{{infobox settlement|official name	Tbilisi თბილისი
Name local	თბილისი
Image seal	Tbilisi City Seal.svg
Pushpin map	Georgia (country)
Map caption	Location of Tbilisi in Georgia
Coordinates region	GE
Subdivision type	Country
Subdivision name	Georgia
Established title	Established
Established date	c. 479 A.D
Leader title	Mayor
Leader name	Giorgi (Gigi) Ugulava
Area magnitude	1 E9
Area total km2	726
Population as of	2010
Population total	1152500|population_metro 1485293
Population density km2	auto
Timezone	Georgian Time
Utc offset	+4
Timezone dst
Elevation footnotes
Elevation max m	770
Elevation min m	380
Area code	+995 32
Website	www.tbilisi.gov.ge
Footnotes	}}

Tbilisi ( ) is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari (Kura) River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form ''T'pilisi'' (ტფილისი) and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936. The city covers an area of 726 km² (280.3 square miles) and has 1,480,000 inhabitants.

Founded in the 5th century by Vakhtang Gorgasali, the Georgian King of Iberia, and made into a capital in the 6th century, Tbilisi is a significant industrial, social, and cultural centre. The city is also emerging as an important transit route for global energy and trade projects. Located strategically at the crossroads between Europe and Asia and lying along the historic Silk Road routes, Tbilisi has often been a point of contention between various rival powers and empires. The history of the city can be seen by its architecture, where the Haussmannized Rustaveli Avenue and downtown are blended with the narrower streets of the medieval Narikala district.

The demographics of the city are diverse and historically it has been home to peoples from diverse cultures, religions and ethnicities. Despite being overwhelmingly Orthodox Christian, Tbilisi is one of the few places in the world (Sarajevo and Paramaribo being others) where a synagogue and a mosque are located next to each other, in the ancient Bath district several hundred metres from the Metekhi Church. In recent times, Tbilisi has become known for the peaceful Rose Revolution, which took place around Freedom Square and nearby locations after the contested parliamentary elections of 2003 led to the resignation of the Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze.

Tbilisi has one international airport. Notable tourist destinations include the Holy Trinity Cathedral of Tbilisi, Freedom Square, Sioni Cathedral, Metekhi, Narikala, Rustaveli Avenue, Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre, Anchiskhati Basilica, Mtatsminda Pantheon (Holy Mountain), Kashveti Church along with the National and Historic Museums of Georgia and a number of art galleries. Tbilisi is the home of famous artists. The city life was immortalized in their art by Niko Pirosmani and Lado Gudiashvili.

History

Early history

According to an old legend, the present-day territory of Tbilisi was covered by forests as late as 458. One widely accepted variant of the legend of Tbilisi's founding states that King Vakhtang I Gorgasali of Georgia went hunting in the heavily wooded region with a falcon (sometimes the falcon is replaced with either a hawk or other small birds of prey in the legend). The King's falcon allegedly caught or injured a pheasant during the hunt, after which both birds fell into a nearby hot spring and died from burns. King Vakhtang became so impressed with the hot springs that he decided to cut down the forest and build a city on the location. The name ''Tbilisi'' derives from the Old Georgian word "Tpili" (თბილი), meaning warm. The name 'Tbili' or 'Tbilisi' ('warm location') was therefore given to the city because of the area's numerous sulphuric hot springs that came out of the ground.

Archaeological studies of the region have revealed that the territory of Tbilisi was settled by humans as early as the 4th millennium BCE. The earliest actual (recorded) accounts of settlement of the location come from the second half of the 4th century CE, when a fortress was built during King Varaz-Bakur's reign. Towards the end of the 4th century the fortress fell into the hands of the Persians after which the location fell back into the hands of the Kings of Kartli (Georgia) by the middle of the 5th century. King Vakhtang I Gorgasali (reigned in the middle and latter part of the 5th century), who is largely credited for founding Tbilisi, was actually responsible for reviving and building up the city and not founding it. The present-day location of the area which Gorgasali seems to have built up is spread out around the Metekhi cliff and the latter-day Abanotubani neighbourhood.

Capital

King Dachi I Ujarmeli, who was the successor of Vakhtang I Gorgasali, moved the capital from Mtskheta to Tbilisi according to the will left by his father. It must be mentioned that Tbilisi was not the capital of a unified Georgian state at that time (therefore did not include the territory of Colchis) and was only the capital of Eastern Georgia/Iberia. During his reign, King Dachi I was also responsible for finishing the construction of the fortress wall that lined the city's new boundaries. Beginning from the 6th century, Tbilisi started to grow at a steady pace due to the region's favourable and strategic location which placed the city along important trade and travel routes between Europe and Asia.

Foreign domination

Tbilisi's favourable and strategic location did not necessarily bode well for its existence as Eastern Georgia's/Iberia's capital. Located strategically in the heart of the Caucasus between Europe and Asia, Tbilisi became an object of rivalry between the region's various powers such as Persia, the Byzantine Empire, Arabia and the Seljuk Turks. The cultural development of the city was therefore heavily dependent on who ruled the city at various times. Even though Tbilisi (and Eastern Georgia in general) was able to maintain a certain degree of autonomy from its conquerors, the foreign domination of the city began in the latter half of the 6th century and lasted well into the 10th century.

From 570–580, the Persians took over Tbilisi and ruled it for about a decade. In the year 627, Tbilisi was sacked by the Byzantine/Khazar armies and later, in 736-738, Arab armies entered the town under Marwan II Ibn-Muhammad. After this point, the Arabs established an emirate centered in Tbilisi. The Arab domination brought a certain order to the region and introduced a more formal/modernized judicial system into Georgia. In 764, Tbilisi, still under Arab control was once again sacked by the Khazars. In 853, the armies of Arab leader Bugha Al-Turki (Bugha the Turk) invaded Tbilisi in order to enforce its return to Abbasid allegiance. The Arab domination of Tbilisi continued until about 1050. In 1068, the city was once again sacked, only this time by the Seljuk Turks under Sultan Alp Arslan.

Capital of a unified Georgian state

In 1122, after heavy fighting with the Seljuks that involved at least 60,000 Georgians and up to 300,000 Turks, the troops of the King of Georgia David the Builder entered Tbilisi. After the battles for Tbilisi concluded, David moved his residence from Kutaisi (Western Georgia) to Tbilisi, making it the capital of a unified Georgian State. From 12-13th centuries, Tbilisi became a dominant regional power with a thriving economy (with well-developed trade and skilled labour) and a well-established social system/structure. By the end of the 12th century, the population of Tbilisi had reached 100,000. The city also became an important literary and a cultural center not only for Georgia but for the larger civilized world as well. During Queen Tamar's reign, Shota Rustaveli worked in Tbilisi while writing his legendary epic poem, ''The Knight in the Panther's Skin''. This period is often referred to as "Georgia's Golden Age" or the Georgian Renaissance.

Mongol domination and the following period of instability

Tbilisi's "Golden Age" did not last for more than a century. In 1226 Tbilisi was captured by the refugee Khwarezmian Empire Khwarezmian Shah Mingburnu and its defences severely devastated and prone to Mongol armies. In 1236, after suffering crushing defeats to the Mongols, Georgia came under Mongol domination. The nation itself maintained a form of semi-independence and did not lose its statehood, but Tbilisi was strongly influenced by the Mongols for the next century both politically and culturally. In the 1320s, the Mongols were forcefully expelled from Georgia and Tbilisi became the capital of an independent Georgian state once again. An outbreak of the plague struck the city in 1366.

From the late 14th until the end of the 18th century, Tbilisi came under the rule of various foreign invaders once again and on several occasions was completely burnt to the ground. In 1386, Tbilisi was invaded by the armies of Tamerlane (Timur). In 1444, the city was invaded and destroyed by Jahan Shah (the Shah of the town of Tabriz in Persia). From 1477 to 1478 the city was held by the Ak Koyunlu tribesmen of Uzun Hassan. In 1522, Tbilisi came under Persian control but was later freed in 1524 by King David X of Georgia. During this period, many parts of Tbilisi were reconstructed and rebuilt. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Tbilisi once again became the object of rivalry only this time between the Ottoman Turks and Persia. King Erekle II of Georgia tried on several occasions, successfully, to free Tbilisi from Persian rule but in the end Tbilisi was burnt to the ground in 1795 by Shah Agha-Mohammad Khan. At this point, sensing that Georgia could not hold up against Persia alone, Erekle sought the help of Russia.

Russian control

In 1801, after the Georgian kingdom of Kartl-Kakheti joined the Russian Empire, Tbilisi became the center of the Tbilisi Governorate (Gubernia). From the beginning of the 19th century Tbilisi started to grow economically and politically. New buildings mainly of European style were erected throughout the town. New roads and railroads were built to connect Tbilisi to other important cities in Russia and other parts of the Transcaucasus (locally) such as Batumi, Poti, Baku, and Yerevan. By the 1850s Tbilisi once again emerged as a major trade and a cultural center. The likes of Ilia Chavchavadze, Akaki Tsereteli, Iakob Gogebashvili, Aleksandr Griboyedov and many other statesmen, poets, and artists all found their home in Tbilisi. The city was visited on numerous occasions by and was the object of affection of Alexander Pushkin, Leo Tolstoy, Mikhail Lermontov, the Romanov Family and others. The Romanov Family established their residence (in Transcaucasia) on Golovin Street (Present-day Rustaveli Avenue).

Throughout the century, the political, economic and cultural role of Tbilisi with its ethnic, confessional and cultural diversity was significant not only for Georgia but for the whole Caucasus. Hence, Tbilisi took on a different look. It acquired different architectural monuments and the attributes of an international city, as well as its own urban folklore and language, and the specific ''Tbilisuri'' (literally, belonging to Tbilisi) culture. In 1801, Tbilisi had 20,000 inhabitants: 74.3% Armenian, 21.5% Georgian. By 1897, there were 159,000 inhabitants: 38% Armenian, 26.3% Georgian and 24.7% Russian.

Independence

After the Russian Revolution of 1917, the city served as a location of the Transcaucasus interim government which established, in the spring of 1918, the short-lived independent Transcaucasian Federation with the capital in Tbilisi. It was here, in the former Caucasus Vice royal Palace, where the independence of three Transcaucasian nations – Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan – was declared on May 26 to 28 1918. After this, Tbilisi functioned as the capital of the Democratic Republic of Georgia until 25 February 1921. From 1918 to 1919 the city was also consecutively home to a German and British military headquarters.

Under the national government, Tbilisi turned into the first Caucasian University City after the Tbilisi State University was founded in 1918, a long-time dream of the Georgians banned by the Imperial Russian authorities for several decades. On 25 February 1921, the Bolshevist Russian 11th Red Army invaded Tbilisi after bitter fighting at the outskirts of the city and declared Soviet rule.

Communist government

In 1921, the Democratic Republic of Georgia was occupied by the Soviet Bolshevik forces from Russia, and until 1991 Tbilisi functioned first as the capital city of the Transcaucasian SFSR (which included Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia), and later as the capital of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic. During the Soviet rule, Tbilisi's population grew significantly, the city became more industrialised and came to be an important political, social, and cultural centre of the Soviet Union. In 1980 the city housed the first state-sanctioned rock festival in the USSR.

Tbilisi witnessed mass anti-Russian demonstrations during 1956 in the March 9 Massacre, in protest against the anti-Stalin policies of Nikita Khrushchev. Peaceful protests occurred in 1978, and in 1989 the April 9 tragedy was a peaceful protest that turned violent.

After the break-up of the Soviet Union

Since the break-up of the Soviet Union, Tbilisi has experienced periods of significant instability and turmoil. After a brief civil war, which the city endured for two weeks from December 1991 to January 1992 (when pro-Gamsakhurdia and Opposition forces clashed with each other), Tbilisi became the scene of frequent armed confrontations between various mafia clans and illegal business entrepreneurs. Even during the Shevardnadze Era (1993–2003), crime and corruption became rampant at most levels of society. Many segments of society became impoverished because of unemployment caused by the crumbling economy. Average citizens of Tbilisi started to become increasingly disillusioned with the existing quality of life in the city (and in the nation in general). Mass protests took place in November 2003 after falsified parliamentary elections forced more than 100,000 people into the streets and concluded with the Rose Revolution. Since 2003, Tbilisi has experienced considerably more stability with decreasing crime rates, an improved economy and a real estate boom. During the 2008 South Ossetia war the Tbilisi area received multiple Russian air attacks.

After the war, several large-scale projects were started, including a streetcar system, a railway bypass and a relocation of the central station and new urban highways.

Politics and administration

The status of Tbilisi, as the nation's capital, is defined by the Article 10 in the Constitution of Georgia (1995) and the ''Law on Georgia's Capital – Tbilisi'' (February 20, 1998).

Tbilisi is governed by the Tbilisi Assembly (Sakrebulo) and the Tbilisi City Hall (Meria). The City Assembly is elected once every four years. The mayor is elected by the City Assembly. The Mayor of Tbilisi is Giorgi (Gigi) Ugulava and the Chairman of the Tbilisi City Assembly is Zaal Begashvili.

Administratively, the city is divided into raions (districts), which have their own units of central and local government with jurisdiction over a limited scope of affairs. This subdivision was established under Soviet rule in the 1930s, following the general subdivision of the Soviet Union. Since Georgia regained independence, the raion system was modified and reshuffled. According to the latest revision, Tbilisi raions include:

Old Tbilisi (ძველი თბილისი)

Vake-Saburtalo (ვაკე-საბურთალო)

Didube-Chugureti (დიდუბე-ჩუღურეთი)

Gldani-Nadzaladevi (გლდანი-ნაძალადევი)

Isani-Samgori (ისანი-სამგორი)

Didgori (დიდგორი)

Most of the raions are named after respective historical neighbourhoods of the city. The citizens of Tbilisi widely recognise a system of the smaller non-formal historical neighbourhoods. Such neighbourhoods are several, however, constituting a kind of hierarchy, because most of them have lost their distinctive topographic limits. The natural first level of subdivision of the city is into the Right Bank and the Left Bank of the Mt'k'vari. The names of the oldest neighbourhoods go back to the early Middle Ages and sometimes pose a great linguistic interest. The newest whole-built developments bear chiefly residential marketing names.

In pre-Revolution Tiflis, the Georgian quarter was confined to the southeastern part of the city; Baedeker describes the layout succinctly:

Avlabari is considered "the integral component of the so-called 'old Tbilisi'" and is currently the object of planning and cultural heritage preservation.

Geography

Location

Tbilisi is located in the South Caucasus at 41° 43' North Latitude and 44° 47' East Longitude. The city lies in Eastern Georgia on both banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The elevation of the city ranges from 380–770 meters above sea level (1246–1968 ft) and has the shape of an amphitheatre surrounded by mountains on three sides. To the north, Tbilisi is bounded by the Saguramo Range, to the east and south-east by the Iori Plain, to the south and west by various endings (sub-ranges) of the Trialeti Range.

The relief of Tbilisi is complex. The part of the city which lies on the left bank of the Mt'k'vari (Kura) River extends for more than 30 km (19 miles) from the Avchala District to River Lochini. The part of the city which lies on the right side of the Mt'k'vari River on the other hand is built along the foothills of the Trialeti Range, the slopes of which in many cases descend all the way to the edges of the river Mt'k'vari. The mountains, therefore, are a significant barrier to urban development on the right bank of the Mt'k'vari River. This type of a geographic environment creates pockets of very densely developed areas while other parts of the city are left undeveloped due to the complex topographic relief.

To the north of the city, there is a large reservoir (commonly known as the ''Tbilisi Sea'') fed by irrigation canals.

Climate

The climate of Tbilisi can be classified as moderately humid subtropical (Köppen climate classification ''Cfa''). The city's climate is influenced both by dry (Central Asian/Siberian) air masses from the east and humid subtropical (Atlantic/Black Sea) air masses from the west. Tbilisi experiences relatively cold winters and hot summers. Because the city is bounded on most sides by mountain ranges, the close proximity to large bodies of water (Black and Caspian Seas) and the fact that the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range (further to the north) blocks the intrusion of cold air masses from Russia, Tbilisi has a relatively mild micro-climate compared to other cities that possess a similar continental climate along the same latitudes.

The average annual temperature in Tbilisi is . January is the coldest month with an average temperature of . July is the hottest month with an average temperature of . The absolute minimum recorded temperature is and the absolute maximum is . Average annual precipitation is 568 mm (22.4 inches). May is the wettest month (90 mm) while January is the driest (20 mm). Snow falls on average 15–25 days per year. The surrounding mountains often trap the clouds within and around the city, mainly during the Spring and Autumn months, resulting in prolonged rainy and/or cloudy weather. Northwesterly winds dominate in most parts of Tbilisi throughout the year. Southeasterly winds are common as well.

People and culture

Demographics

Ethnic groups

Tbilisi is a multicultural city. The city is home to more than 100 different ethnic groups. Around 89% of the population is ethnically Georgian, with significant populations of other ethnic groups such as Armenians, Russians, and Azeris. Along with the above mentioned groups, Tbilisi is also home to various other ethnic groups including Ossetians, Abkhazians, Ukrainians, Greeks, Germans, Jews, Estonians, Kurds, Assyrians, and others.

Religion

More than 95% of the residents of Tbilisi practise various forms of Christianity (the most predominant of which is the Georgian Orthodox Church). The Russian Orthodox Church, which is in Full communion with the Georgian, and the Armenian Apostolic Church have significant following within the city as well. A large minority of the population (around 4%) practises Islam (mainly Sunni Islam). Judaism is also common, but to a lesser extent (about 2% of Tbilisi's population practises Judaism). Tbilisi has been historically known for religious tolerance. This is especially evident in the city's Old Town, where a mosque, synagogue, and Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches can all be found within less than from each other.

Sports

Tbilisi has a fairly rich sports history. Like many other towns of the Near East with strong Asian cultural influences, Tbilisi historically had a special area of town that was designated for sports competitions. The present-day districts of Saburtalo and Didube were the most common areas where such competitions were held. Up until the beginning of the 19th century, sports such as horse-riding (polo in particular), wrestling, boxing, and marksmanship were the most popular city sports. As Tbilisi started to develop socially and economically and integrate more with the West, new sports from Europe were introduced. The Soviet period brought an increased popularization of sports that were common in Europe and to a certain extent, the United States. At the same time, Tbilisi developed the necessary sports infrastructure for various professional sports. By 1978, the city had around 250 large and small sports facilities, including among others, four indoor and six outdoor Olympic sized pools, 185 basketball courts and halls, 192 volleyball facilities, 82 handball arenas, 19 tennis courts, 31 football (soccer) fields, and five stadiums. At present, the largest stadium in Tbilisi is the Boris Paichadze Stadium (55,000 seats) and the second largest is the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium (24,680 seats). The Sports Palace which usually hosts basketball games with high attendance and tennis tournaments can seat up to approximately 11,000 people.

Vere Basketball Hall is a smaller indoor sports arena with a 2,500 seating capacity.

The most popular sports in Tbilisi today are football, rugby union, basketball, and wrestling. Also popular sports include tennis, swimming and water polo. There are several professional football and rugby teams as well as wrestling clubs. U.S. National Basketball Association players Zaza Pachulia and Nikoloz Tskitishvili are Tbilisi natives. Outside of professional sports, the city has a number of inter-collegiate and amateur sports teams and clubs.

Tbilisi's signature football team, Dinamo Tbilisi, has not won a major European championship since 1981, when it won the European Cup Winners' Cup and became the easternmost team in Europe to achieve the feat. The basketball club Dinamo Tbilisi won the Euroleague in 1962 but also never repeated any such feat.

!Club	!Sport	!Stadium
Lelo	Rugby Union	Lelo Sport Centre
Wissol Kochebi	Rugby Union	Wissol Sport Centre
Lokomotivi	Rugby Union	Lokomotivi Sport Centre
FC Dinamo Tbilisi		Boris Paichadze Stadium
FC Lokomotivi Tbilisi		Mikheil Meskhi Stadium
BC Dinamo Tbilisi	Basketball	Vere Basketball Hall
	Basketball	Vere Basketball Hall
	Basketball	Vere Basketball Hall
BC STD Tbilisi	Basketball	Vere Basketball Hall
BC Makabi	Basketball	Vere Basketball Hall

Media

The large majority of Georgia's media companies (including television, newspaper and radio) are headquartered in Tbilisi. The city is home to the popular Rustavi 2 television channel which gained considerable fame after its coverage of the Rose Revolution. In addition to ''Rustavi 2'', the remaining three out of the four major public television channels of Georgia (including Imedi TV ''Mze'' and the ''Public Broadcasting Channel'') are based in the city as well. Tbilisi's television market has experienced notable changes since the second half of 2005 when ''Rustavi 2'' successfully bought out the ''Mze TV'' Company and Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation became a shareholder of Imedi Media Holding at the beginning of 2006. By taking over the Imedi Media Holding Group, News Corporation entered the Post-Soviet media market for the first time in the company's history.

Tbilisi has a number of newspaper publishing houses. Some of the most noteworthy newspapers include the daily ''24 Saati'' ("24 Hours"), ''Rezonansi'' ("Resonance"), ''Alia'', the English-language daily ''The Messenger'', weekly ''FINANCIAL, Georgia Today'', and the English-language weekly ''The Georgian Times''. Out of the city's radio stations Imedi Radio (105.9FM), Fortuna, and Radio 105 are some of the more influential competitors with large national audiences.

Education

The city is home to many of Georgia's prominent colleges and universities:

Tbilisi State University

Ilia Chavchavadze State University

Tbilisi State Medical University

Georgian Technical University

Architecture

The architecture in the city is a mixture of local (Georgian), with strong influences of Byzantine, European/Russian (neo-classical), and Middle Eastern architectural styles. The oldest parts of town, including the Abanot-Ubani, Avlabari, and to a certain extent the Sololaki districts clearly have a traditional Georgian architectural look with Middle Eastern influences. The areas of Tbilisi which were built up mainly in the 19th century (Rustaveli Avenue, Vera district, etc.) have a contrasting European/Russian (neoclassical) look. The turn of the 20th century was marked with an architectural revival, notably, with an art nouveau style. With the establishment of the communist government the style was decreed as bourgeois and largely neglected. Architecture of the later 20th century can mainly be identified with the type of building style that was common during the Soviet Era throughout the Soviet Union.

This included building large, concrete apartment blocks as well as social, cultural, and office facilities, like for example the Tbilisi Roads Ministry Building. Since the break-up of the Soviet Union, Tbilisi has been the site of uncontrolled/unsanctioned building projects. Since 2004, the city government has taken new initiatives to curb uncontrolled construction projects with mixed success. In the near future, Tbilisi will have three skyscraper complexes. The Axis Towers, Redix Chavchavadze 64, and the new Ajara Hotel/Business Complex, which is currently under construction will be the tallest buildings/skyscrapers in the Caucasus.

Main sights

Tbilisi has a number of important landmarks and sightseeing locations. The Parliament and the government (State Chancellery) buildings of Georgia, as well as the Supreme Court of Georgia, are all located in Tbilisi. The city also has important cultural landmarks such as the Tbilisi State Conservatoire, Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre, Shota Rustaveli State Academic Theatre, Marjanishvili State Academic Theatre, the Sameba Cathedral, the Vorontsov's Palace (also known as the Children's Palace today), many state museums, the National Public Library of the Parliament of Georgia, the National Bank of Georgia and other important institutions. During the Soviet times, Tbilisi continuously ranked in the top 4 cities in the Soviet Union for the number of museums.

Out of the city's historic landmarks, the most notable locations are the Narikala fortress (4th-17th century), Anchiskhati Church (6th century, built up in the 16th century), Sioni Cathedral (8th century, later rebuilt), Church of Metekhi (13th century), etc.

Transport

The Tbilisi Metro serves the city with rapid transit subway services. It was the Soviet Union's fourth metro system. Construction began in 1952, and was finished in 1966. The system operates two lines, the Akhmeteli-Varketili Line and the Saburtalo Line. It has 22 stations. and 186 metro cars. Most stations, like those on other Soviet-built metro systems, are extravagantly decorated. Trains run from 6:00 am to midnight. Due to the uneven ground, the rail lines run above ground level in some areas. Two of the stations are above ground.

The Tbilisi Metro underwent a campaign of modernization. Stations were reconstructed, and trains and facilities were modernized. In 2005, President Mikheil Saakashvili charged Director General Zurab Kikalishvili with bringing the station up to European standards by 2007. In 2006, the city's budget allocated 16 million Lari for the project. A third line is being planned, which will encompass the Vake District. The three lines will form a triangle, and intersect in the city center.

Tbilisi had a tram network, since 1883 starting from horse driven trams and from 25 December 1904 electric tramway, When Soviet Union demolished electric transport went to a degradation state within the years and finally the only tram line left was closed on 4 December 2006 together with 2 trolleybus lines which were left. There are plans to construct a modern tram network.

The most dominant form of transportation is the Marshrutka. An elaborate marshrutka system has grown in Tbilisi over the recent years. In addition to the city, several lines also serve the surrounding countryside of Tbilisi. Throughout the city a fixed price is paid regardless of the distance (50 tetri in 2011). For longer trips outside the city, higher fares are common. There are no predefined stops for the marshrutka lines, they are hailed from the streets like taxis and each passenger can exit whenever he likes.

Economy

Georgian Airways has its head office in Tbilisi.

Education

Tbilisi is home to several major institutions of higher education: The biggest Georgian university is Tbilisi State University which was established on 8 February 1918. TSU is the oldest university in the whole Caucasus region. Over 35,000 students are enrolled and the total number of faculty and staff (collaborators) is approximately 5,000. Tbilisi is also home to the largest medical university in Caucasus region - Tbilisi State Medical University, which was founded as Tbilisi Medical Institute in 1918 and became the Faculty of Medicine within the Tbilisi State University (TSU) in 1930. Tbilisi State Medical Institute has been renamed to Medical University in 1992. Since that University operates as an independent educational institution. TSMU became one of the high-ranking state-supported institutions of higher education in the whole Caucasus region. Currently there are almost 5000 undergraduate and 203 postgraduate students at the University of whom 10% come from foreign countries. Georgia's main and largest technical university named - Georgian Technical University is also located in Tbilisi.Georgian Technical University was founded in 1922 as a polytechnic faculty of the Tbilisi State University. The first lecture in the walls of this establishment was read by the world famous Georgian mathematician Professor Andria Razmadze.It achieved University status by 1990. The two most popular private higher educational institution in Georgia Caucasus University and Free University of Tbilisi are also located in Tbilisi. Caucasus University was established in 2004 as an expansion of the Caucasus School of Business (CSB) (established in 1998) by a consortium consisting of Tbilisi State University and Georgian Technical University in partnership with Georgia State University (Atlanta, USA). Free University of Tbilisi was established in 2007 through the merger of two higher education schools - European School of Management (ESM-Tbilisi) and Tbilisi Institute of Asia and Africa (TIAA). Today Free University comprises three schools - Business School (ESM), Institute of Asia and Africa and Law School delivering academic programs at undergraduate, graduate and doctorate levels. In addition, Free University conducts a wide array of short-term courses, runs several research centers and summer school programs.

Higher educational institutions in Tbilisi:

Tbilisi State University

Georgian Technical University

Ilia Chavchavadze State University

Tbilisi State Conservatory

Tbilisi State Medical University

Caucasus University

Free University of Tbilisi

International Black Sea University

Georgian Institute of Public Affairs

Georgian Agrarian University

The University of Georgia (Tbilisi)

International relations

Twin towns and sister cities

Tbilisi is twinned with: {| |- valign="top" | Saarbrücken, Germany ''(since 1975)'' Nantes, France ''(since 1979)'' Ljubljana, Slovenia ''(since 1979)'' Innsbruck, Austria ''(since 1982)'' Yerevan, Armenia ''(since 1996)'' Atlanta, United States ''(since 1987)'' Palermo, Italy ''(since 1987)'' || Bristol, United Kingdom ''(since 1988)'' Bilbao, Spain ''(since 1989)'' Ankara, Turkey ''(since 1998)'' Kiev, Ukraine ''(since 1999)'' Astana, Kazakhstan ''(since 2005)'' |}

Brother cities

Tbilisi has a brother city: Vilnius, Lithuania

Partnerships

Kraków in Poland Odessa in Ukraine

See also

Abo Tbileli, the patron saint of Tbilisi

List of Famous Tbilisians

Tbilisi International Airport

Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline

Georgia Tbilisi TV Broadcasting Tower

Tbilisi Botanical Garden

List of Georgian companies

Bibliography

''Georgian State (Soviet) Encyclopedia.'' 1983. Book 4. pp. 595–604.

Minorsky, V., ''Tiflis'' in Encyclopaedia of Islam

ICOMOS Heritage at Risk 2001/2002: Georgia, Tbilisi Historic District

References

Notations

Footnotes

External links

Official website of the City of Tbilisi

Tbilisi city guide, includes daily events calendar

DESIGNTbilisi

Category:Archaeological sites in Georgia (country) Category:Capitals in Europe Category:Populated places along the Silk Road Category:Populated places in Georgia (country) Category:Holy cities Category:Regions of Georgia (country) Category:Populated places established in the 5th century

ace:Tbilisi af:Tbilisi am:ትብሊሲ ab:Қарҭ ar:تبليسي an:Tbilisi arc:ܛܒܝܠܝܣܝ frp:Tbilisi av:Тбилиси az:Tbilisi bn:তিবি‌লিসি zh-min-nan:Tbilisi be:Горад Тбілісі be-x-old:Тбілісі bcl:Tbilisi bo:ཁྲེ་བྷི་ལི་སི། bs:Tbilisi br:Tbilisi bg:Тбилиси ca:Tbilisi cv:Тбилиси cs:Tbilisi cy:Tbilisi da:Tbilisi de:Tiflis et:Thbilisi el:Τιφλίδα myv:Тбилиси ош es:Tiflis eo:Tbiliso eu:Tbilisi fa:تفلیس hif:Tbilisi fo:Tbilisi fr:Tbilissi fy:Tbilisy ga:Tbilisi gv:Tbilisi gd:Tbilisi gl:Tbilisi - თბილისი ko:트빌리시 hy:Թբիլիսի hi:थ्बिलीसी hsb:Tbilisi hr:Tbilisi io:Tbilisi id:Tbilisi os:Тбилис is:Tíblisi it:Tbilisi he:טביליסי jv:Tbilisi pam:Tbilisi ka:თბილისი ky:Тбилиси sw:Tbilisi kv:Тбилиси ht:Tbilisi ku:Tibîlîsî mrj:Тбилиси lbe:Ттуплис la:Triphelis lv:Tbilisi lb:Tiflis lt:Tbilisis lij:Tiblisi lmo:Tbilisi hu:Tbiliszi mk:Тбилиси mi:Tbilisi mr:त्बिलिसी xmf:ქართი ms:Tbilisi mn:Тбилис nah:Tbilisi nl:Tbilisi ja:トビリシ no:Tbilisi nn:Tbilisi nov:Tbilisi oc:Tbilissi mhr:Тбилиси pnb:تبلیسی pms:Tbilisi pl:Tbilisi pt:Tbilisi kbd:Тбилиси crh:Tiflis ro:Tbilisi ru:Тбилиси sah:Тбилиси sco:Tbilisi sq:Tbilisi scn:Tbilisi simple:Tbilisi sk:Tbilisi sl:Tbilisi szl:Tbilisi ckb:تبلیس sr:Тбилиси sh:Tbilisi fi:Tbilisi sv:Tbilisi tl:Tbilisi ta:திபிலீசி roa-tara:Tbilisi th:ทบิลิซิ tg:Тбилисӣ tr:Tiflis udm:Тбилиси uk:Тбілісі ur:طفلس ug:تبىلىسى vi:Tbilisi vo:Tbilisi war:Tbilisi wo:Tibilisi yi:טביליסי yo:Tbilisi diq:Tıflis bat-smg:Tbėlėsis zh:第比利斯

name	Sharon Stone
birth date	March 10, 1958
birth name	Sharon Vonne Stone
birth place	Meadville, Pennsylvania, U.S.
occupation	Actress, model, producer
years active	1980–present
spouse	Michael Greenburg (1984–1990)Phil Bronstein (1998–2004)
children	3 }}

Sharon Vonne Stone (born March 10, 1958) is an American actress, film producer, and former fashion model. She achieved international recognition for her role in the erotic thriller ''Basic Instinct''. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama for her performance in ''Casino''.

Early life

Stone was born in Meadville, Pennsylvania. The second of four children, she is the daughter of Dorothy (née Lawson), an accountant and homemaker, and Joseph William Stone II, a tool and die manufacturer. Stone graduated in 1975 from Saegertown High School in Saegertown, Pennsylvania, graduating early in an accelerated study program in conjunction with Edinboro University of Pennsylvania and briefly attended Edinboro.

Career

Modeling

Stone won the title of Miss Crawford County in Meadville. One of the pageant judges said she should quit school and move to New York City to become a fashion model. In 1977 Stone left Meadville, moving in with an aunt in New Jersey. Within four days of her arrival in New Jersey, she was signed by Ford Modeling Agency in New York.

1980–1989

While living in Europe, she decided to quit modeling and become an actress. "So I packed my bags, moved back to New York, and stood in line to be an extra in a Woody Allen movie," she later recalled. While auditioning, she met Michelle Pfeiffer, who recognized her from the pageant she competed in, and the two became friends. Stone was cast for a brief role in Allen's ''Stardust Memories'' (1980), and then had a speaking part a year later in the horror movie ''Deadly Blessing'' (1981). When French director Claude Lelouch saw Stone in ''Stardust Memories,'' he was so impressed that he cast her in ''Les Uns et les Autres'' (1982) starring James Caan. She was only on screen for two minutes and did not appear in the credits.

After starring on the short-lived TV series ''Bay City Blues'' in 1983, her next film role was in ''Irreconcilable Differences'' (1984), starring Ryan O'Neal, Shelley Long, and a young Drew Barrymore. Stone played a starlet who breaks up the marriage of a successful director and his screenwriter wife. The plot was based on the real-life experience of director Peter Bogdanovich, his set designer wife Polly Platt, and Cybill Shepherd. In 1984, she appeared in a two-part episode of ''Magnum, P.I.'', titled "Echoes of the Mind", where she played identical twins, one a love interest of Tom Selleck's character.

Through the rest of the 1980s she appeared in ''King Solomon's Mines'' (1985), ''Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol'' (1987), ''Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold'' (1987), ''Action Jackson'' (1988), and ''Above the Law'' (1988). Stone was nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Actress for her performance in ''Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold''.

Also in 1988, Stone took over the role of Janice Henry for the filming of the miniseries ''War and Remembrance''.

1990–2002

Her appearance in ''Total Recall'' (1990) with Arnold Schwarzenegger gave Stone's career a boost. To coincide with the movie's release, she posed nude for ''Playboy'', showing off the muscles she developed in preparation for the movie (she lifted weights and learned taekwondo). In 1999, she was rated among the 25 sexiest stars of the century by ''Playboy''.

The role that made her a star was that of Catherine Tramell, a brilliant, bisexual alleged serial killer, in ''Basic Instinct'' (1992). Stone had to wait and actually turned down other offers for the mere prospect to play Tramell (the part was offered to 13 other actresses and considered to 150 women before being offered to Stone). Several better known actresses of the time turned down the part mostly because of the nudity required. In the movie's most notorious scene, Tramell is being questioned by the police and she crosses and uncrosses her legs, revealing the fact she is not wearing any underwear. According to Stone, she agreed to film the flashing scene with no panties, and although she and Verhoeven had discussed the scene from the beginning of production, she was unaware just how explicit the infamous shot would be.:

:"I knew that we were going to do this leg-crossing thing and I knew that we were going to allude to the concept that I was nude, but I did not think that you would see my vagina in the scene. Later, when I saw it in the screening I was shocked. I think seeing it in a room full of strangers was so disrespectful and so shocking, so I went into the booth and slapped him and left."

She claimed in an earlier interview, however, that "it was so fun" watching the film for the first time with strangers. Verhoeven has denied all claims of trickery and said, "As much as I love her, I hate her, too, especially after the lies she told the press about the shot between her legs, which was a straight lie". Screenwriter Joe Eszterhas, who later befriended the actress, also claimed in his memoir, ''Hollywood Animal'', that the actress was fully aware of the level of nudity involved.

Following this film, she was listed by ''People magazine'' as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world. In 1992, photographer George Hurrell took a series of photographs of Stone, Sherilyn Fenn, Julian Sands, Raquel Welch, Eric Roberts, and Sean Penn. In November 1995, Stone received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located at 6925 Hollywood Blvd. That same year, ''Empire'' chose her as one of the 100 sexiest stars in film history. In October 1997, she was ranked among the top 100 movie stars of all time by ''Empire''.

In 1995, she received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Dramatic Motion Picture for her role as "Ginger" in Martin Scorsese's ''Casino'' opposite Robert De Niro. She also earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for the role. The same year she starred opposite Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio in the Sam Raimi western ''The Quick And The Dead''. That same year, she was awarded the Women in Film Crystal Award.

Stone starred opposite actress Ellen DeGeneres in the 2000 HBO movie ''If These Walls Could Talk 2'', in which she played a lesbian trying to start a family. For her work on 'Walls', she was again recognized by Women in Film, this time with the Lucy Award.

In 2001, Stone was linked to a biopic of the German film director Leni Riefenstahl. The prospective director Paul Verhoeven and Riefenstahl herself favoured Stone to portray Riefenstahl in the film. According to Verhoeven, he discussed the project with Stone and she was very interested. Subsequently, Verhoeven pulled out of the project as he wanted to hire a more expensive screenwriter than the producers did.

Stone was hospitalized on September 29, 2001 for a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which was diagnosed as a vertebral artery dissection rather than the more common ruptured aneurysm, and treated with an endovascular coil embolization.

2003–present

In 2003, she appeared in three episodes from the eighth season of ''The Practice''. For her performances, she received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.

Stone attempted a return to the mainstream with roles in the films ''Cold Creek Manor'' (2003) with Kristen Stewart and ''Catwoman'' (2004) with Halle Berry; however, both movies were critical and commercial flops.

After years of litigation, ''Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction'' was released on March 31, 2006. A reason for a long delay in releasing the film was reportedly Stone's dispute with the filmmakers over the nudity in the movie; she wanted more, while they wanted less. A group sex scene was cut in order to achieve an R rating from the MPAA for the U.S. release; the controversial scene remained in the U.K. version of the London-based film. Stone told an interviewer, "We are in a time of odd repression and if a popcorn movie allows us to create a platform for discussion, wouldn't that be great?"

Despite an estimated budget of $70 million, it placed only 10th in gross on its debut weekend with a meager $3,200,000, and was subsequently declared a bomb. It ultimately ran in theaters for only 17 days and finished with a total domestic gross of under $6 million. Despite the failure of ''Basic Instinct 2'', Stone has said that she would love to direct and act in a third ''Basic Instinct'' film.

She appeared in the 2006 drama ''Alpha Dog'' opposite Bruce Willis, playing Olivia Mazursky, the mother of a real-life murder victim. Stone wore a fatsuit for the role. In February 2007, Stone found her role as a clinically depressed woman in her latest film, ''When a Man Falls in the Forest'', uplifting, as it challenged what she called "Prozac society." "It was a watershed experience," she said. "I think that we live in a... Prozac society where we're always told we're supposed to have this kind of equilibrium of emotion. We have all these assignments about how we're supposed to feel about something."

In December 2006, she co hosted the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway together with Anjelica Huston. The concert was in honor of the Nobel Peace Prize winners Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank.

In 2007, she appeared in a television commercial to raise awareness of the symptoms of a stroke.

On January 5, 2010, it was announced that Stone would be joining the cast of ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' for a four-episode arc beginning in April 2010. She portrayed Jo Marlowe, a former cop-turned-prosecutor. Her performance has been met with lukewarm reviews.

Criticism

Tanzania

On January 28, 2005, Stone helped solicit pledges for $1 million in five minutes for mosquito nets in Tanzania, turning a panel on African poverty into an impromptu fund-raiser at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Many observers, including UNICEF, criticized her actions by claiming that Stone had reacted instinctively to the words of Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa, because she had not done her research on the causes, consequences and methods of preventing malaria; if she had done so, she would have found out that most African governments already distribute free bed nets through public hospitals.

Of the $1 million pledged, only $250,000 was actually raised. In order to fulfill the promise to send $1 million worth of bed nets to Tanzania, UNICEF contributed $750,000. This diverted funds from other UNICEF projects. According to prominent economist Xavier Sala-i-Martín, officials are largely unaware of what happened with the bed nets. Some were delivered to the local airport. These reportedly were stolen and later resurfaced as wedding dresses on the local black market.

Chinese earthquake

Stone sparked a storm of criticism for her comments made in an exchange on the red carpet with Hong Kong's ''Cable Entertainment News'' during the 61st Annual Cannes Film Festival on May 25, 2008. When asked about the 2008 Sichuan earthquake she remarked:

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Observers have noted that Wenchuan County, the epicenter of the earthquake, is located in Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, where ethnic Tibetans comprise over half of the population. According to the ''Hollywood Reporter'', after her comments, one of China's biggest cinema chains released statements stating its company would not show her films in its theaters. The founder of the UME Cineplex chain and the chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong Filmmakers, Ng See-Yuen called Stone's comments "inappropriate" and said the UME Cineplex chain would not be releasing her films in the future. Christian Dior advertisements featuring Stone's image were dropped from all ads in China amid the public uproar. Stone was struck from the 2008 Shanghai International Film Festival guest list, with the event's organizers considering a permanent ban for the actress.

Dior China had originally posted an apology in Stone's name, but Stone later denied making the apology during an interview with the ''New York Times'', saying "I'm not going to apologize. I'm certainly not going to apologize for something that isn't real and true – not for face creams," although she does admit she had "sounded like an idiot". While Stone cited the Dalai Lama as her "good friend" when she made the remark at the Cannes film festival, the Dalai Lama has reportedly distanced himself from her remark, stating, "yes, I've met that lady".

Mensa

For many years, Stone maintained that she had an IQ of 148 and was a member of Mensa, but in April 2002, she admitted she was not, and had never been a member of the high-IQ society. Jim Blackmore of Mensa said, "It's delightful to finally see Ms. Stone admit that she's not and never has been a member of our society." However, Stone went on to claim that she "went to a Mensa school." In response to this new claim, Blackmore said that would not have been possible as there had been no Mensa schools since the early 1960s.

Personal life

Stone suffers from diabetes and asthma. In March 2006, Stone traveled to Israel to promote peace in the Middle East through a press conference with Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres.

Religion

Stone became a Buddhist, after fellow actor Richard Gere introduced her to the Dalai Lama. She believes in God and is religious by self-description. She is an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church.

Relationships

Stone married television producer Michael Greenburg in 1984 on the set of ''The Vegas Strip War'', a TV movie he produced and she starred in. The couple separated three years later, and their divorce was finalized in 1990.

In 1993, Stone met William J. MacDonald (aka Bill MacDonald) on the set of the film ''Sliver'', which he co-produced. McDonald left his wife Naomi Baca for Stone and became engaged to her. They separated one year later in 1994.

While working on the movie ''The Quick and the Dead'' in 1995, Stone met Bob Wagner (a second assistant director) and they became engaged. After they separated, Stone returned the engagement ring via FedEx.

On February 14, 1998, Stone married Phil Bronstein, executive editor of the ''San Francisco Examiner'' and later ''San Francisco Chronicle''. Stone and Bronstein were divorced in 2004. They adopted a baby son, Roan Joseph Bronstein, in 2000. Stone adopted her second son, Laird Vonne Stone in 2005 and her third son, Quinn Kelly Stone, in 2006.

In 2005, during a television interview for her movie ''Basic Instinct 2'', Stone hinted at an interest in bisexuality, stating "Middle age is an open-minded period". Stone also has said that in the past she's "dated" girls. Furthermore, in ''Naked Instinct'', an unauthorized biography of Stone, author Frank Sanello details a sexual liaison between Stone and a woman in the bathroom of the Beverly Hills Hotel. In an interview on the Michael Parkinson talk show in Britain on March 18, 2006, she said she was straight. However, in January 2008, she was quoted as saying, "Everybody is bisexual to an extent. Now men act like women and it's difficult to have a relationship because I like men in that old-fashioned way. I like masculinity and, in truth, only women do that now".

In 2011, Stone stated on ''Piers Morgan Tonight'' that she was never married to George Howe Englund Jr., despite contrary internet rumors.

Filmography

''Les Uns et les autres'' ''Not Just Another Affair'' ''Bay City Blues'' ''The New Mike Hammer'' ''T. J. Hooker'' ''Mr. and Mrs. Ryan'' ''Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol'' ''Tears in the Rain'' ''Beyond the Stars'' ''Total Recall'' ''He Said, She Said'' ''Basic Instinct'' ''Last Action Hero'' ''Sliver (film) ''The Quick and the Dead (1995 film) ''Diabolique (1996 film) ''Sphere (film) ''Gloria (1999 film) ''If These Walls Could Talk 2'' ''Harold and the Purple Crayon'' ''Cold Creek Manor'' ''A Different Loyalty'' ''Higglytown Heroes'' ''Alpha Dog'' ''If I Had Known I Was a Genius'' ''The Year of Getting to Know Us'' ''Streets of Blood'' ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' '':fr:Largo Winch II

style="background:#B0C4DE;"	Year	Film	Role	Notes
1980	''Stardust Memories''	Pretty Girl on train
rowspan="2">1981	|	Girl with Glenn Senior	Uncredited
''Deadly Blessing''	Lana Marcus
rowspan="2"	1982	|	Lynette	TV movie
''Silver Spoons''	Debbie
rowspan="2"	1983	|	Cathy St. Marie	(TV series)
''Remington Steele''	Jillian Montague
rowspan="5"	1984	|	Julie Eland	(TV series)
''Magnum, P.I.''	Diane Dupree and Diedra Dupree
''Calendar Girl Murders''
''The Vegas Strip War''	Sarah Shipman
''Irreconcilable Differences''	Blake Chandler
rowspan="2"	1985	|	Dani Starr
''King Solomon's Mines (1985 film)	King Solomon's Mines''	Jesse Huston
rowspan="2"	1986	|	Ashley Hamilton Ryan	TV movie
''Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold''	Jesse Huston
rowspan="2"	1987	|	Claire Mattson
''Cold Steel (film)	Cold Steel''	Kathy Connors
rowspan="4"	1988	|	Casey Cantrell	TV movie
''Action Jackson''	Patrice Dellaplane
''Above the Law (film)	Above the Law''	Sara Toscani
''Badlands 2005''	Alex Neil
1988–1989	''War and Remembrance''
rowspan="2"	1989	|	Laurie McCall
''Blood and Sand (1989 film)	Blood and Sand''	Doña Sol
1990	|	Lori Quaid
rowspan="5"	1991	|	Linda Metzger
''Scissors (film)	Scissors''	Angie Anderson
''Year of the Gun (film)	Year of the Gun''	Alison King
''Diary of a Hitman''	Kiki
''Where Sleeping Dogs Lie''	Serena Black
1992	|	Catherine Tramell	MTV Movie Award for Best Performance>MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance<	MTV Movie Award for Most Desirable FemaleNominated – Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best ActressNominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture DramaNominated – Saturn Award for Best Actress
	1993	|	Catherine Tramell	Cameo
	1993	Sliver'' ||	Carly Norris	Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Most Desirable Female
rowspan="2"	1994	''The Specialist''
''Intersection (film)	Intersection''	Sally Eastman
rowspan="3">1995	The Quick and the Dead'' ||	Ellen 'The Lady'	Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Actress
''Roseanne (TV series)	Roseanne''	Trailer Park Resident
''Casino (film)	Casino''
rowspan="2"	1996	Diabolique'' ||	Nicole Horner
''Last Dance (film)	Last Dance''	Cindy Liggett
rowspan="3"	1998	Sphere'' ||	Dr. Elizabeth 'Beth' Halperin
''Antz''	Princess Bala
''The Mighty''	Gwen Dillon
rowspan="4"	1999	Gloria'' ||	Gloria
''The Muse (film)	The Muse''	Sarah Little
''Simpatico (film)	Simpatico''	Rosie Carter
''Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child''	Henny Penny
rowspan="3"	2000	|	Fran	TV movie
''Picking Up the Pieces''	Candy Cowley
''Beautiful Joe (film)	Beautiful Joe''	Alice 'Hush' Mason
2001–2002	|	Narrator	(TV series)
2003	|	Leah Tilson
rowspan="4"	2004	|	Sally Cauffield
''Catwoman (film)	Catwoman''	Laurel Hedare
''The Practice''	Sheila Carlisle
''Kurtlar Vadisi''<	(Eng. ''Valley of the Wolves'')	Lisa
rowspan="3">2005	|	Nicky – Blind Art Teacher	voice
''Will & Grace''	Dr. Georgia Keller
''Broken Flowers''	Laura Daniels Miller
rowspan="5"	2006	|	Olivia Mazursky
''Basic Instinct 2''	Catherine Tramell
''Huff (TV series)	Huff''	Dauri Rathburn
''Bobby (2006 film)	Bobby''
''Democrazy''	Patricia Hill
rowspan="2"	2007	|	Gloria Fremont
''When a Man Falls in the Forest''	Karen Fields
rowspan="2"	2008	|	Jane Rocket
''Five Dollars a Day''	Dolores Jones
2009	|	Nina Ferraro
	2010	|	Jo Marlowe	Four episodes (TV series)
2011	Largo Winch II''||	Diane Francken

References

External links

Category:1958 births Category:Living people Category:Actors from Pennsylvania Category:AIDS activists Category:American Buddhists Category:American female models Category:American film actors Category:American health activists Category:Best Drama Actress Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Converts to Buddhism Category:Edinboro University of Pennsylvania alumni Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Légion d'honneur recipients Category:LGBT rights activists from the United States Category:People from Crawford County, Pennsylvania Category:Stroke survivors Category:Tibetan Buddhists from the United States

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