“The Stalker” of Toronto, Half-Russian, Half-Georgian,
Singing in Yiddish. John the Baptist and Jesus Christ.
An Artist.
On December 16, Yuri Tsevi, the hero of one of our films, an actor, singer, “stalker” of Toronto, and a man with an extraordinary life story, passed away. His life is a story of kindness and betrayal, love and indifference, and how circumstances can force someone to change everything: their profession, country, lifestyle, and even family. To almost die but still return to life. To lose everything but retain faith in oneself and those nearby.
Yuri was born in Tbilisi, raised by his Russian mother, and had little memory of his Georgian father. After finishing school, Yuri moved to Moscow and entered GITIS (Russian Institute of Theatre Arts). Upon graduation, he unexpectedly received an invitation to join the newly established Jewish Musical Theatre. This was a unique theatre where Yiddish was spoken and sung on stage—a remarkable phenomenon in the USSR of the late 1970s. Yuri learned to sing in Yiddish and became one of the theatre’s soloists.
Later, at the Mossovet Theatre, he played the role of Jesus Christ in the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar, which appeared on the Moscow stage during the Perestroika years. Everything seemed to be falling into place.
But in 1992, during a tour in Canada, Yuri fell gravely ill:
“I was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease called Wegener’s granulomatosis. As an exception, the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs arranged for me to be admitted to a hospital, where I died on the second day—spent a month in a coma. They saved me, but the tracheal tube damaged my vocal cords, ending my singing career. No one was nearby; I was utterly alone. It was terrifying. My wife was brought to Canada by the actors’ union. I was in the hospital, weighing 40 kilograms, unable to speak, with my hair gone from chemotherapy… do I need to describe more? But I survived.”
He had to rebuild his life—learn a new language, acquire a new profession, and support his family. Returning to Russia was impossible—only in Canada could doctors maintain his condition with unique medications. He met new acquaintances, one of whom hired him at a bakery. Yuri learned to bake cookies. The most important thing was that he was alive, and he would overcome everything.
Yuri tried many things in his immigrant life and eventually created something that became his new calling:
*”One-day tours in my minivan, which I hope bring joy to all travelers wanting to see Niagara Falls, taste Ontario wines at a winery, visit Curve Lake Indigenous reserves, admire the beauty of the Saint Lawrence River, or explore Petroglyphs Provincial Park—a sacred site with a stone covered in ancient carvings, an unsolved message from Canada’s first peoples.
Socrates famously said, ‘Do your work and know yourself,’ and I strive to live by this principle—to continue discovering myself through my profession, thinking, and reality. In my current job, I am my own director, screenwriter, actor, and even critic. When people ask me what makes my company different from others, I give a simple answer: the guide’s individuality. When someone is on a tour with me, they need to spend 4 to 12 hours with me. Sometimes, we can’t tolerate someone for even an hour, but if people keep reaching out, recommending me to friends and family, it means I must be doing my work at a high professional and ethical level.”*
We collaborated with Yuri on several projects. He became the subject of the program Interview Hour and later a documentary film.
Yuri’s life journey is an inspiration and a reminder that true strength lies in finding light even in the darkest times.
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