the movie ‘The Commander of Forests,’ and Imam Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, in ‘Years of Incidents,’ were among his most notable performances. ‘Sarbadars’, ‘Heroes Do Not Die’, ‘Love Province’, ‘Foggy Tabriz’ and ‘Mokhtarnameh’ were some of the famous series in which he had a role.
He also lent his voice to several characters in different TV series including the Japanese serial ‘The Water Margin’ and the Japanese animated series ‘Around the World in 80 Days’. Many people still remember his voiceover as Sergeant Garcia in the Japanese animation ‘Legends of Zorro’.
Masumeh Zabbah, 56, was born in Korramabad, Lorestan Province in western Iran. She cooperated with many radio channels of IRIB in programs like ‘Good Night Little Child’ and ‘Friday Noon Tale’. Iranians are sure to recall listening to her stories, written for children as well as adults, in the programs, ISNA reported.
Moreover, she worked as the editor-in-chief for children’s magazines ‘Kayhan Children’ and ‘Roshd’ and compiled storybooks for children and young adults.
In the 1970s, she was one of the few women in Lorestan who staged plays for children based on popular Iranian folk tales.
