Liviu Crăciun was one of the most popular Romanian actors. He dedicated almost his entire career to Bucharest National, where for over four decades he played memorable roles. He worked with the most important film directors, being best known for his role in “High School”.
Actor Liviu Craciun PHOTO TNB
Liviu Crăciun was an actor totally dedicated to his job. He loved the “board” but also flirted with cinematography, managing to work with four of the most successful Romanian directors, as well as with radio and television.
A Transylvanian on the Bucharest National stage, from Gligor to Vornicul Jurj
Liviu Crăciun was born in 1935 in Târgu Mureș, in an interwar period marked by a special cultural momentum. He was in love with the theater from his childhood, in his hometown there has been a permanent theater institution since 1946, called Teatrul Secuiesc, which later became the National Theater of Târgu Mureș.
Following his passion, Liviu Crăciun passed his exam at the Bucharest Institute of Theater and Cinematography (IATC). She studied in the class of Professor Marietta Sadova, the wife of the famous writer and director Haig Acterian and a highly regarded actress, despite the problems with the communist regime. After graduating from the faculty in 1957, he was employed at the Constanța State Theatre, where he stood out even in the debut role of Fabius Maximus, in the show “Ovidius” by Grigore Sălceanu, directed by Val Mugur.
The Constanța Theater will stay for only one season. Being a talented young man with great perspective, he was co-opted into the troupe of the National Theater in Bucharest, alongside big names of the Romanian scene. On the stage of the National Theater in Bucharest, he will play for four decades, in memorable roles, with established directors. He was one of the favorite actors of the director Sică Alexandrescu, a tough name in the Romanian theater, formed at the realist school of Paul Gutsy. Under the baton of Sică Alexandrescu, Liviu Crăciun played the role of Rodolfo in the show “Vedere de pe pod”, by Arthur Miller, Hatmanul Arbore and Bogdan, in “Apus de Soare” but also the role of Chibici in the show “Eminescu” by Mircea Ștefănescu. However, Liviu Crăciun also played for other big names in Romanian directing such as Ion Cojar, Dan Pița, Moni Ghelerter, Grigore Conta or Gelu Colceag.
In fact, his last role was that of Vornic Jurj in the show “Apus de Soare” after Barbu Ștefănescu Delavrancea, directed by Dan Pița, in 2004. His talent was also appreciated abroad, going with the TNB troupe on several tours , in Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Russia, Austria, Germany, Israel, Greece, France, Belgium, Holland, England, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Switzerland.
Dana’s father from “Liceeni” and Gheorghe the driver from GAC
The Transylvanian actor also successfully flirted with cinematography. And here he proved his value by collaborating with highly appreciated and well-known directors such as Dan Pița, George Saizescu, Nicolae Corjos and Sergiu Nicolaescu. Liviu Crăciun starred in Geo Saizescu’s well-known film “A smile in the middle of summer”, where he played the role of Gheorghe, the driver from GAC “Drumul nou”. This film was a real “hit” in Romanian cinemas, being watched by over 4.7 million Romanians. At the same time, Liviu Crăciun also starred in the famous film “Liceeni”, where he played the role of Dana’s father, played by Oana Sârbu. Last but not least, the actor from Mures played in the 1992 film “Luxury Hotel” by Dan Pița, a film awarded with the “Silver Lion” at the 1992 Venice Film Festival.
Liviu Crăciun also starred in Sergiu Nicolaescu’s film, “Mirror” from 1993, which deals with the context of the coup d’état of August 23, 1944. In addition to cinematography and theater, taking advantage of a fruitful period of TV and radio theater, Liviu Crăciun played numerous roles printed on the radio, in shows directed by great specialists of the genre such as Dan Puican, Cristian Munteanu or Mihai Zirra. The actor from Mures also had numerous appearances in TV theater, in shows by directors Letiția Popa, Constanti Dicu, Horia Popescu and others. He was considered a talented actor and very dedicated to the art to which he dedicated his entire life. Liviu Crăciun died at the age of 89 and will be buried on Wednesday, September 25. “It is with deep sadness that we say goodbye to the actor Liviu Crăciun, who left us on a clear day in September. His memory will live on through the memorable roles he embodied on stage and screen, but also through his kindness and generosity, which left an indelible mark on the hearts of those who knew him”, it is stated in a post on the official page of TNB.
