Msryan was born in Vladikavkaz , North Ossetia-Alania . From 1958 – 62 , he studied drama at the Yerevan Fine Arts and Theater Institute . He performed at the Yerevan Drama Theater from 1966 onwards . Aside from Armenian films he also appeared in such non-Armenian films as '' Sand-Storm '' , '' White Cloth '' , '' Empire of Pirates '' and '' Unburied Corpses '' . He may have garnered the most attention for his portrayal of Niccolò Paganini in the 1982 Soviet television miniseries . He starred in '' Smerch '' which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival . On 24 August 2010 , Msryan died in Yerevan , at the age of 72 , from leukemia .
1989 Cannes Film Festival
1989 Cannes Film Festival
Vladimir Msryan