Ștefan Ciubotărașu (; 21 March 1910 – 27 August 1970) was a

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, a ...

n actor. He appeared in more than thirty films from 1954 to 1970. He was born into a poor farming family in Lipovăț,

Vaslui County Vaslui County () is a county (județ) of Romania, in the historical region Western Moldavia, with the seat at Vaslui. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 395,499 and the population density was 74/km². * Romanians - over 98% * ...

, a village in the

Moldavia Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Centra ...

region of Romania. At the age of 10–11 he was sent by his family to

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north ...

to become an apprentice shoemaker. In the fall of 1924 he decided to go back and study at the in

Vaslui Vaslui (), a city in eastern Romania, is the seat of Vaslui County, in the historical region of Western Moldavia. The city administers five villages: Bahnari, Brodoc, Moara Grecilor, Rediu, and Viișoara. History Archaeological surveys indicate ...

; he became interested in art, culture, and poetry and began to write. He then studied from 1929 to 1932 at the Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in Iași, after which he moved to

Bârlad Bârlad () is a city in Vaslui County, Romania. It lies on the banks of the river Bârlad, which waters the high plains of Western Moldavia. At Bârlad the railway from Iași diverges, one branch skirting the river Siret, the other skirting ...

, where he wanted to establish himself as a theater actor. In 1934, with help from poet Mihai Codreanu, who taught at his old university and offered himself as a mentor, Ciubotărașu secured a job at the Conservatory theater in Iași. He debuted with the role of an assassin in

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

, and then played the role of Count Alexis Czerny in the play

Ninotchka ''Ninotchka'' is a 1939 American romantic comedy film made for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer by producer and director Ernst Lubitsch and starring Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas. It was written by Billy Wilder, Charles Brackett, and Walter Reisch, based o ...

Melchior Lengyel Melchior Lengyel (born Menyhért Lebovics; hu, Lengyel Menyhért; 12 January 1880 – 23 October 1974) was a Hungarian writer, dramatist, and film screenwriter. Biography Lengyel was born Menyhért Lebovics in Balmazújváros, Hungary. He st ...

. Starting in 1945 he played at the and from 1950 at the

National Theatre Bucharest The National Theatre Bucharest ( ro, Teatrul Naţional " Ion Luca Caragiale" București) is one of the national theatres of Romania, located in the capital city of Bucharest. Founding It was founded as the ''Teatrul cel Mare din București'' ("Gr ...

. From the mid-1950s, Ciubotărașu was also cast regularly in Romanian films. Notable were his portrayal of Petre in Liviu Ciulei's drama, The Forest of the Hanged (which competed at the

1965 Cannes Film Festival The 18th Cannes Film Festival was held from 3 to 16 May 1965. Olivia de Havilland became the first woman president of the jury. The Grand Prix du Festival International du Film went to ''The Knack …and How to Get It'' by Richard Lester. The f ...

), and his role as the Dacian captain Ciungul in

Mircea Drăgan Mircea Drăgan (3 October 1932 – 31 October 2017) was a Romanian film director. He directed 23 films between 1955 and 1992. His 1961 film '' Thirst'' was entered into the 2nd Moscow International Film Festival where it won the Silver Priz ...

's historical film,

The Column ''The Column'' ( ro, Columna) is a 1968 Romanian historical film directed by Mircea Drăgan. The film was selected as the Romanian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 41st Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee. The action ...

. In 1964 he was awarded the Order of Culture of Merit as People's Artist of the Romanian People's Republic "for outstanding work in the field of theater, music and visual arts" and in 1967 for "a lasting and outstanding achievement in dramatic art in the theater".

Filmography

References

External links

* 1910 births 1970 deaths Romanian male film actors People from Vaslui County George Enescu National University of Arts alumni Romanian male stage actors 20th-century Romanian male actors {{Romania-actor-stub