Iazamir Gotta[1] (born 1955 or 1956)[2] is a Russian television personality and producer.[3] He is best known as the travelling companion of American chef Anthony Bourdain on his Travel Channel TV show Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.
Zamir Gotta | |
|---|---|
| Born | Iazamir Gotta 1955 or 1956 (age 68–69) |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Alma mater | Moscow State Pedagogical University |
| Occupations |
|
| Spouse | Katya |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | zamirgotta |
Early life
editGotta is of Jewish and Crimean Tatar ancestry.[4] He was educated at Moscow State Pedagogical University, where he studied English, and taught the language in Moscow from 1983 to 1988.[5]
Career
editGotta began his career as a film producer working on American productions in Russia. In 2006, he began working as a consultant for the New York-based Trident Media Group, and has produced episodes of Cities of the Underworld for the History Channel, and the Nova documentary Astrospies for PBS, both airing in 2008.[5]
Gotta first met Anthony Bourdain in 2002 when the chef hired him as a guide for the Saint Petersburg, Russia episode of A Cook's Tour. Gotta subsequently appeared in one more episode of that series, seven episodes of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, and two episodes of Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, the last in 2016. Bourdain called Gotta an "international man of mystery", and his affable personality made him a "something of a folk hero" among fans of Bourdain's shows.[2]
Personal life
editGotta and his wife Katya are parents of a daughter, Anna, and a son, Anton, who was partially named for Anthony Bourdain.[7] In 2022, 20-year-old Anton died by suicide after jumping off a building.[8] After previously living in Connecticut, the Gottas moved to Buffalo, New York, which Zamir first visited while filming an episode of No Reservations.[7]
Appearances with Anthony Bourdain
editA Cook's Tour
edit- "The Cook Who Came in from the Cold" (2002)
- "So Much Vodka, So Little Time" (2002)
No Reservations
edit- "Uzbekistan" (2005)
- "Russia" (2007)
- "Romania" (2008)
- "Rust Belt: Buffalo/Baltimore/Detroit" (2009)
- "Ukraine" (2011)
- "Kansas City" (2012)
- "Brooklyn" (2012)
Parts Unknown
edit- "Russia" (2014)
- "Tbilisi, Georgia" (2016)
References
edit- ^ Holdsworth, Nick (10 June 2018). "Zamir Gotta Remembers Friend, TV Companion Anthony Bourdain: "He Enriched and Enlarged My World"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
- ^ a b Schuhmacher, Tracy (21 May 2016). "Vodka etiquette by Zamir Gotta". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
The 60-year-old Russian is something of a folk hero to fans of Bourdain's television shows...
- ^ Meyers, Joe. "Zamir Gotta screens two documentaries in Stamford". The Connecticut Post. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
- ^ "Ukraine". Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. Season 7. Episode 14. 15 August 2011. Event occurs at 30:01. Travel Channel.
- ^ a b "Mindful Music: Zamir Gotta". NPR. 27 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
- ^ "Zamir Gotta Moves to Buffalo – Schedules Vodka Release – Considers Russian Spy Bar". Buffalo Rising. 20 September 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
- ^ a b "Four Questions With...Zamir Gotta". The Great Lakes Observer. 8 July 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
- ^ Gotta, Zamir [@ZamirGotta] (2 September 2022). "My 20 y.o. son Anton jumped off a skyscraper last night, allegedly he could not handle his first love cheating" (Tweet). Retrieved 14 May 2024 – via Twitter.
External links
edit- Zamir Gotta at IMDb