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Arthur Sarkissian's 40-year career has established him as one of Hollywood's most successful producers. Over the course of his career, Sarkissian has developed and produced feature films that have dominated the domestic and global landscape, with box office receipts totaling close to one billion dollars. His biggest hits include the Rush Hour franchise, While You Were Sleeping, Last Man Standing and The Foreigner. Sarkissian's latest feature films are the action-thriller The Protege directed by starring Maggie Q, Michael Keaton and Samuel L. Jackson along with the thriller Memory starring Liam Neeson, both directed by Martin Campbell.

Throughout his long career, Sarkissian has put a premium on creativity, with a progressive eye and entrepreneurship that have been the common denominators in his formula for success. It is this approach and ability to produce a big budget blockbuster that has made him one of the most sought after producers in the business.

In the '70s and '80s, he produced films like Beyond Reason and Wanted: Dead or Alive. However, it was not until the 1990's that Sarkissian's films transcended box-office expectations. In 1995, Sarkissian released While You Were Sleeping, starring Sandra Bullock, which became one of the year's biggest hits grossing over $190 million worldwide.

In 1997, Sarkissian discovered and developed the first Rush Hour film, pairing the unlikely duo of Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan, as well as tapping the then up-and-coming director Brett Ratner. The first film-which grossed more than $140 million domestically and another $103 million internationally-made history by being the highest grossing independent film released in September or October as well as becoming one of the highest grossing films in the history of New Line Cinema. In 2001, the second installment of the Rush Hour series solidified Sarkissian's position as a hit-maker when the movie earned $347 million worldwide. Rush Hour 3 was released in 2007, turning the franchise into a $900 million hit.

In the fall of 2012 and in conjunction with CBS Television, Sarkissian created and executive produced his first TV series, Vegas, about the legendary Las Vegas Sheriff Ralph Lamb, to critical acclaim. More recently, Sarkissian produced a spin-off television series of the Rush Hour franchise again in conjunction with CBS Television.

Other projects on the horizon for Sarkissian include: The Red Circle, a retelling of Jean-Pierre Melville's classic 1970 film; Le Cercle Rouge and the next install in the Rush Hour franchise.

Svetlana Svetlichnaya is a Soviet and Russian theater and film actress, Honored Artist of the Russian SFSR. Even in kindergarten, she began attending a drama club, and later continued to study in a theater studio during her school years. Her mother played a huge role in her becoming an actress. Her mother herself dreamed of becoming an actress in her youth, but she married a military man and tried to realize her dream through her daughter. In her youth, Svetlana was actively involved in sports - she played volleyball, basketball, did athletics, gymnastics, and swam well.

In 1958, at the insistence of her mother, Svetlana entered VGIK, which she graduated from in 1963, taking the course of Mikhail Romm. Andrei Konchalovsky, Galina Polskikh, and Valeriy Nosik studied with her on the course. After graduating from university, she joined the troupe of the Film Actor's Studio Theater.

She made her film debut in 1960 in Mikhail Kalik's film Kolybelnaya (1960). And she played her first big role - Nadya Kolchina - in Tatyana Lioznova's film Im pokoryaetsya nebo (1963) in 1961, while still a student at VGIK. She received widespread love from viewers after her role as the fatal temptress Anna Sergeevna in the comedy The Diamond Arm (1969). She is also remembered for many of her other roles - the lady in Father Sergius (1979), Gabi in Seventeen Moments of Spring (1973), the flight attendant in the drama Nepodsuden (1969).

He studied in Leninakan Art College and Theatre Studio, then finished at the Acting Department of Yerevan Institute of Fine Arts and Theatre. Since 1953 he has performed in the Sundukyan Drama Theatre of Yerevan. He also directed many successful productions, best of them Maxim Gorky's "The Lower Depths". His cinema career began in 1955. His famous roles in Aybolit-66 (1967), Kidnapping, Caucasian Style (1967), Mimino (1977) earned him the reputation of one of the leading comedy actors in the Soviet Union. But that reputation sometimes overshadowed his real talent and emotional deepness which he put in such classics of Armenian cinema as Yerankyuni (1967),_Menq enq, mer sarere (1970)_, Hayrik (1973), Life Triumphs (1977), Hin oreri yerge (1982), Tango of Our Childhood (1985). Certainly he was the most famous and internationally recognized Armenian artist of the 2nd half of 20th century.

Creator of the "distance montage," Artavazd Peleshian, one of the key Soviet documentary makers, removed the boundaries of feature and documentary films, editing both sequences as a real poetical unity. His "distance montage" was a new step in the development of film editing.

Even his student works [The Earth of the People (1966) and the Beginning (1967)] shot at VGIK, the oldest film school in Moscow, were awarded numerous prizes and he gained recognition among filmmakers. In 1975, he petitioned the Soviet authorities to allow the blacklisted cinematographer Mikhail Vartanov to film his ambitious next project and together they created the masterpiece Four Seasons (1975). It was Pelechian's first film without any archive footage, thanks to Vartanov's exquisite black and white cinematography.

Alongside his very successful solo career, Peleshian was invited to direct archive footage by such masters as Lev Kulidzhanov for Zvyozdnaya minuta (1973) and Andrei Konchalovsky for Siberiade (1979). Mikhail Vartanov directed Osennyaya pastoral (1971) from Peleshian's screenplay.

Artavazd Peleshian is the author of a range of theoretical works, including his 1988 book "Moyo kino" ("My Cinema"). Some of the most important works of Armenia's documentary cinema include Sergei Parajanov's Hakob Hovnatanyan (1967), Mikhail Vartanov's Parajanov: The Last Spring (1992) and Artavazd Peleshian's Four Seasons (1975).

Aik Karapetian was born on 10 July 1983 in Leninakan, Armenian SSR, USSR [now Gyumri, Armenia]. He is a director and writer, known for Bezkaunigie (2023), The Man in the Orange Jacket (2014) and Riebums (2007).

Artashes Gedikyan was born on 18 May 1934 in Leninakan, Armenian SSR, TSFSR, USSR [now Gyumri, Armenia]. He was an actor, known for Hin oreri yerge (1982), Odnoselchane (1974) and Life Triumphs (1977). He died on 1 April 1995 in Gyumri, Armenia.

Donara Mkrtchyan was born on 20 April 1941 in Leninakan, Armenian SSR, USSR. She was an actress, known for Kidnapping, Caucasian Style (1967), Adam i Kheva (1970) and Khatabala (1971). She was married to Frunzik Mkrtchyan. She died on 15 July 2011 in Sevan, Armenia.

Edmond Keosayan was born on 9 October 1936 in Leninakan, Armenian SSR, TSFSR, USSR [now Gyumri, Armenia]. He was a director and writer, known for Neulovimye mstiteli (1967), Moratsvatz heqiatneri kirtche (1975) and The Men (1973). He died on 21 April 1994 in Moscow, Russia.

Levon Tukhikyan was born in 1931 in Leninakan, Armenian SSR, USSR [now Gyumri, Armenia]. He was an actor, known for Inchu e aghmkum gete (1959), Nvagakhmbi tghanere (1960) and Nra yerevakayutyune (1959). He died on 9 June 2009.

Guénrikh Markarian was born on 17 September 1925 in Leninakan, Armenian SSR, TSFSR, USSR [now Gyumri, Armenia]. Guénrikh is a director and writer, known for Poprannii obet (1965) and Goluboy lev (1979).

Genrikh Marandzhyan was born on 19 July 1926 in Leninakan, Armenian SSR, TSFSR, USSR [now Gyumri, Armenia]. He was a cinematographer, known for Den schastya (1964), Gorod zazhigaet ogni (1958) and A Big Family (1954). He died on 13 March 2011 in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Soviet Agoyan was born on 14 March 1924 in Leninakan, Armenian SSR, USSR. He was a production designer and actor, known for V zone osobogo vnimaniya (1978), Bezumnyy den (1956) and Otvetnyy khod (1981). He died in 1992 in Moscow, Russia.

Albert Mkrtchyan was born on 27 February 1937 in Leninakan, Armenian SSR, USSR [now Gyumri, Armenia]. He was a director and writer, known for Tango of Our Childhood (1985), Hin oreri yerge (1982) and Dykhanie (1989). He died on 28 February 2018.

Vladimir Kocharyan was born on 16 March 1950 in Leninakan, Armenian SSR, USSR [now Gyumri, Armenia]. He was an actor, known for Siramargi tchiche (1983), Varatz lapter (1983) and Trinadtsatyy apostol (1988). He died on 10 June 1989 in Yerevan, Armenian SSR, USSR.

Levon Minasian was born on 7 July 1970 in Leninakan, Armenian SSR, USSR [now Gyumri, Armenia]. He is a writer and director, known for Le piano (2011), Bravo Virtuoso (2016) and À l'aube du printemps (1997).

Grachya Mekinyan was born on 5 June 1923 in Leninakan, Armenian SSR, TSFSR, USSR [now Gyumri, Armenia]. He was a production designer and art director, known for Dauriya (1972), Sirtn e yergum (1957) and Vsadnik bez golovy (1973). He died in January 1986.

Albert Yavuryan was born on 26 August 1935 in Leninakan, Armenian SSR, TSFSR, USSR [now Gyumri, Armenia]. He was a cinematographer and writer, known for Ashik Kerib (1988), Barev, yes em (1966) and Kamoyi verjin skhranqe (1974). He died on 3 November 2007 in Yerevan, Armenia.

Manvel Gamburyan was born on 8 May 1981 in Leninakan, Armenian SSR, USSR [now Gyumri, Armenia].

Guzh Manukyan graduated from the Acting Department of Yerevan Fine Arts and Theatre Institute. Acted at Kapan Drama Theatre, then at Yerevan Theatre for Young Audience, before joining the Yerevan Drama Theatre in 1967 where he has acted since then.

Yuri Chalangyan was born on 10 June 1957 in Leninakan, Armenian SSR, USSR. Yuri was an assistant director, known for Otar khagher (1986), Spitak qaghaq (1988) and Kond (1987). Yuri died on 17 July 1994 in Yerevan, Armenia.

Luciena Kirakosyan was born on 4 December 1950 in Leninakan, Armenian SSR, USSR. She was an actress, known for Labirintos (1996). She died on 3 April 2023 in Yerevan, Armenia.