The legend of Kaunas Drama Theatre, actor, director and pedagogue Leonardas Zelčius passed away after a difficult illness on the 11th of July of 2015; he was 88 years old.

The master of theatre was born in Kaunas, on the 9th of May, 1928. After graduating Kaunas Aušros gymnasium, from 1945–1948 he studied at the Kaunas Drama Theatre Studio; in 1948–1952 he studied at the Moscow Lunacharsky Theatre Art Institute (GITIS). From 1952 he was working as an actor at Kaunas State Drama Theatre.

With the most prominent directors of that time he created over a hundred theatre roles: Figaro (P. C. de Beaumarchais' "The Marriage of Figaro", 1952), Baron Tuzenbach (A. Chekhov "Three Sisters", 1960) Radziwill the Brown (J. Grušas "Barbora Radvilaite", 1972), Faibčikas (Keturakis "America in the bath", 1974), Lupas (M. Koress "Retirement home", 1986), The Old Man (E. Ionesco "chairs", 1990), Carry (R. Nash "Rain" (Rain salesman) 1994), Talleyrand (J. Claude Brisville "Dinner", 1996) and others.

Film roles: "Steps in the night" (1962), "Herkus Mantas" (1972), "This is Our Home"(1984), "The visit to the Minotaur" (1986), "Children of the American Hotel" (1990), "The look of the serpent" (1990), "Moon Lithuania" (1997).

For many years of service to the art of theater, Leonardas Zelčius was granted a name of Lithuanian artist of the people. In 1998 he was awarded the Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas Commander of the cross; in 2013 - Lithuanian Ministry of Culture sign of honor "Carry your light and believe."