Chris Avram (born Cristea Avram; August 31, 1931 – January 10, 1989) was a

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

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

film actor.

Early life and career

Avram was born in

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 of ...

, into a family of active communists (his father being a member of the

Romanian Communist Party The Romanian Communist Party ( ro, Partidul Comunist Român, , PCR) was a communist party in Romania. The successor to the pro-Bolshevik wing of the Socialist Party of Romania, it gave ideological endorsement to a communist revolution that woul ...

while it was still banned, and his brother, Puiu, a Communist activist). In his youth, he attended a military school, after which he studied law for two years at the

University of Bucharest The University of Bucharest ( ro, Universitatea din București), commonly known after its abbreviation UB in Romania, is a public university founded in its current form on by a decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza to convert the former Princel ...

, before being admitted to the Academy of Theatrical Arts and Cinematography. After graduation, he worked for a while as a theater actor in

Timișoara ), City of Roses ( ro, Orașul florilor), City of Parks ( ro, Orașul parcurilor) , image_map = Timisoara jud Timis.svg , map_caption = Location in Timiș County , pushpin_map = Romania#Europe , pushpin_ ...

, before joining the in Bucharest. At a film festival in Moscow, he befriended

Marina Vlady Marina Vlady (born 10 May 1938) is a French actress. Biography Vlady was born in Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine to White Russian immigrant parents. Her father was an opera singer and her mother was a dancer. Her sisters, now all deceased, were the act ...

, who later went to Romania to star in , directed by

Henri Colpi Henri Colpi (; 15 July 1921 – 14 January 2006) was a French film editor and film director. Early life Colpi graduated from the IDHEC in 1947. During 1950 to 1960, he edited films for such notable French New Wave directors as Agnès Varda and G ...

. With her help, he managed to flee to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

in 1966, where he remained. Later he settled in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, where he died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

. He was married for a while to Romanian actress , with whom he had a son, Alexandru.

Partial filmography

*'' Darclee'' (1959) - Eugenio Giraldoni *' (1960) - the engineer Preda *'' Poveste sentimentală'' (1960) *'' Anotimpuri'' (1963) *''

The White Moor ''The White Moor'' ( ro, De-aș fi... Harap Alb) is a 1965 Romanian fantasy film directed by Ion Popescu-Gopo. It was entered into the 4th Moscow International Film Festival where Popescu-Gopo won the award for Best Director. Taken from an old ...

'' (1965) - Spânul *' (1966) - Grig *' (1966) - Lut (as Cristea Avram) *''Mamaia'' (1967) - Ștefan *''

Manon 70 ''Manon 70'' is a 1968 drama film directed by Jean Aurel, and starring Catherine Deneuve, Elsa Martinelli, Sami Frey, Robert Webber, Paul Hubschmid and Jean-Claude Brialy. The screenplay by Aurel and Cécil Saint-Laurent is loosely based on the 17 ...

'' (1968) *'' Le temps de vivre'' (1969) - Michel Casno *''Delitto al circolo del tennis'' (1969) - Riccardo Dossi *''Il sole nella pelle'' (1971) - Father *''

A Bay of Blood ''A Bay of Blood'' (Italian: ''Ecologia del delitto'', lit. "Ecology of Crime", later retitled ''Reazione a catena'' it. "Chain Reaction" (also known as ''Carnage'', ''Twitch of the Death Nerve'' and ''Blood Bath'') is a 1971 Italian giallo sla ...

'' (1971) (aka ''Twitch of the Death Nerve'') - Franco Ventura / Frank Ventura *''W Django!'' (1971) - Capitano Gomez *''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' (1971) - Arturo Robles *''I senza Dio'' (1972) - Sam, detto 'Minnesota Killer' *'' So Sweet, So Dead'' (1972) - Professor Casali *'' Holy God, Here Comes the Passatore!'' (1973) - Zambelli *''Cuore'' (1973) *''

Number One Number One most commonly refers to: * 1 (number) Number One, No. 1, or #1 may also refer to: Music Albums * ''Number 1'' (Big Bang album), and the title song * ''No. 1'' (BoA album), and the title song * ''No.1'' (EP), by CLC * ''n.1 ...

'' (1973) *''

The Violent Professionals ''The Violent Professionals'' (Italian: ''Milano trema: la polizia vuole giustizia'') is a 1973 Italian Poliziotteschi gangster film directed by Sergio Martino. The film stars Luc Merenda (Giorgio Caneparo) who goes undercover as a getaway driver ...

'' (1973) - DelBuono *''Servo suo'' (1973) *''I figli di nessuno'' (1974) - Anselmo Vannini *''El amor empieza a medianoche'' (1974) - Andrés *''

The Killer Reserved Nine Seats ''The Killer Reserved Nine Seats'' ( it, L'assassino ha riservato nove poltrone) is a 1974 Italian ''giallo'' film directed by Giuseppe Bennati. Plot Patrick Davenant invites a group of friends to visit a theatre inside his villa, a place which ...

'' (1974) - Patrick Davenant *''Il giudice e la minorenne'' (1974) - Marco Serra *''

The Eerie Midnight Horror Show ''The Eerie Midnight Horror Show'' ( it, L'Ossessa/ The Exorcism; also known as ''Enter the Devil'', ''The Sexorcist'' and ''The Devil Obsession'') is a 1974 Italian horror film ''Exorcist'' clone directed by Mario Gariazzo, and starring Stella ...

'' (1974) (aka ''The Sexorcist'') - Mario *' (1975) - Marco / marito-husband *' (1976) - Prof. John *''

Emanuelle in Bangkok ''Emanuelle in Bangkok'' (Italian: ''Emanuelle nera - Orient Reportage'', also known as ''Black Emanuelle 2'' and ''Black Emanuelle Goes East'') is an Italian sexploitation film from 1976 starring Laura Gemser and Gabriele Tinti and directed by ...

'' (1976) - Thomas Quizet *''Stangata in famiglia'' (1976) - Esposito *'' La malavita attacca... la polizia risponde!'' (1977) - Prof. Salviati - 'll Principe' *''

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

'' (1977) - Nelson *''La profezia'' (1978) - Andrea *'' Il commissario Verrazzano'' (1978) - Marco Verelli *''

The Iron Commissioner '' Il commissario di ferro'' ( is a 1978 Italian ''poliziottesco'' film directed by Stelvio Massi. Plot Commissioner Mauro Mariani is known for his severity towards criminals and for his habit of acting on his own, which cost him the transition ...

'' (1978) - Crivelli *''L'étrange monsieur Duvallier'' (1979, TV Series) - Della Pietra *''

Star Odyssey ''Star Odyssey'' (Italian: ''Sette uomini d'oro nello spazio'' / ''Seven Gold Men in Space'') is a 1979 Italian film directed by Alfonso Brescia. The film is also known as ''Space Odyssey'', ''Metallica'' and ''Captive Planet'' in other video ma ...

'' (1980) - Shawn *'' La ripetente fa l'occhietto al preside'' (1980) - Lino Pastorelli *'' Giochi erotici nella 3a galassia'' (1981) - Ceylon *' (1981) *''

Sogni mostruosamente proibiti ''Sogni mostruosamente proibiti'' () (''Monstrously Prohibited Dreams'') is a 1982 Italian comedy film directed by Neri Parenti. The film is loosely inspired by ''The Secret Life of Walter Mitty''. Plot Paolo Coniglio is a naive and bumbling wr ...

'' (1982) *'' Vai avanti tu che mi vien da ridere'' (1982) - lo sceicco Abadjan *' (1983) - Il barone Mario di Villalba (final film role)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Avram, Cristea 1931 births 1989 deaths Romanian male film actors Italian male film actors Romanian defectors Romanian emigrants to Italy Deaths from cancer in Lazio 20th-century Italian male actors Caragiale Academy of Theatrical Arts and Cinematography alumni Male actors from Bucharest