Luminița Gheorghiu (; 1 September 1949 – 4 July 2021) was a Romanian film and stage actress and artistic performer in East Central Europe. She achieved international recognition for her roles in '' The Death of Mr. Lazarescu'' (2006) and '' Child's Pose'' (2013). Gheorghiu's roles were mostly in Romanian and French, including that in '' Code Unknown'' with

Juliette Binoche Juliette Binoche (; born 9 March 1964) is a French actress. She has appeared in more than 60 films, particularly in French and English, and has been the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Juliette Binoche, numerous accolades, ...

. Gheorghiu was a 1972 graduate of the Institute of Theatrical and Cinematographic Arts in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

, where she studied under professor Ion Cojar. She made her debut in 1971, at the Casandra Theatre, and then played at theaters in

Botoșani Botoșani () is the capital city of Botoșani County, in the northern part of Moldavia, Romania. Today, it is best known as the birthplace of many celebrated Romanians, including Mihai Eminescu, Nicolae Iorga and Grigore Antipa. Origin of the ...

and

Piatra Neamț Piatra Neamț (; ; ) is the capital city of Neamț County, in the historical region of Western Moldavia, in northeastern Romania. Because of its very privileged location in the Divisions of the Carpathians, Eastern Carpathian mountains, it is con ...

. From 1976 to 2003, she played at the Bulandra Theatre in Bucharest. Gheorghiu died on 4 July 2021 at the age of 71.

Theatrical roles

*Mărioara - ''Sânziana și Pepelea'' (''Sanziana and Pepelea'', a fairy story) by Vasile Alecsandri, directed by Alexandru Tocilescu, 1971, Studioul Casandra (Bucharest) *Mama Anghelușa -''Cânticele comice'' (''Comic Songs'') by Vasile Alecsandri, directed by Ion Cojar, Studioul Casandra, 1971 *Trandafira - ''Trei crai de la răsărit'' (''The Three Magi'') by

Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu (; 26 February 1838 – ) was a Romanian writer and philologist who pioneered many branches of Romanian philology and history. Life He was born Tadeu Hâjdeu in Cristineștii Hotinului (now Kerstentsi in Chernivtsi ...

, directed by Ion Cojar, Studioul Casandra, 1971 *Victorița - ''O fată imposibilă'' (''An Impossible Girl'') by Virgil Stoenescu, directed by Marietta Sadova, Teatrul "Mihai Eminescu"

, 1972 *Vivian - '' Mrs. Warren's Profession'' by

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...

, directed by Marietta Sadova, Teatrul "Mihai Eminescu" Botoșani, 1972 *Mama - ''The Misunderstanding'' by

Albert Camus Albert Camus ( ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, journalist, world federalist, and political activist. He was the recipient of the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the s ...

, directed by Adrian Lupu, Studioul Casandra, 1972 *Cristina - ''Ultima cursă'' (''Last Race'') by Horia Lovinescu, directed by Emil Mandric, Teatrul "Mihai Eminescu" Botoșani 1974 *Lizzie Curry - '' The Rainmaker'' by N. Richard Nash, directed by Emil Mandric, Teatrul "Mihai Eminescu" Botoșani, 1974 *Ciocârlia - ''Tinerețe fără bătrânețe și viață fără de moarte'' (''Youth Without Age and Life Without Death'') by Eduard Covali, directed by Cătălina Buzoianu, Teatrul Tineretului

, 1975 *Gerda - ''The Pelican'' by

August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (; ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist, and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than 60 pla ...

, directed by Ioan Taub, Teatrul Bulandra, 1976 *Nimi - '' Miles Gloriosus'' by

Plautus Titus Maccius Plautus ( ; 254 – 184 BC) was a Roman playwright of the Old Latin period. His comedies are the earliest Latin literary works to have survived in their entirety. He wrote Palliata comoedia, the genre devised by Livius Andro ...

, directed by Anton Taub, Teatrul Bulandra, 1976 *Safta - ''Răceala'' (''The Cold'') by Marin Sorescu, directed by Dan Micu, Teatrul Bulandra, 1977 *Doctorița - ''Undeva, o lumină'' (''Somewhere, a Light'') by Doru Moțoc, directed by Valeriu Moisescu, Teatrul Bulandra, 1977 *Lucietta - ''The New House'' by

Carlo Goldoni Carlo Osvaldo Goldoni (, also , ; 25 February 1707 – 6 February 1793) was an Italian playwright and librettist from the Republic of Venice. His works include some of Italy's most famous and best-loved plays. Audiences have admired the plays ...

, directed by Valeriu Moisescu, Teatrul Bulandra, 1978 *''La lilieci'' (''By the Lilacs'') by Marin Sorescu, directed by Virgil Ogășanu, Teatrul Bulandra, 1978 *Șura - ''A Day of Rest'' by Valentin Katayev, directed by Valeriu Moisescu, Teatrul Bulandra, 1981 *Dorina - ''

Tartuffe ''Tartuffe, or The Impostor, or The Hypocrite'' (; , ), first performed in 1664, is a theatrical comedy (or more specifically, a farce) by Molière. The characters of Tartuffe, Elmire, and Orgon are considered among the greatest classical theat ...

'' by

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...

, directed by Alexandru Tocilescu, Teatrul Bulandra, 1982 *O actriță - ''A Cabal of Hypocrites'' by Mihail Bulgakov, directed by Alexandru Tocilescu, Teatrul Bulandra, 1982 *''Liniște, ne privim în ochi'' (''Quietly, They Won't See Us'') by Marin Sorescu, directed by Virgil Ogășanu, Teatrul Bulandra, 1983 *''O lume pe scenă'' (''A World on Stage''), directed by Miriam Răducanu, Teatrul Bulandra, 1984 *Ea - ''The Bench'' by Alexander Gelman, directed by Mircea Cornișteanu, Teatrul Bulandra, 1984 *Sonia - ''

Uncle Vanya ''Uncle Vanya'' ( rus, Дя́дя Ва́ня, r=Dyádya Ványa, p=ˈdʲædʲə ˈvanʲə) is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1897, and first produced in 1899 by the Moscow Art Theatre, directed by Konstan ...

'' by

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...

, directed by Alexa Visarion, Teatrul Bulandra, 1985 *Piticul Quaqueo - ''The Giants of the Mountain'' by

Luigi Pirandello Luigi Pirandello (; ; 28 June 1867 – 10 December 1936) was an Italians, Italian dramatist, novelist, poet, and short story writer whose greatest contributions were his plays. He was awarded the 1934 Nobel Prize in Literature "for his bold and ...

, directed by Cătălina Buzoianu, Teatrul Bulandra, 1987 *Fira - ''Omul cu mârțoaga'' (''The Man With the Jade'') by Gheorghe Ciprian, directed by Petre Popescu, Teatrul Bulandra, 1989 *Madame Bergman - ''The Awakening of Spring'' by

Frank Wedekind Benjamin Franklin Wedekind (July 24, 1864 – March 9, 1918) was a German playwright. His work, which often criticizes bourgeois attitudes (particularly towards sex), is considered to anticipate expressionism and was influential in the developme ...

, directed by

Liviu Ciulei Liviu Ciulei (; 7 July 1923 – 24 October 2011) was a Romanian theater and film director, film writer, actor, architect, educator, costume and set designer. During a career spanning over 50 years, he was described by ''Newsweek'' as "one of th ...

, Teatrul Bulandra, 1991 *Vittoria - ''Comic Theater'' by

, directed by Silviu Purcărete, Teatrul Bulandra, 1992 *Whore, Angel - ''The Seventh Commandment'' by Dario Fo, directed by Gelu Colceag, Teatrul Bulandra, 1993 *A woman, wife of Ill - ''The Visit of the Old Lady'' by

Friedrich Dürrenmatt Friedrich Dürrenmatt (; 5 January 1921 – 14 December 1990) was a Swiss author and dramatist. He was a proponent of epic theatre whose plays reflected the recent experiences of World War II. The politically active author's work included avant- ...

, directed by Felix Alexa, Teatrul Bulandra, 1993 *Paulina - ''

The Winter's Tale ''The Winter's Tale'' is a play by William Shakespeare originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, many modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some criti ...

'' by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, directed by Alexandru Darie, Teatrul Bulandra, 1994 *Olga - '' Three Sisters'' by Anton Chekhov, directed by Alexandru Darie, Teatrul Bulandra, 1995 *Prezicătoare - ''

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil wa ...

'' by William Shakespeare, directed by Alexandru Darie, Teatrul Bulandra, 1995 *Nevasta lui Simon - ''1794'', after

Camil Petrescu Camil Petrescu (; 9/21 April 1894 – 14 May 1957) was a Romanian playwright, novelist, philosopher and poet. He marked the end of the traditional novel era and laid the foundation of the modern novel era in Romania. He was a member of the Sbur ...

, Georg Buchner, Peter Weiss; director and scenarist Alexandru Darie, Teatrul Bulandra, 1997 *'' Exercises in Style'', after Raymond Queneau, directed by Ileana Cârstea-Simion, Teatrul Bulandra, 1997 *Bătrâna - '' Chickenhead'' by George Spiro, directed by Gelu Colceag, Teatrul Bulandra 1998 *Eugenia - ''Tango'' by Slawomir Mrozek, directed by Gelu Colceag, Teatrul Bulandra, 2001 *Portăreasa - ''De Pretore Vincenzo'' by

Eduardo De Filippo Eduardo De Filippo OMRI (; 26 May 1900 – 31 October 1984), also known simply as ''Eduardo'', was an Italian actor, director, screenwriter, and playwright, best known for his Neapolitan language, Neapolitan works ''Filumena Marturano'' and ...

, directed by Horațiu Mălăele, Teatrul Bulandra, 2003

Feature films

*''Labirintul'' (''The Labyrinth'', 1980), directed by Șerban Creangă *''Secvențe'', directed by Alexandru Tatos *''Moromeții'' ('' The Moromete Family'', 1987), directed by Stere Gulea - Catrina Moromete *''Drumul câinilor'' (lit. ''Road of the Dogs'', 1991), directed by Laurențiu Damian *''Rămânerea'', directed by Laurențiu Damian *''Privește înainte cu mânie'' (''Look Ahead with Anger'', 1993), directed by Nicolae Mărgineanu - Lucreția Ciugudean *'' Prea târziu'' (''Too Late'', 1996), directed by

Lucian Pintilie Lucian Pintilie (; 9 November 1933 – 16 May 2018Lucian Pi ...

- Mureșan's wife *''Trenul Vieții'' (''Train of Life'', 1998) - Rivka *'' Code inconnu: Récit incomplet de divers voyages'' (''Code Unknown: Incomplete Tales of Several Journeys'', 2000), directed by

Michael Haneke Michael Haneke (; born 23 March 1942) is an Austrian film director and screenwriter. His work often examines social issues and depicts the feelings of estrangement experienced by individuals in modern society. Haneke has made films in French, Ge ...

*''Marfa și banii'' ('' Stuff and Dough'', 2001) - Ovidiu's mother *'' Moartea Domnului Lazarescu'' (''Death of Mr. Lazarescu'', 2005) - Mioara Avram *'' 4 luni, 3 săptămâni și 2 zile'' (2007) - Gina *''Vine poliția!'' (Here comes the police) (TV Series) (2008) - Lucreția Corbescu *''Nunta mută'' (Silent Wedding) (2008) - Fira *''Regina'' (The Queen) (TV Series) (2009) - Elvira *''Iubire și onoare'' (Love and Honor) (TV Series) (2010) - Dr. Mioara Avram *''

Aurora An aurora ( aurorae or auroras), also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...

'' (2010) - Mioara Avram *'' Pariu cu viața'' (TV Series) (2011 - 2013) - Minerva Dumitrescu *'' Brave'' (2012) - The Witch (dubbing) *''Dupa dealuri'' ( Beyond the Hills, 2012), directed by Cristian Mungiu *'' Child's Pose'' (2013) - won the international award

Golden Bear The Golden Bear () is the highest prize awarded for the best film at the Berlin International Film Festival and is, along with the Palme d'Or and the Golden Lion, the most important international film festival award. The bear is the heraldic an ...

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...

- Cornelia Keneres *'' Aferim!'' (2015) - Smaranda Cîndescu *''Deschide ochii'' (Open your eyes) (TV Series) (2016) - Zina Barbu *''Fructul oprit'' (TV Series) (2018) - Reveca Boască *''Sacrificiul'' (TV Series) (2019) - Safta

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gheorghiu, Luminita 1949 births 2021 deaths Romanian stage actresses Romanian film actresses Actresses from Bucharest 20th-century Romanian actresses 21st-century Romanian actresses Caragiale National University of Theatre and Film alumni