Janis Grantins was a Latvian actor of film and theatre known for his
portrayal of the Latvian writer Janis Rainis in biopic
Rainis (1949)He was born on June 7, 1909, in Riga, Latvia. From 1931 to 1934 he
studied acting at the Drama Studio of Latvian Worker's Theatre. From
1935 to 1938 he was member of Riga Drama Theatre. In 1938 he moved from
Riga to Liepaja, and was an actor with the local Drama Theatre. During
the Second World War he worked in Daugavpils and Jelgava. From 1950 to
1974 Grantins was a member of the Latvian troupe at the Theatre for
Youth in Riga. There, during the 60s and 70s he worked under
directorship of Adolf Jakovlevich Shapiro. At that time the Theatre for
Youth was a popular stage company in Riga.
Janis Grantins was designated Honorable Actor of Latvia (1949). He was
awarded the State Prize of the USSR (1950) for his portrayal of the
famous Latvian writer Janis Rainis in biopic
Rainis (1949) by director
Yuli Raizman. Outside of his acting
profession Grantins taught seminars on history of Latvian theatre. He
died on October 25, 1974, and was laid to rest in Riga, Latvia.