The famous actor Virgil Andriescu passed away at the age of 89, “but his memory will live on”promises the State Theater of Constanța, which pays tribute to him on Friday.
“We say goodbye to actor Virgil Andriescu, who lit up the Romanian stage and screen for over five decades. Smooth journey among the stars. In 2020, Virgil Andriescu was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Gopo Awards Gala”writes on the Gala Gopo Facebook page.
“A distinguished, respected, award-winning actor”
The actor Virgil Andriescu, emblematic figure of Constanta culture and director of the “Ovidius” Theater, died on Thursday, November 20.
“His disappearance means a huge loss for the artistic world and for Constanța County, the place to which he linked a large part of his career”, On September 24, 2020, Virgil Andriescu received the title of Honorary Citizen of Constanța County, a natural recognition for a man who gave the city not only talent, but also soul. He was a distinguished, respected, award-winning actor, an artist for whom the stage was not only a profession, but breathing“, Constanța Cultural Center transmits.
“He was one of those rare people who does not seek applause, but fully deserves it”
The public loved him for his naturalness, for the emotion he conveyed, for the way he managed to turn each role into a living story, recalls the cited source.
“He received the Gopo Award for his entire career, he built bridges between generations, he was a mentor, landmark and witness to a constantly changing theatrical era. For Constanța, the name of Virgil Andriescu remains a landmark. He was one of those rare people who does not seek applause, but fully deserves it. An actor who made culture with dignity, sincerity and a deep love for the city where he lived and created. His legacy remains: in roles, in books, in the memories of those who knew him and in the respect of an entire community. Constanța loses an artist, but gains a name that will remain in the cultural memory of the county”.
The coffin with the actor’s body was deposited on Friday, November 21, at the Blue House near the Central Cemetery.
The message sent by the State Theater of Constanța
Those who knew him or were his friends heard him say, many times, that “ACTORS NEVER DIE”. They truly live in the memory of the spectators who vibrated and shared with them the ineffable energy of each theatrical performance. They live in the films that generations see, they live in the written chronicles and they live in the souls of their stage partners, it is stated in a message sent on Facebook by the State Theater of Constanța.
Virgil Andriescu was born on April 26, 1936, in Botoșani. He graduated from the Institute of Theater and Cinematography “ILCaragiale” (class of 1963, Alexandru Finţi class). Immediately after graduation, he was employed at the Youth Theater in Piatra Neamţ, and from 1965 at the Drama Theater in Constanta. He debuted at the Youth Theater in Piatra Neamț, with the role of Varlam from “The Man with the Gnat” by George Ciprian, and his first appearance on the stage in Constanța was in 1962.
Virgil Andriescu died at the age of 89. PHOTO FB Gopo Awards
“Virgil Andriescu. Charismatic actor, loved by the public all over the country, who know him through tours, films and television shows, he played here (at the theater in Constanța -nn) between 1965 – 2000 with an interruption of several seasons, during which he was an actor of the Giulesti theater (without breaking the connection with Constanța). Between 1998 – 2000 he also exercised the position of director of the Constanta theater, following his colleague Lucian Iancu in this chair.
Handsome and with an air of aggressive barbarism, but also very talented and ambitious, I would say that he was and remained until late a true sex symbol, realizing in various and original faces a gallery of first-timers and lovers, one more captivating than the other (…)
Manly and very human strength poured out of everything he achieved, wrapped in a serious restraint, which increased his charm over time. With a way of being very honest and direct, he made many friends, but also quite a few enemies. In the theater, as everywhere where one works under the pressure of nerves, people like veils better“, said Georgeta Mărtoiu, in the volume “Thalia Ex Ponto”, the most documented chronicle of the Constanta theater.
He debuted in the cinema in 1968, in the Romanian-Hungarian co-production, directed by Károly Makk, “The Beautiful Holidays”accumulating over 30 roles, including six main ones in feature films, and more than 30 other roles, including seven main ones in television films.
Virgil Andriescu was also a writer of memoirs
The well-known actor was also a memoirist. His first book, “A life as it was meant to be”, appeared in 2022. Followed by “True events with and without gossip”in 2023, and the third volume, with the title “Seven thoughts for a lost time”will appear posthumously.
