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- Actor
- Director
- Producer
David Hemmings, one of the great English cinema icons of the 1960s, was born in Guildford, Surrey, on November 18, 1941, to a cookie merchant and his wife. He was educated at Glyn College, Epsom, but while still a child, Hemmings made his first forays into the world of entertainment. An accomplished singer, he toured as a boy soprano with the English Opera Group, famed for his performances of the works of Benjamin Britten. Britten, who befriended the youngster, wrote some roles specifically for Hemmings, including that of "Miles" in "The Turn of the Screw". Hemmings subsequently took up painting after his career as a soprano was ended by his transit through puberty. He studied painting at the Epsom School of Art, where he staged the first exhibition of his work at the school when he was 15 years old.
Hemmings made his film debut in 1954, with The Rainbow Jacket (1954) for Ealing Studios. He also had bit part in Otto Preminger's 1957 version of Saint Joan (1957). In his 20s, he returned to singing, appearing at nightclubs before concentrating on the stage and the cinema. As the youth culture hit Britain in the late 50s (the Notting Hill race riots of August 1958 limned in Julien Temple's 1986 film Absolute Beginners (1986) being a kind of bookmark signaling its arrival), Hemmings was in the right place at the right time to capitalize on his skills and looks. Boyish-looking, with large, protuberant blue eyes covered with heavy lids, his face was at once startling and decadent while simultaneously conveying an air of fragility. He starred in pop music movies Sing and Swing (1963) and Be My Guest (1965), as well as co-starring in one of Michael Winner's first films, The Girl-Getters (1964), with Oliver Reed.
The 24-year-old Hemmings desperately wanted what would become his career-defining role, as the morally jaded fashion photographer Thomas in master-director Michelangelo Antonioni's Blow-Up (1966). He was up against the crème of British actors, including Terence Stamp, who already had an Oscar nomination under his belt and was conventionally handsome.
Hemmings thought he had blown his audition as Antonioni shook his head constantly throughout his audition. However, he later found out the great director had a mild form of Tourette's which caused him to move his head from side to side.
The role made him a star and, for a while, a darling of the pop culture filmmaking that was expected to revolutionize the English-speaking cinema in the 1960s, after the 1964 Best Picture Oscar-win of Tony Richardson's Tom Jones (1963). He was cast as Mordred in the big-screen adaptation of Lerner & Lowe's musical Camelot (1967) with Richard Harris and Hemmings Blow-Up (1966) co-star Vanessa Redgrave to critically panned results. The same year that "Camelot" was released (1967), he put out a pop single ("Back Street Mirror") and an album, "David Hemmings Happens", recorded in Los Angeles. His album was produced by Jim Dickinson, the early producer of The Byrds, and featured instrumental backing by several members of group. It was re-released on CD in 2005.
In 1968, he appeared as Dildano opposite Jane Fonda (in her incarnation as a sexpot) in Roger Vadim's kitsch classic Barbarella (1968).
However, to reduce stereotyping and his identification with pop culture filmmaking, he took on the role of the anti-hero Captain Nolan in Tony Richardson's masterful satire The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968) and later, the eponymous role in Alfred the Great (1969). While both films were imbued with the counter-cultural attitudes of their times, the roles themselves were rather straightforward. Hemmings had reached the summit of his career as an actor. These were the heights he never reached again.
As the quality of his roles declined, Hemmings turned more to directing. He had directed his first film in 1972, helming the thriller Running Scared (1972) which starred Gayle Hunnicutt, his wife from 1968 to 1974. Hemmings also co-wrote the script. In the 1970s, he had relocated to Malibu, California to live with Hunnicutt, and the fabled beach community which was his home for the next generation. In 1975, he starred as Bertie Wooster in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, "Jeeves", one of Lord Webber's few flops.
Hemmings formed the independent production company Hemdale Corp. with his business partner, John Daly, in the early 1970s as a tax shelter. He was able to use Hemdale and his role as a producer to vivify his directing career. In 1979, Hemmings the director first attracted major attention with Just a Gigolo (1978), but the film was a flop in spite of its interesting cast. After directing the 1981 adventure film Treasure of the Yankee Zephyr (1981) and an adaptation of James Herbert's novel "The Survivor", he focused on TV directing. He soon became one of the top directors of American action TV programs, including The A-Team (1983), Airwolf (1984), Magnum, P.I. (1980) and Quantum Leap (1989).
However, in the nineties, he abandoned directing, and returned to live in the UK. The role of "Cassius" in Gladiator (2000) heralded his full-time return to acting. He was also memorable in a small role in Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York (2002). But it was his last major role, in the cinema adaption of Graham Swift's Last Orders (2001), that showed Hemmings at the top of his talent. Unrecognizable from the boy-man of 1966-70, he was memorable as the ex-boxer who ruefully remembers the past with his remaining buddies as they travel to throw the ashes of a departed friend into the sea. That two of the other major roles were filled by Michael Caine and Tom Courtenay, two other British actors whose careers first flourished in the 1960s, added to the poignancy of this tale of men trying to recapture lost time. He also appeared, less memorably, in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003) opposite the ultimate 60s male British cinema icon, Sean Connery.
David Hemmings died of a heart attack on December 3, 2003, in Bucharest, Romania, on the set of Blessed (2004), after playing his scenes for the day. He was 62 years old. His autobiography, "Blow Up... and Other Exaggerations" was published in 2004.- Director
- Actor
- Writer
Anthony (Tony), started as a club promoter in London in the early eighties and financed his first short 'rock-a-bye baby' by holding an event at Le'quipe Anglaise, where all the door money went to finance the film. In fact, when it was finished it was the clubs owner Shariffi who showed it to producer Micheal White (Rocky horror show) who was so impressed, he gave Tony a one way ticket to L.A.saying don't come back until you have made it. Tony didn't return for eight years.
in L.A. Tony famously met the producer of 'Waxwork', Staffan Ahrenberg, when he crashed into the back of his car in the motel they were both staying at on Fairfax. Tony, broke at the time, talked Staffan into letting him pay for the damage by writing him a script for $3000 only. Staffan agreed, but wouldn't pay a penny until it was delivered. Tony wrote it in three days. Waxwork.
The script then did the rounds getting turned down by every studio, until an independent, Vestron was the only one left. They turned it down two days before Christmas. it was over the vacation that their friend, producer Mark Burg (Saw), said he couldn't believe that Dan Ireland (the head of the studio) wouldn't have loved it. It turns out he hadn't read it, it never made it past the readers.
The first day after the vacation, Mark sent 'Waxwork' to Dan himself, the rest, as they say, is horror movie history.- Tatiana Iekel was born on 10 October 1932 in Iasi, Romania. She was an actress, known for Sieranevada (2016), One Floor Below (2015) and The Carpathian Castle (1981). She died on 14 May 2017 in Bucharest, Romania.
- Director
- Actor
- Writer
Sergiu Nicolaescu was born on the 13th of April 1930, in Târgu Jiu, Gorj County, Romania. Nicolaescu, aka 'Steven Spielberg of the Romanian cinema', was a brilliant, self-taught technician and a master of popular entertainment who approached during his long career various genres with great success. In his childhood, he spent a lot of time and money at the cinema. He was inspired by the films and played "war" or "mystery" games with 30 fellow kids in the suburbs of his native town. His father was an engineer, who worked for former king Michael. Therefore, after the King's abdication in 1947, his father was arrested. After finishing high school, Nicolaescu was accepted by three colleges. He finally attended the Romanian Marine Corps. Nicolaescu entered the realm of cinema by chance. A friend offered him a job in the Bucharest Studios of that time. He didn't expect a career in directing, but his poetic short film The Memory of the Rose (1964) got a lot of attention at the 1962 Cannes International Film Festival. In 1967, his massive domestic success The Dacians (1966) became the first Romanian hit film in Western Europe. Subsequently, Nicolaescu was internationally appreciated as a film director of large scale period films. He had the privilege to work in France, Germany and other countries on several projects in the 1970s and 1980s. He directed Michael the Brave (1971) and Then I Sentenced Them All to Death (1972), two of the most successful and best Romanian epics. He also was responsible for such indigenous blockbusters as The Immortals (1974),Cu mâinile curate (1972),Noi, cei din linia întîi (1985) and Proud Heritage (1989). His only, but very popular, comedy Nea Marin miliardar (1979) sold a record 14.6 mill. tickets in Romania, more than any other film in communist Romania. After the Romanian Revolution in December 1989, Nicolaescu became a political figure, but continued to direct movies. Without the free assistance of the Romanian military, he couldn't produce epics as he did back in the Communist era. Oglinda (1994) and The Death Triangle (1999) were smaller in scale, but well-received at the box-office. While most of his epic films were only possible within the nationalist context of Communist Romania, they are still appreciated today by audiences as timeless, spectacular entertainments on a massive scale. One of his fans included director Steven Spielberg himself, who even included clips from a battle scene in "Mihai Viteazul" into E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982).- Gheorghe Dinica is one of the greatest Romanian actors of all time. As a child he was passionate to go to movie theaters where he saw famous movie legends as Stan & Bran, Greta Garbo, Vivien Leigh, Bette Davis, Bill Crosby and Chaplin. From the age of 17 until 23 he was a part of different amateur theater troupes and in 1957, at the age of 23, he entered at The National Institute of Art Theatre and Cinematography. He captured public attention in 1961, in his last play for the exam where he played Inspector Gool from the play with the same name. His most well-known movies are Mastodontul (1975), Through the Ashes of the Empire (1976), Revenge (1978), Why Are the Bells Ringing, Mitica? (1981), The Contest (1982), The Stone Cross (1993), The Earth's Most Beloved Son (1993), Philanthropy (2002), Taxi or Limousine (2003), Sweet swan of death (2003) and in 2004 there are few movie in production or ready to be released, such as Orient Express and Magnatul. The rich filmography together with a full and successful experience in theatre makes him a respectable actor with a lot of fans even amongst the young generation and serve as an example for actors of his generation but also for the young ones.
- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Lucian Pintilie was born on 9 November 1933 in Tarutino, Bessarabia, Romania [now Tarutyne, Odessa Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a director and writer, known for Next Stop Paradise (1998), Sunday at Six (1966) and The Oak (1992). He was married to Clody Bertola. He died on 16 May 2018 in Bucharest, Romania.- Toma Caragiu was one of the best Romanian actors, playing either comedy or drama, but having a special attraction to the comic movies. He tragically died during the earthquake in Bucharest in 1977, being trapped under the remains of the block of flats he lived in, which collapsed. His body was found days later. An unexpected death for the man who always succeeded to make the oppressed Romanians in Ceausescu's communist era laugh.
- Dem Radulescu was a famous Romanian film and theater actor.He was born on September 21, 1931 in Ramnicu Valcea, Romania. He graduated from Institute of Theatrical Arts and Cinematography in 1954.In 1959, he plays first role in the movie Telegrame . Other notable roles in Brigada Diverse în alerta! (1971), Asta seara dansam în familie (1972), Grabeste-te încet (1981). Play on the stage of the theaters ''National I.L. Caragiale'' , ''Teatrul de Comedie '' and ''Bulandra'' in Bucharest.University professor at the National University of Theater and Cinematographic Art "I.L.Caragiale" in Bucharest.He was married with actress Paula Radulescu.and with the actress Adriana Schiopu, , with whom he has a daughter,actress Irina Radulescu.He died on September 17, 2000 in Telega, Romania.
- Adrian Pintea was a famous Romanian film and theater actor and director .He was born on October 9, 1930 in Beius Romania. He graduate the Institute of Theatrical Arts and Cinematography in 1979.In 1977, he plays first role in the movie Pentru patrie. Other notable roles in Iancu Jianu, zapciul (1980) ,Padureanca (1987),Cei care platesc cu viata (1989). Play on the stage of the theater ''National I.L. Caragiale'' in Bucharest.University professor doctor at the "Ion Luca Caragiale" University of Theater and Film . He was awarded with the title '' Meritul cultural in grad de Comandor '' of Romania.He was married with Lavinia Pintea. He died on June 8 2007 in Bucharest, Romania.
- Actor
- Writer
He was born in Bailesti, Oltenia, and attended the Carol I High School. He later played at the Craiova Theatre, then at the Small Theatre, Nottara Theatre, Comedy Theatre and the National Theatre Bucharest, being also a professor at the Academy of Theatre and Film in Bucharest.
Pellea played numerous comic and serious roles. In the cinema was most noted for his roles as historical leaders. His earliest leading roles were as Romanian national heroes, beginning with Decebalus in Dacii (1967) and Columna (1968). He also portrayed Michael the Brave in Mihai Viteazul (1971).
His most famous comic role was as "Nea Marin" (Uncle Marin), a character representing the archetypal Oltenian peasant. Marin first appeared in TV comedy sketches. The character graduated to the cinema in Nea Marin miliardar (Uncle Marin, the Billionaire), in which Pellea played the dual role of the naive Marin and the American billionaire he is mistaken for. Nea Marin miliardar is ranked 1 in the top most viewed Romanian films of all time.
He played other historical figures such as Vladica Hariton in Tudor din Vladimiri and Voivode Basarab in Croitorii cei mari din Valahia. He also appeared in Rascoala and Haiducii. In 1977 he won the award for Best Actor at the 10th Moscow International Film Festival for his role in The Doom.
He is buried at Bellu Cemetery.
In a 2006 poll conducted by Romanian Television to identify the "greatest Romanians of all time", Pellea came in 58th.- Nicolae Ceausescu (1918 - 25 December 1989) was a Romanian communist politician and dictator. He was the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and the second and last Communist leader of Romania. He was also the country's head of state from 1967, serving as President of the State Council and from 1974 as President of the Republic, until his overthrow and execution in the Romanian Revolution in December 1989, part of a series of anti-Communist uprisings in Eastern Europe that year.
- Ilarion Ciobanu was a famous Romanian film actor and director.He was born on October 28, 1931 in Ciucur, Tighina, Romania.He graduated from Institute of Theatrical Arts and Cinematography .In 1960, he plays first role in the movie Setea. Other notable roles in Rascoala (1965), Columna (1968) , Ultimul cartus (1973),Toate pînzele sus(1977). He had three wives :the first wife, a French teacher, the second wife, Tamara Barna, and the third, Marion Ciobanu. From the last marriage he has a son, Ioachim.He was decorated on February 7, 2004 Order of Cultural Merit in the rank of Commander.At the First edition of the Bucharest International Film Festival, BiFEST, in 2004, the actor received the Excellence Award for his contribution in the art of cinema.He died on September 7, 2008 in Bucharest, Romania.
- Luminita Gheorghiu studied Ion Cojar's acting method under Ion Cojar himself at what is now called the National University of Theatre and Film from Bucharest. She had played in tens of movies and theatre shows since her graduation in 1972, but her real international breakthrough came with a role in the critically acclaimed The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005), for which she won the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress. For her performance in Child's Pose (2013), Luminita was nominated for Best Actress at the European Film Awards.
- Teodor Corban was a Romanian theater and film actor. He was born on April 28, 1957 in Iasi, Romania. He graduated from Institute of Theatrical Arts and Cinematography in 1985.In 2003, he plays first role in the movie Calatorie la oras. Other notable roles in films: A fost sau n-a fost? (2006), Amintiri din Epoca de Aur (2009), Aferim! (2015). In 1985-1988 he was employed at the "V. I. Popa" Theater in Barlad, and since 1989 he was the actor of the "Vasile Alecsandri" National Theater in Iasi. He was married with Angela Corban. They had two children actress Ioana Natalia and Tudor.
- Jean Constantin was a famous Romanian film and theater actor.He was born on August 21, 1928 in Techirghiol, Romania. He graduated from Institute of Theatrical Arts and Cinematography .In 1965, he plays first role in the movie Procesul alb. Other notable roles in Brigada Diverse în alerta! (1971), Un comisar acuza (1974), Nea Marin miliardar (1979),Toate pînzele sus(1977). Play on the stage of the theater ''Constantin Tanase'' in Bucharest and ''Fantasio'' in Constanta.He was married with Elena Jean.Gopo prize in 2008 for the whole opera.He was decorated on February 7, 2004 the Cultural Merit Order in the rank of Officer.He died on May 26, 2010 in Constanta, Romania.
- Ion Dichiseanu was a famous Romanian film and theater actor. He was born on October 20th, 1933 in Adjud, Romania. He graduated from Institute of Theatrical Arts and Cinematography in 1959. In 1960, he plays first role in the movie 'Darclée'. Other notable roles were in the movies 'Sfînta Tereza si diavolii' (1972), 'Toate pânzele sus' (1977), 'Supravietuitorul (2008)'. Played on the stage of the theater ''Nottara'' in Bucharest. He received National Order of the Faithful Service in the rank of Knight (2002) and Officer in (2019). He received the ACIN Award in 1979. He was married with the Romanian singer Simona Florescu. They had a daughter, Ioana Georgiana Dichiseanu.
- Actor
- Producer
Doru Ana is a Romanian film and theater actor .He was born on February 28, 1954 in Bucharest, Romania. He graduated from Institute of Theatrical Arts and Cinematography in 1980.In 1977, he plays first role in the movie Egmont. Other notable roles in Terminus paradis (1998),Marfa si banii (2001) ,Umbre (2019) . Play on the stage of the theater ''Bulandra'' in Bucharest. Professor univ.dr. at the Actor's Art department of the Theater Faculty of UNATC.- Ion Caramitru was a famous Romanian film and theater actor and director. He was born on March 9th, 1942 in Bucharest, Romania. He graduated from 'Institute of Theatrical Arts and Cinematography' in 1964.In 1964, he plays first role in the movie 'Comoara din Vadul Vechi'. Other notable roles in the films 'Stejar - extrema urgenta' (1974), 'Stefan Luchian' (1981) , 'Liceenii' (1986) . Played on the stage of the ''National Theater I.L. Caragiale'' in Bucharest. He has been president of UNITER since 1990 and since 2005 he has been the director of the National Theater in Bucharest. In 2007 he received National Order "Star of Romania" in the rank of Knight.He is married with actress Micaela Caracas. They had three children, Stefan, Andrei and Matei .
- Iurie Darie (real name Darie Maximciuc) was a famous Romanian film and theater actor.He was born on March 14, 1929 in Vadul Rascov, Romania. He graduated from Institute of Theatrical Arts and Cinematography in 1952.In 1953, he plays first role in the movie Nepotii gornistului. Other notable roles in Brigada Diverse în alerta! (1971), Dimitrie Cantemir (1973), Fratii Jderi (1974). Play on the stage of the theater ''Teatrul de Comedie '' in Bucharest.He was married with Consuela Rosu and with Anca Pandrea .He had a son ,director Ducu Darie.He was decorated on May 30, 2002 with the National Order of the Faithful Service in the rank of Knight.He died on November 9, 2012 in Bucharest, Romania.
- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Cristian Nemescu was born on 31 March 1979 in Bucharest, Romania. He was a director and writer, known for California Dreamin' (2007), Marilena from P7 (2006) and Poveste la scara 'C' (2003). He died on 24 August 2006 in Bucharest, Romania.- Sebastian Papaiani was a famous Romanian film and theater actor.He was born on August 25, 1936 in Pitesti, Romania. He graduated from Institute of Theatrical Arts and Cinematography in 1960.In 1963, he plays first role in the movie Un suras in plina vara . Other notable roles in Brigada Diverse în alerta! (1971), Pacala (1974), Fratii Jderi (1974),Toate pînzele sus(1977). Play on the stage of the theaters ''Teatrul de Comedie '' and ''Odeon'' in Bucharest.He was married with Eugenia Giurgiu Papaiani and with Marcela Papaiani .He has two children Alkys Papaiani and Sebastian Papaiani.He was decorated on December 13, 2002 with the National Order of the Faithful Service in the rank of Knight.He died on September 27, 2016 in Bucharest, Romania.
- Irina Petrescu was born on 19 June 1941 in Bucharest, Romania. She was an actress, known for Rautaciosul adolescent (1969), Facerea lumii (1971) and Operation 'The Bus' (1978). She died on 19 March 2013 in Bucuresti, Romania.
- Serban Ionescu was a famous Romanian film and theatre actor and director .He was born on September 23, 1950 in Corabia, Romania. He graduated from Institute of Theatrical Arts and Cinematography in 1978.In 1977, he plays first role in the movie Cuibul salamandrelor. Other notable roles in Maria (2003), Too Late (1996) and The Forest Woman (1987). Play on the stage of the theater ''Odeon'' in Bucharest. He is married with actress Magda Catone.They have a son Carol.He died on November 21, 2012 in Bucharest, Romania.
- Elena Ceausescu was born on 7 January 1916 in Petresti, Dambovita, Romania. She was married to Nicolae Ceausescu. She died on 25 December 1989 in Targoviste, Dambovita, Romania.
- Mitica Popescu was born on 2 December 1936 in Bucharest, Romania. He was an actor, known for Zloty pociag (1986), Secretul armei secrete (1988) and Pasaj (1990). He was married to Leopoldina Balanuta. He died on 3 January 2023 in Romania.
- Mircea Albulescu was born on 4 October 1934 in Bucharest, Romania. He was an actor, known for Puterea si adevarul (1972), Youth Without Youth (2007) and Columna (1968). He was married to Maria. He died on 8 April 2016 in Bucharest, Romania.
- Ion Besoiu was a famous Romanian film and theater actor.He was born on August 25, 1936 in Sibiu, Romania. He graduated from the Academy of Theater and Music in Sibiu.In 1957, he plays first role in the movie Vultur 101. Other notable roles in Haiducii (1966), Pacala (1974), Mihai Viteazul (1970),Toate pînzele sus(1977). Play on the stage of the theater ''Bulandra'' in Bucharest.He had four wives, including Emilia Dobrin and Luminita Marcu .He has a daughter Ioana Besoiu.On March 19, 2001, on the occasion of his 70th birthday, President decorated him with the National Order "Steaua României" as a knight.In 2008 ,UNITER Award for the entire activity In 2002, he received the prize of excellence of the Romanian Cinematography.Gopo prize for the whole opera.He died on January 18, 2017 in Bucharest, Romania.
- Director
- Producer
Lucian Bratu was born on 14 July 1924 in Bucharest, Romania. He was a director and producer, known for Tudor (1963), Secretul cifrului (1960) and Mireasa din tren (1980). He died on 9 May 1998 in Bucharest, Romania.- Valeriu Popescu was born on 1st of December 1938 in Bucharest, Romania. He graduate from the Acting Faculty of the Institutul de Arta Teatrala si Cinematografica "Ion Luca Caragiale" (IATC), the "National University of Theatre and Movie" (UNATC) of today, Bucharest, in 1962, at prof. Ion Olteanu's class, assisted by Irina Rachiteanu-Sirianu... Till 1970 he played on different important stages of the country, as Targu Mures, Ploiesti and the "Small Theatre" ("Teatrul Mic") Bucharest, in leading parts, as he was a tall, a good looking, charismatic person, in plays such as "The twelfth Night" ("A douasprezecea Noapte") by William Shakespeare, "The Devil's Disciple" ("Discipolul Diavolului") by Bernard Shaw, "Orfeu Descending" ("Orfeu in Infern") by Tennessee Williams, "Romeo and Juliett" by William Shakespeare, "Two for the Seesaw" ("Doi pe un Balansoar") by William Gibson etc. In 1969 he defected Romania and the communist system, setting in Paris, France, where he changed his name to Valerio Popesco, adapting it to the country's language. He played diverse parts in different movies and at the television, as the part of the Stranger in the film of the Belgian director Andre Delvaux "Belle", in 1973, working also with famous French directors as: Jean-Luc Godard, Philippe Galardi, Roger Burkhardt...
He also directed himself "The Premiere" by John Cromwell, "Butterflies, Butterflies" by Aldo Nicolai, "Moments of Life" by William Saroyan. In 1984 he established the theatre company "Instants" in Lyon, for which he was artistic director till 1989, when the communist system fell. In 1995 he returned to Romania, where he played again more leading roles, at the "Nottara" Theatre (Starbuck in "The Rainmaker" by Richard Nash) and at the "National Theatre" Bucharest, where he was employed one year later. But the most important role he did in the last years of his life was that of Alfredo in "The Queen Mum" by Manlio Santanelli, next to Olga Tudorache, on the "Amfiteatre" stage. In the movies, he started with a part in "The Upheaval" ("Rascoala") by Mircea Muresan, "The jolly Quarter" directed by Manole Marcus, "Papparazzo", directed by Nicolae Margineanu and in Television productions as "The early Train doesn't stop here anymore" by Tennessee Williams, directed by Catalina Buzoianu, "Here, doesn't live anybody", script and direction by Malvina Ursianu, "A lost Lettre" ("O Scrisoare pierduta"), script and direction by Mircea Veroiu. He died on 18th of November 2005, at the age of nearly 67 years, he would have completed 12 days later, on 1st of Decembre. Valeriu Popescu is buried at Romania's most famous Cemetery "Bellu" in Bucharest, Romania. - Director
- Writer
- Producer
Andrei Blaier was born on 16 May 1933 in Bucharest, Romania. He was a director and writer, known for Mingea (1959), Ora H (1957) and Diminetile unui baiat cuminte (1967). He died on 1 December 2011 in Romania.- Zoia Ceausescu was born on 1 March 1949 in Romania. She was married to Mircea Oprean. She died on 20 November 2006 in Bucharest, Romania.
- Famous as the "Woman in Red", Ana Cumpanas aka Anna Sage reached the status of cultural icon in the United States in the years following John Dillinger(1903-1934)'s death, because she assisted the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in tracking down the 'Public Enemy No.1' at the Biograph Theatre in Chicago, USA where he was killed on July 22, 1934 after having seen Manhattan Melodrama (1934). Ana Cumpanas was a native of Comlosu Mare, a village of Banat (then part of Austria-Hungary, now in Timis County, Romania). She married in 1909 and the couple moved to the United States. They had a son, but their marriage did not last and by the end of the decade, Cumpanas was working as a prostitute, and later became a madam. She opened a brothel on Halsted Street in Chicago. By 1934, Cumpanas was facing deportation to Romania, after the authorities deemed her to be "of low moral character". On July 4, 1934, John Dillinger began frequenting Cumpanas and her circle of friends. Cumpanas was reportedly close to Polly Hamilton, who was Dillinger's lover. Once Cumpanas became aware of Dillinger's real identity, she considered turning him in as a way of obtaining permanent US residence and getting a large reward that had been offered for his capture. On July 22, after contacting the FBI through the Chicago Police, Cumpanas identified Dillinger to the FBI agent Melvin Purvis, resulting in Dillinger's shooting outside the Biograph Theater in Chicago. Despite the famous nickname "Woman in Red" and her alleged promise to wear red as a distinctive mark, Cumpanas is said to have actually worn orange that night. She received a US$ 5,000 reward, only half of what she had been allegedly promised, and still had to leave the United States in 1936. She lived then in Timisoara, Romania (close to where she was born) an ordinary life until her death from liver disease in 1947.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Although born in Russia, Andrei Gheorghe is a Romanian 100%. Schoolteacher by formation, mind-boggler by design, after trying the most diverse jobs he errupted in the Romanian mass-media in the early 90s, as host of a local TV station, soon to be noticed and transferred to an important Bucharest TV and radio station (ProTV/ProFM), where he's actually a collaborator.
His trademark radio shows, 'Midnight Killer' and '13-14 with Andrei', established him as a provocative, iconoclast figure, ready to chastise stupidity and lack of culture and to applaud originality. The next, natural, step was choosing him as host of the Romanian version of "The Weakest Link", Lantul slabiciunilor (2001). He's a merciless host who's tormenting the competitors, but always ends the show with a wink. In 2001 he was noticed by Costa Gavras while filming Amen. (2002) in Romania and was cast as a French officer.- Valeria Seciu is a famous Romanian film and theater actress.She was born on August 1, 1939 in Bucharest, Romania. She graduated from Institute of Theatrical Arts and Cinematography in 1964.In 1964, she plays first role in the movie Casa neterminata.Other notable roles in films :Parasutistii (1973),Vînatoarea de vulpi (1980),Buna seara, Irina (1980..Play on the stage of the theaters ''National I.L. Caragiale'' ,''Mic'',''Nottara''from Bucharest.UNITER Award for "Best Female Performance" in 2006,The prize for the whole activity 2007. ACIN prize 1978 for role in movie Înainte de tacere.She was married with actor Octavian Cotescu .They have a son ,Alexandru.
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Radu Gabrea was born on 20 June 1937 in Bucharest, Romania. He was a director and writer, known for Romania! Romania! (2006), Too Little for Such a Big War (1970) and The Beheaded Rooster (2007). He was married to Victoria Cocias. He died on 9 February 2017 in Romania.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Serban Celea is a Romanian film and theatre actor .He was born on June 10, 1952 in Bucuresti, Romania. He graduated from Institute of Theatrical Arts and Cinematography in 1974.In 1973, he plays first role in the movie Bufetul 'La Senat'. Other notable roles in Assassination Games (2011), Sable noir (2006) and Teenage Space Vampires (1999). Play on the stage of the theater ''Metropolis'' in Bucharest.- Director
- Writer
Mircea Dragan was born on 3 October 1932 in Gura Ocnitei, Romania. He was a director and writer, known for Lupeni 29 (1963), The Poseidon Explosion (1973) and Setea (1960). He died on 31 October 2017 in Romania.- Marga Barbu was born on 24 February 1929 in Ocna Sugatag, Maramures, Romania. She was an actress, known for Facerea lumii (1971), Amprenta (1967) and Haiducii (1966). She was married to Eugen Barbu. She died on 31 March 2009 in Bucharest, Romania.
- Dinu Manolache was born on 13 May 1955 in Rogova, Mehedinti, Romania. He was an actor, known for Fata Morgana (1982), Mult mai de pret e iubirea (1982) and Ana si hotul (1981). He died on 3 September 1998 in Bucharest, Romania.
- Actor
- Composer
Ioan Gyuri Pascu was born on 31 August 1961 in Agnita, Sibiu, Romania. He was an actor and composer, known for Omega Rose, Un été inoubliable (1994) and Occident (2002). He was married to Dana. He died on 26 September 2016 in Bucharest, Romania.- Margareta Pogonat was born on 6 March 1933 in Iasi, Iasi, Romania. She was an actress, known for Drum în penumbra (1972), Meandre (1966) and Dragostea începe vineri (1973). She died on 11 May 2014 in Bucharest, Romania.
- Dan Sava was an actor, known for Vacanta Mare (1999). He was married to Camelia Sava. He died on 16 July 1999 in Olimp, Constanta, Romania.
- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Ion Popescu-Gopo was born on 1 May 1923 in Bucharest, Romania. He was a director and writer, known for If I Were Harap Alb (1965), A Bomb Was Stolen (1962) and Comedie fantastica (1975). He died on 29 November 1989 in Bucharest, Romania.- Titus Popovici was born on 16 May 1930 in Oradea, Bihor, Romania. He was a writer, known for Michael the Brave (1971), The Immortals (1974) and Cu mâinile curate (1972). He died on 30 November 1994 in Tulcea, Tulcea County, Romania.
- Florina Cercel was a famous Romanian film and theater actress.She was born on January 28, 1943 in Piatra Neamt, Romania. She graduated from Institute of Theatrical Arts and Cinematography in 1964.In 1970, she plays first role in the movie Fratii.Other notable roles in films :Iancu Jianu, zapciul / Iancu Jianul, zapciul (1980),Caruta cu mere (1983),Crucea de piatra (1994)..Play on the stage of the theater ''National I.L. Caragiale'' from Bucharest.UNITER Award for "Best Female Performance" in 1990.Award of the Ministry of Culture and Religious Affairs for the best actress of the year 2002.Ordinul national Serviciul Credincios in the rank of Knight (December 13, 2002).She was married with doctor Ioan Perian Liviu .She died on July 30, 2019 in Bucharest (lung cancer).
- Ion Antonescu was born in Pitesti, Romania, on June 15, 1882, to a middle-class family. He was sent to French military academies for his education, and upon returning home enlisted in the Romanian army, being commissioned as a lieutenant in 1907. He made a name for himself in that year when his unit was sent to Galati to put down a peasant revolt. His superior officers were impressed by the swiftness with which he helped to suppress the rebels and the ruthless manner in which he did it. They sent him to the Romanian military academy, from which he graduated in 1911. Two years later he led his unit in the Second Balkan War against Bulgaria, and his performance resulted in his being awarded Romania's highest military honors. When World War I broke out the next year, Romania declared war on Germany and Austria-Hungary, and Antonescu was appointed Chief of Staff of the army. As the war progressed, he was appointed Chief of Operations of the army general staff. After the Axis Powers were defeated, Romania was rewarded for its participation by being given territory from the defeated Austro-Hungarian Empire that resulted in the country more than doubling in size. It also resulted in many foreign and ethnic nationalities being absorbed into the country, especially Jews, leading to an increase in Romanian nationalism and a major increase in anti-Semitism. Antonescu was appointed military attaché in Paris and then in London. Meanwhile, economic and political conditions in Romania gave rise to an ultranationalist, violently anti-Semitic paramilitary organization called the Iron Guard, which engaged in pitched street battles with its opponents and embarked on a spree of political assassinations. The Iron Guard was supported and financed in large part by Nazi Germany, and its leader, Corneliu Codreanu, was elected to Parliament.
In 1934 Antonescu was appointed Chief of the General Staff. By 1937 the Iron Guard organization had 66 seats in Parliament and a national membership of 34,000 (it did have opposition in the country, mainly among Communists, who fought bitter battles in both Parliament and on the streets against the organization. Among the Communist street fighters was future dictator Nicolae Ceausescu). The Iron Guard had become so powerful that King Carol II was eventually forced to cede power to a group of far-right-wing, anti-Semitic nationalists allied with the organization who immediately passed laws barring Jews from government employment and forbidding them from buying property. Antonescu was appointed Minister of Defense in that government. However, in 1938 the government, alarmed at the growing power of the Iron Guard, arrested its leader, Codreanu, and other officials of the organization. On April 19 during what was characterized as an "attempted escape", Codreanu and 13 Iron Guard leaders were shot and killed by police.
When World War II broke out, Romania tried to remain neutral, but after its Prime Minister was assassinated by members of the Iron Guard, the government was forced to make a deal with German leader Adolf Hitler, which resulted in the loss of much of the territory Romania won after World War I. This caused a fierce backlash against King Carol, and in the face of riots, strikes and a rebellion launched by the Iron Guard, he suspended the constitution and appointed Antonescu as Prime Minister. Antonescu immediately demanded that King Carol abdicate, which he did. Then Antonescu, with support from Nazi Germany, the Iron Guard and a group of senior Romanian army officers, named himself as head of the government and Iron Guard leader Horia Sima as deputy prime minister. On October 7, 1940, Antonescu declared that Romania was entering World War II on the side of Nazi Germany. He allowed German forces to occupy the country and passed strict anti-Semitic laws. Under Antonescu's leadership Romania supplied Nazi Germany with food, fuel (from its huge Ploesti oil fields and refineries) and more than a million troops. He also unleashed the Iron Guard to "pacify" the country, resulting in the assassination of many supporters and associates of the former King Carol and the carrying out of mass killings and massacres of Jews. However, the Iron Guard's brutal tactics and the scale of their killings were too much even for the Nazis, and before long German troops began rounding up and disarming Iron Guard fighters. In 1941 the remaining Iron Guard forces staged a rebellion against Antonescu, and in a rampage that lasted several days murdered hundreds of Jews. The rebellion was finally put down by Romanian and German troops and the Guard was disbanded. At that time Antonescu adopted the title of "Marshal of Romania" and assumed dictatorial powers. In that capacity he introduced even more stringent anti-Semitic measures.
When Hitler invaded Russia in June of 1941, Antonescu committed almost one million Romanian soldiers to the invading army. As a reward, Hitler gave back Romania much of the territory it had lost at the beginning of the war. However, many of these territories had large Jewish populations, and Antonescu began to set up detention camps and ghettos to hold the 40,000 Jews he ordered expelled from the towns and cities in the "new" territories. On June 25 German and Romanian troops massacred at least 1000 Jews in the city of Iasi, and within the next several days a series of killings and massacres resulted in the deaths of an estimated 10,000 more Jews. Antonescu had instructed his soldiers to be "merciless" in their expulsion of Jews from the territories, saying, "I am not disturbed if the world should consider us barbarians. You can use machine-guns if it is necessary . . . I assume all the responsibility and claim that the law [preventing such massacres] does not exist."
Approximately 300,000 Jews were ultimately removed from the provinces of Bukovina and Bessarabia, and more than 150,000 of that number were killed outright by German and Romanian troops and Ukrainian and Romanian civilians and paramilitaries. Antonescu ordered the survivors removed to an area of the Ukraine known as the "Transnistria". Of that number, only about 50,000 would survive until the end of the war.
On 22 October partisans bombed Romanian army headquarters in Odessa. In retaliation, Antonescu ordered that for every Romanian or German officer who died, 200 civilians were to be executed. For every Romanian or German enlisted man killed, 100 civilians would be shot. On October 23 the city was burned by Romanian and German forces and approximately 25,000 of the city's Jews were murdered. It's estimated that of Romanian's pre-war Jewish population of more than 750,000, about 425,000 died in concentration camps or were killed by German and Romanian forces.
Meanwhile, the war on the Eastern front was not going well for the Germans and their Romanian allies. Germany had suffered a staggering defeat at Stalingrad when its forces surrendered, and of the almost one million Romanian soldiers involved in the Russian campaign, 400,000 or more were killed. By the end of 1943 the Russians had recaptured much of the Ukraine and moved on Germany and Romania. In August of 1944 their forces entered Romania, and on August 23 the figurehead King Michael, supported by army officers and civilian paramilitaries, seized control of the government and arrested Antonescu. A few days later the Red Army entered Bucharest and Romania signed a peace treaty with the Soviet Union. Antonescu was handed over to Soviet forces and taken to the Soviet Union for "interrogation", then returned to Romania to be tried as a war criminal, the trial occurring in May of 1946. On the 17th of that month he was found guilty of treason and war crimes and sentenced to death, and on June 1, 1946, he was executed by a firing squad at a military prison outside Bucharest. - Actor
- Additional Crew
Gheorghe Cozorici was born on 16 July 1933 in Arbore, Suceava, Romania. He was an actor, known for Fratii Jderi (1974), Mercenaries' Trap (1981) and Rîul care urca muntele (1977). He died on 18 December 1993 in Bucharest, Romania.- Ovidiu Iuliu Moldovan was a famous Romanian film and theater actor.He was born on January 1, 1942 in Sarmas, Romania. He graduated from Institute of Theatrical Arts and Cinematography in 1964.In 1971, he plays first role in the movie Unul dintre noi . Other notable roles in Întâlnirea (1982), Dreptate în lanturi (1983) , Horea (1984). Play on the stage of the theater ''National I.L. Caragiale'' in Bucharest. President decorated post mortem him with the National Order "Steaua României" as a knight.In 2004 ,UNITER Award for the entire activity .He died on March 12, 2008 in Bucharest, Romania.
- Miklós Nyiszli was born on 17 June 1901 in Szilágysomlyó (Simleu Silvaniei) in Transylvania, at the time in the Austro-Hungarian empire. He studied medicine, first in Cluj in 1920, then in Kiel between 1921 and 1924. In 1926 he enrolled at the medical faculty of the Silesian Friedrich Wilhelm University in Breslau, completing his degree in 1929. In Germany, Nyiszli specialised in forensic pathology; his doctoral dissertation dealt with indications of causes of death in suicides. He studied and worked under the supervision of Karl Reuter, the director of the Breslau Institute of Forensic Medicine, and Georg Strassmann, pathologist and professor of forensic medicine at the University of Breslau. In 1930, Nyiszli returned to Transylvania and began practicing in the town of Oradea. He soon established himself as a forensic pathologist, often assisting the police and the courts in identifying unusual or disputed causes of death. In 1937, he moved with his wife and daughter to Maramures in northern Transylvania, to the small town of Viseul de Sus, where he opened a private practice. Following the Vienna Award of August 1940, Northern Transylvania was returned to Hungary. In 1942, Nyiszli was sent to the work camp in the village of Desze (Desesti), also in Maramures, from where in May 1944 he and his family were deported to Germany. First he worked on the construction site of the artificial rubber factory being built by IG Farben in nearby Monowitz (Auschwitz III); in June 1944 the Nyiszli family was transferred to Auschwitz II-Birkenau. In Auschwitz he was tattooed with his camp number: A 8450. His studies at a prestigious German university with respected specialists impressed SS medical officer Dr. Josef Mengele, who was looking for an assistant. He became a Jewish inmate doctor and forensic pathologist who worked particularly for Mengele in the crematorium II in Auschwitz-Birkenau. He remained there until January 1945. After Auschwitz, came Mauthausen, Melk and Ebensee in Upper Austria. In July 1945, upon his return to Transylvania, he offered his deposition before the Budapest Commission for the Welfare of Deported Hungarian Jews. Nyiszli's wife and daughter survived as well. The family settled again in Oradea, now Romania, where Nyiszli opened a private practice in 1946. Nyiszli finished writing his memoirs, which he published in 1946, in a serialised form in the Hungarian newspaper "Világ" ("The World"), and in March 1946 as a book under the title "Dr Mengele boncolóorvosa voltam az Auschwitz-i [sic] krematóriumban" ("I was Dr Mengele's autopsy doctor at the Auschwitz crematorium"). Nyiszli's memoirs were at that time the first publication on the unknown subject of the 'Sonderkommandos' and it became an important document for historical research on Auschwitz, still highly recommended today by expert Dr. Gideon Greif. As an important witness Nyiszli travelled to the Nuremberg Trials and offered on 8 September 1947 his deposition to one of the interrogators in the Medical Trials, Benvenuto von Halle. By 1948, he could no longer practice as a private doctor. His daughter Susanna married in 1952 and had a daughter, Monica. Miklós Nyiszli died of a heart attack on 5 May 1956 in Oradea, Romania.
- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Radu Beligan was born on 14 December 1918 in Galbeni, Bacau, Romania. He was an actor and assistant director, known for A Lost Letter (1954), O noapte furtunoasa (1943) and The Thistles of the Baragan (1957). He was married to Marica Beligan, Dana Crivat-Ionescu and Nineta Gusti. He died on 20 July 2016 in Bucharest, Romania.