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Iazamir Gotta (born 1955 or 1956) is a Russian television personality and producer. He is best known as the travelling companion of American chef Anthony Bourdain on his Travel Channel TV show Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.

Early life

Gotta is of Jewish and Crimean Tatar ancestry. He was educated at Moscow State Pedagogical University, where he studied English, and taught the language in Moscow from 1983 to 1988.

Career

Gotta 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.

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.

Gotta launched his own vodka brand, Peacemaker, in 2016.

Personal life

Gotta and his wife Katya are parents of a daughter, Anna, and a son, Anton, who was partially named for Anthony Bourdain. In 2022, 20-year-old Anton died by suicide. After previously living in Connecticut, the Gottas moved to Buffalo, New York, which Zamir first visited while filming an episode of No Reservations.

Appearances with Anthony Bourdain

A Cook's Tour

• "The Cook Who Came in from the Cold" (2002)
• "So Much Vodka, So Little Time" (2002)

No Reservations

• "Uzbekistan" (2005)
• "Russia" (2007)
• "Romania" (2008)
• "Rust Belt: Buffalo/Baltimore/Detroit" (2009)
• "Ukraine" (2011)
• "Kansas City" (2012)
• "Brooklyn" (2012)

Parts Unknown

• "Russia" (2014)
• "Tbilisi, Georgia" (2016)

References

1. 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.
2. ^ 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...
3. Meyers, Joe. "Zamir Gotta screens two documentaries in Stamford". The Connecticut Post. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
4. "Ukraine". Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. Season 7. Episode 14. 15 August 2011. Event occurs at 30:01. Travel Channel.
5. ^ "Mindful Music: Zamir Gotta". NPR. 27 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
6. "Zamir Gotta Moves to Buffalo – Schedules Vodka Release – Considers Russian Spy Bar". Buffalo Rising. 20 September 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
7. ^ "Four Questions With...Zamir Gotta". The Great Lakes Observer. 8 July 2021. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
8. Gotta, Zamir (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

• Zamir Gotta at IMDb

• Living people
• Crimean Tatar people
• Russian film producers
• Russian Jews