Before becoming an actor, Ștefan Tapalăgă was a successful practitioner of fencing. In 1956, he was the individual national champion in the foil event.
The actor Ştefan Tapalăgă was born on April 4, 1933, in Dorohoi. In 1961, he graduated from the courses of the “IL Caragiale” Theater and Cinematographic Art Institute in Bucharest, according to the volume “1234 Romanian filmmakers”.
Ștefan Tapalăgă PHOTO TVR
In his hometown, Ștefan attends primary school and high school, then arriving in the Capital as a professional athlete in the foil team of Club Steaua. Together with the pioneers of fencing, Sorin Poenaru and Iosif Zilahy, Ștefan Tapalăgă participated in 1954, for the first time, in the International Foil Competition.
He turned to the world of theater later, at the age of 25, proving his talent even as a student. He attended the courses of the “IL Caragiale” Theater and Cinematographic Art Institute in Bucharest, being part of the promotion that gave outstanding names to the Romanian stage: Traian Stănescu, Candid Stoica, Dorina Lazăr, Ioana Măgură Bernard, Ion Arcudeanu, Jorj Voicu and Marian Hudac, Melania Ursu or Mitică Popescu and Alexandru Lazăr.
After graduating from the Institute of Theater and Cinematography in the class of Professor Ion Finteșteanu, assistant Sanda Manu, Ștefan Tapalăgă begins his acting career on the stage of the “Al. Davila” from Pitesti and the Comedy Theater from the Capital, recently established in the fall of 1960 by master Radu Beligan.
Here he will play alongside famous names of the Romanian scene: Radu Beligan, Ştefan Ciubotăraşu and Ion Lucian, Mircea Şeptilici, Amza Pellea, Dem Savu and Marin Moraru, Sanda Toma, Iarina Demian and Stela Popescu, Vasilica Tastaman and Melania Cîrje, Dem Rădulescu , Gheorghe Dinića, Valentin Platăreanu.
Ștefan Tapalăgă first appeared on the big screen in 1958, in the role of the student Hurjui in Andrei Călărașu's film, “Hello? You've got the wrong number!”, with a delightful cast: Rodica Tapalăgă, Stela Popescu, Iurie Darie, Ștefan Mihăilescu-Brăila.
Throughout his career, he embodied an impressive number of characters, in successful shows played at the Comedy Theater under the baton of great directors.
Theater enthusiasts watched him in Casa inimilor fărâmate (1963) by GB Shaw, directed by Radu Penciulescu, alongside Sanda Toma and Gheorghe Dinică, then in the famous show “Rhinoceros” (1964) by Eugène Ionescu, directed by Lucian Giurchescu, having Radu Beligan, Ion Lucian and Marin Moraru as stage partners. “Troilus and Cressida” (1965) by W. Shakespeare, directed by David Esrig, with Iurie Darie, Amza Pellea, Dumitru Rucăreanu and Dumitru Chesa followed, then “Nic Nic” (1968), a play by Anca Bursan and Gheorghe Panco, directed by Moni Ghelerter, show in which Ștefan Tapalăgă went on stage with Amza Pellea.
With Iarina Demian, Mircea Şeptilici, Cornel Vulpe and Dem Savu, he played in 1972 in “Preșul” by Ion Băieșu, under the direction of Ion Cojar, and with Gheorghe Crîșmaru in “Zăpăcitul by Molière” in 1976, directed by Ion Lucian. Iarina Demian had been his stage partner in many shows.
In the drama “The Unfinished House” (1964) by Andrei Blaier he is a partner with Valeria Seciu and Alexandru Repan, in “Castellanii” (1964) by Gheorghe Turcu he plays alongside Marcel Anghelescu, Radu Beligan and Colea Răutu, and in “The sky begins on the floor III” (1967) by Francisc Munteanu, together with Silviu Stănculescu and Emil Hossu.
The musical “Shooting on the portable” (1967) by Cezar Grigoriu, performed by Margareta Pâslaru and Cornel Fugaru, with a soundtrack signed by George Grigoriu, is a film that deserves to be seen again after almost 50 years, especially for the show created by ballet under the watchful eye of operator Alexandru Întorsureanu.
Aurel Miheleș's “Vin ciclistii” (1968) remains a tasty comedy, unprecedented today in the Romanian cinematographic landscape, in which Ștefan Tapalăgă has the main role, a member of the cycling team with new ideas, named Virgil, and the cast is fantastic: Dem Rădulescu, Stela Popescu, Puiu Călinescu, Carmen Galin, Anna Széles, Mircea Albulescu, Vasilica Tastaman, Ştefan Bănică Senior, Alexandru Giugaru, Theodor Danetti, Nicu Constantin, Vasile Tomazian.
The 70s and 80s will bring the actor collaborations with the director Mircea Drăgan for the biographical film “Aurel Vlaicu” (1977) and for two precious comedies in Romanian cinema, “Coana Chiriţa” (1986) and “Chiriţa la Iasi” (1987 ); with the director Gheorghe Naghi for the fantastic film Elixirul tinereții (1975), whose protagonists are Florin Piersic and Stela Popescu, then with Francisc Munteanu for the adventure film “Roşcovanul” (1976), in which he receives the role of Commissioner Chiriac.
The director Gheorghe Vitanidis chose Ștefan Tapalăgă for “The Romanian Musketeer” (1975), a genre of cape and sword in Romanian filmography, in the play of exceptional actors – Iurie Darie, Ilarion Ciobanu, Alexandru Repan, Ioana Bulcă, Ion Besoiu, Victor Rebengiuc , Ion Dichiseanu, Constantin Rauțchi, Marcel Anghelescu – then in a television series, entitled “War of Independence” (1977).
In 1981, Ștefan Tapalăgă was cast by Alecu Croitoru in “Am o idee”, together with the incomparable Jean Constantin and Dem Rădulescu. Attack in the library was his last film, a 1992 detective film, directed by Mircea Drăgan, based on a script by George Arion.
Ștefan Tapalăgă was married to Sanda Manu, theater director and teacher. He died on May 21, 1994, in Bucharest.
