Mitică Popescu (; 2 December 1936 – 3 January 2023) was a

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

n actor.

Biography

Popescu was born 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 ...

on 2 December 1936. He started his studies in the mid-1950s at the Institute of Theatrical and Cinematographic Art, but he was arrested by the

Securitate The Department of State Security (), commonly known as the Securitate (, ), was the secret police agency of the Socialist Republic of Romania. It was founded on 30 August 1948 from the '' Siguranța'' with help and direction from the Soviet MG ...

in 1958, allegedly for planning to flee the country, and was sentenced to 3 years of prison. First detained at Malmaison Prison in Bucharest, he was transferred to

Jilava Prison Jilava Prison () is a prison located in Jilava, a village south of Bucharest, Romania. History The prison began as Fort 13, part of the fortifications of Bucharest built in the 1870s and 1880s. It served as an arms deposit and garrison until 1 ...

, and then to the labor camps at Periprava and Salcia on the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

. Upon release, Radu Beligan and helped him find a job at , and in 1963 he resumed his acting studies. After graduating in 1967, he worked at Teatrul Tineretului in

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 ...

, where he stayed until 1973, when he transferred to in Bucharest, on whose stage he played until 2010. In 2002 he was awarded the National Order of Faithful Service, knight rank. In 2009 he received a lifetime career award from , while in 2013 he received the Gopo Award for lifetime achievement. In 1977, Popescu married the actress Leopoldina Bălănuță, who died in 1998. He died on 3 January 2023, at the age of 86, at the in Bucharest, where he was hospitalized. He was buried with military honors in the city's

Bellu Cemetery Șerban Vodă Cemetery (commonly known as Bellu Cemetery) is the largest and most famous cemetery in Bucharest, Romania. It is located on a plot of land donated to the local administration by Baron Barbu Bellu. It has been in use since 1858. T ...

, next to his wife.

Activity

Theatre

* ''

Philadelphia Here I Come! ''Philadelphia, Here I Come!'' is a 1964 play by Irish dramatist Brian Friel. Set in the fictional town of Ballybeg, County Donegal, the play launched Friel onto the international stage. The play was first staged at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin on ...

'' by

Brian Friel Brian Patrick Friel (c. 9 January 1929 – 2 October 2015) was an Irish dramatist, short story writer and founder of the Field Day Theatre Company. He had been considered one of the greatest living English-language dramatists. (subscription requ ...

(1973) * ''Vreți să jucați cu noi?'' by (1974) * ''Matca'' by

Marin Sorescu Marin Sorescu (; 29 February 1936 – 8 December 1996) was a Romanian poet, playwright, and novelist. His works were translated into more than 20 countries, and the total number of his books that were published abroad rises up to 60 books. He h ...

(1974) – Logodnicul, Momâie * ''Răspântia cea mare'' by

Victor Ion Popa Victor Ion Popa (; July 29, 1895 – March 30, 1946) was a Romania, Romanian dramatist. Biography He was born in Bârlad, the first of three children of Ion Popa and Aspasia, née Pavelescu. He went to primary school in Călmățui, a village in ...

(1974) – Andrei * ''

Life of Galileo ''Life of Galileo'' (), also known as ''Galileo'', is a Play (theatre), play by the 20th century Germany, German dramatist Bertolt Brecht and collaborator Margarete Steffin with incidental music by Hanns Eisler. The play was written in 1938 and re ...

'' by

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

(1975) – Sagredo * ''Mânia posturilor'' by

Vasile Alecsandri Vasile Alecsandri (; 21 July 182122 August 1890) was a Romanian patriot, poet, dramatist, politician and diplomat. He was one of the key figures during the 1848 revolutions in Moldavia and Wallachia. He fought for the unification of the Roma ...

(1975) – Serviescu * '' The Andersonville Trial'' by Saul Levitt (1976) – Doctor John C. Bates * ''

The Wild Duck ''The Wild Duck'' (original Norwegian title: ''Vildanden'') is an 1884 play by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It explores the complexities of truth and illusion through the story of a family torn apart by secrets and the intrusion of a ...

'' by

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright, poet and actor. Ibsen is considered the world's pre-eminent dramatist of the 19th century and is often referred to as "the father of modern drama." He pioneered ...

(1976) – Hjalmar Ekdal * ''Cititorul by contor'' by Paul Everac (1976) * ''The Cave Dwellers'' by

William Saroyan William Saroyan (; August 31, 1908 – May 18, 1981) was an Armenian-American novelist, playwright, and short story writer. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1940, and in 1943 won the Academy Award for Best Story for the film ''The ...

(1976) – The duke * ''Două ore de pace'' by

Dumitru Radu Popescu Dumitru Radu Popescu (; 19 August 1935 – 2 January 2023) was a Romanian novelist, poet, dramatist, essayist and short story writer. He was a corresponding member of the Romanian Academy and was, between 1980 and 1990, Chairman of the Romanian W ...

(1977) – Stelică * ''Omul, continuați să puneți întrebări'' by

Ada D'Albon Ada may refer to: Arts and entertainment * '' Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle'', a novel by Vladimir Nabokov Film and television * Ada, a character in 1991 movie '' Armour of God II: Operation Condor'' * '' Ada... A Way of Life'', a 2008 Bollywo ...

(1977) * ''The Émigrés'' by Slawomir Mrozek (1977) * ''

The Madwoman of Chaillot ''The Madwoman of Chaillot'' (, ) is a play, a poetic satire, by French dramatist Jean Giraudoux, written in 1943 and first performed in 1945, after his death. The play is in two acts. The story concerns an eccentric woman who lives in Paris and ...

'' by

Jean Giraudoux Hippolyte Jean Giraudoux (; ; 29 October 1882 – 31 January 1944) was a French novelist, essayist, diplomat and playwright. He is considered among the most important French dramatists of the period between World War I and World War II. His wo ...

(1978) – The garbageman * ''Să îmbrăcăm pe cei goi'' 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 ...

(1978) – Lodovico Nota * ''

Absurd Person Singular ''Absurd Person Singular'' is a 1972 play by Alan Ayckbourn. Divided into three acts, it documents the changing fortunes of three married couples. Each act takes place at a Christmas celebration at one of the couples' homes on successive Christm ...

'' by

Alan Ayckbourn Sir Alan Ayckbourn (born 12 April 1939) is a prolific British playwright and director. As of 2025, he has written and produced 90 full-length plays in Scarborough and London and was, between 1972 and 2009, the artistic director of the Stephen ...

(1979) – Sidney Hopcroft * ''Nu sunt Turnul Eiffel'' by

Ecaterina Oproiu Ecaterina is a Romanian female first name meaning Catherine. Notable persons with that name include: *Ecaterina Andronescu (born 1948), Romanian politician and engineer * Ecaterina Arbore ( 1874 – 1937), Romanian-Soviet communist activist and off ...

(1979) – Old man * ''O șansă pentru fiecare'' by Radu F. Alexandru (1979) – The functionary * ''Evul mediu întâmplător'' by

Romulus Guga Romulus (, ) was the legendary founder and first king of Rome. Various traditions attribute the establishment of many of Rome's oldest legal, political, religious, and social institutions to Romulus and his contemporaries. Although many of the ...

(1980) – Ioachim * ''

The Master and Margarita ''The Master and Margarita'' () is a novel by Mikhail Bulgakov, written in the Soviet Union between 1928 and 1940. A censored version, with several chapters cut by editors, was published posthumously in ''Moscow (magazine), Moscow'' magazine in ...

'' by Mihail Bulgakov (1980) – Koroviev * ''Niște țărani'' by

Dinu Săraru Dinu Săraru (30 January 1932 – 2 March 2024) was a Romanian novelist and playwright. Biography Dinu Săraru was born in Slătioara, Vâlcea County. A member of Writers' Union of Romania, he belonged to the Central Committee of the Romanian ...

(1981) – Năiță Lucean * ''Ca frunza dudului din rai'' by

(1982) – Ticlete * ''Ivona, Princess of Burgundia'' by

Witold Gombrowicz Witold Marian Gombrowicz (August 4, 1904 – July 24, 1969) was a Polish writer and playwright. His works are characterised by deep psychological analysis, a certain sense of paradox and absurd, anti-nationalism, anti-nationalist flavor. In 1937, ...

(1983) – King Ignat * ''Mitică Popescu'' by

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 ...

(1984) * ''O femeie drăguță cu o floare și ferestre spre nord'' by

Edvard Radzinsky Edvard Stanislavovich Radzinsky (; born September 23, 1936) is a Russian historian, playwright, television personality, and screenwriter. He authored more than forty history books that are popular in Russia. Biography Edvard Stanislavovich Rad ...

(1986) – Fedea * ''Actorii'' (1990) * ''

The Mandrake ''The Mandrake'' (Italian: ''La Mandragola'' ) is a satirical play by Italian Renaissance philosopher Niccolò Machiavelli. Although the five-act comedy was published in 1524 and first performed in the carnival season of 1526, Machiavelli likel ...

'' by

Niccolò Machiavelli Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (3 May 1469 – 21 June 1527) was a Florentine diplomat, author, philosopher, and historian who lived during the Italian Renaissance. He is best known for his political treatise '' The Prince'' (), writte ...

(1991) – Messer Niccia * ''

Les Monstres sacrés ''Les Monstres sacrés'' is a play written by French dramatist Jean Cocteau, premiered February 1940 at the Michel Theater in Paris. Original cast * Yvonne de Bray Esther * Jany Holt Liane * Suzanne Dantès Charlotte * Claire Gérard Loul ...

'' by

Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau ( , ; ; 5 July 1889 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, film director, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost avant-garde artists of the 20th-c ...

(1991) – Florent * '' Jacques and his Master'' by

Milan Kundera Milan Kundera ( ; ; 1 April 1929 – 11 July 2023) was a Czech and French novelist. Kundera went into exile in France in 1975, acquiring citizenship in 1981. His Czechoslovak citizenship was revoked in 1979, but he was granted Czech citizenship ...

(1992) – Jacques * ''

The Seagull ''The Seagull'' () is a play by Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov, written in 1895 in literature, 1895 and first produced in 1896 in literature#Drama, 1896. ''The Seagull'' is generally considered to be the first of his four major plays. It dramati ...

'' 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 ...

(1993) – Piotr Nikolaevici Sorin * ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral Shakespearean comedy, comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wil ...

'' 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 ...

(1996) – Amiens * ''

She Stoops to Conquer ''She Stoops to Conquer'' is a comedy by Irish writer Oliver Goldsmith, first performed in London in 1773. The play is a favourite for study by English literature and theatre classes in the English-speaking world. It is one of the few plays ...

'' by

Oliver Goldsmith Oliver Goldsmith (10 November 1728 – 4 April 1774) was an Anglo-Irish people, Anglo-Irish poet, novelist, playwright, and hack writer. A prolific author of various literature, he is regarded among the most versatile writers of the Georgian e ...

(1997) – Mr. Hardcastle * ''

Barefoot in the Park ''Barefoot in the Park'' is a romantic comedy stage play by Neil Simon. The play premiered on Broadway in 1963, starring Robert Redford and Elizabeth Ashley. It was made into a film in 1967, which starred Redford and Jane Fonda. Productions ...

'' by

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He received three ...

(1997) – Victor Velasco * ''

The Ghost Sonata ''The Ghost Sonata'' () is a play in three acts by the Swedish playwright August Strindberg. Written in 1907, it was first produced at Strindberg's Intimate Theatre in Stockholm on 21 January 1908. Since then, it has been staged by such notable ...

'' 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 ...

(1999) – The old man * ''

The School for Wives ''The School for Wives'' (; ) is a theatrical comedy written by the seventeenth century French playwright Molière and considered by some critics to be one of his finest achievements. It was first staged at the Palais Royal theatre on 26 Decem ...

'' 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 ...

(1999) – Chrysalby * ''

The Servant of Two Masters ''The Servant of Two Masters'' () is a comedy by the Italian playwright Carlo Goldoni written in 1746. Goldoni originally wrote the play at the request of actor Antonio Sacco, one of the great Harlequins in history. His earliest drafts had larg ...

'' 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 ...

(1999) – Pantalone * ''Cimitirul păsărilor'' by

Antonio Gala Antonio Gala Velasco (2 October 1930 – 28 May 2023) was a Spanish poet, playwright, novelist, and writer. Life and career Antonio Ángel Custodio Gala y Velasco was born on 2 October 1930 in Brazatortas, Ciudad Real ( Castile-La Mancha), a ...

(2000) – Deogracias * ''Viitorul e maculatură'' by (2000) – Julien Rougier * ''Alex and Morris'' by Michael Elkin (2000) – Morris * ''Colonia îngerilor'' by (2000) – The old man

Filmography

* '' Umilință'' (2011) - Sandu * '' Ticăloșii'' (2007) * ''

Păcală se întoarce Păcală (Romanian, from ''a păcăli'', "to dupe";Victor Crăciun, "Pe urmele unui personaj. Păcală", in ''Ateneu'', Vol. IV, Issue 5, May 1967, p. 8 Romanian Cyrillic: Пъкалъ; sometimes rendered Pâcală or Pîcală) is a fictional charac ...

'' (2006) – a peasant * ''Sistemul nervos'' (2005) * ''Lotus'' (2004) – Manasia * '' Dulcea saună a morții'' (2003) – Mutul * ''Turnul din Pisa'' (2002) – Colonel * ''

The Earth's Most Beloved Son ''The Earth's Most Beloved Son'' (originally ''Cel mai iubit dintre pământeni'') is a 1993 Romanian drama film, directed by Șerban Marinescu, based on the novel '' Cel mai iubit dintre pământeni'' by Marin Preda. Cast * Ștefan Iordache – ...

'' (1993) – Securitate officer * ' (1993) * ''Rămânerea'' (1992) * '' Miss Litoral'' (1990) * ''Idolul și Ion-Anapoda''(1988) – * ''Drumeț în calea lupilor'' (1988) – poștașul * ''Un studio în căutarea unei vedete'' (1988) * ''

The Moromete Family ''The Moromete Family'' () is a 1987 Romanian drama film based on the first volume of the eponymous novel by Marin Preda. A sequel was filmed in 2017. The movie, as well as its sequel, were shot in Talpa, Teleorman, Talpa, Teleorman County. C ...

'' (1987) – Cocoșilă * '' Trenul by aur'' (1987) – Comisar Munteanu * '' Căsătorie cu repetiție'' (1985) – Mitică * ''Fapt divers'' (1984) * ''Emisia continuă'' (1984) * ''Fram'' (Serial TV) (1983) * ''Mitul lui Mitică'' (1982) – himself * ''Un Saltimbanc la Polul Nord'' (1982) * ''Saltimbancii'' (1981) * ''Vânătoarea by vulpi'' (1980) – Năiță Lucean * '' The Moment'' (1979) * ' (1979) * ' (1978) * ' (1978) * ' (1978) * ' (1977) * ' (1977) * ' (1976) * ' (1976) – Marin * '' Red Apples'' (1976) – prosecutor * ' (1975) * ' (1974) – Manea * ' (1974) – Peter * ' (1974) – Romniceanu

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Popescu, Mitica 1936 births 2023 deaths Male actors from Bucharest Members of the Romanian Orthodox Church Caragiale National University of Theatre and Film alumni People detained by the Securitate Inmates of Jilava Prison Romanian male film actors Romanian male television actors Romanian male stage actors 20th-century Romanian male actors 21st-century Romanian male actors Burials at Bellu Cemetery