Sergiu Nicolaescu

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to navigationJump to search

Sergiu Nicolaescu

Premiera sergiu nicolaescu (cropped).jpg

Nicolaescu at the premiere of Carol I, 2010

Born Sergiu Florin Nicolaescu

13 April 1930

Târgu Jiu, Kingdom of Romania

Died 3 January 2013 (aged 82)

Bucharest, Romania

Nationality Romanian

Alma mater Politehnica University of Bucharest

Occupation

Film directoractorpolitician

Years active 1962–2013

Sergiu Florin Nicolaescu (Romanian: [ˈserd͡ʒju floˈrin nikolaˈesku]; 13 April 1930 – 3 January 2013) was a
Romanian film director, actor and politician.

He was best known for his historical films, such as Mihai Viteazul (1970, released in English both under
the equivalent title Michael the Brave and also as The Last Crusade), Dacii (1966, Les Guerriers), Războiul
Independenței (1977, War of Independence), as well as for his series of thrillers that take place in the
interwar Kingdom of Romania, such as Un comisar acuză (1973, A Police Inspector Calls). Joanna Pacuła
starred in his film Ultima noapte de dragoste (The Last Night of Love) in 1980 before eventually
emigrating to the United States, where he went on to a very successful career.[1]

Contents
1 Early life and education

2 Film director, writer and actor

3 Politician

4 Personal life

4.1 Sports and personal life

4.2 Failing health and death

5 Feature films

5.1 Director

5.2 Actor

6 References

7 External links

Early life and education

Nicolaescu was born in Târgu Jiu, Gorj County, but grew up in Timișoara, where his family moved when
he was 5 years old. He graduated from the Politehnica University of Bucharest as a mechanical engineer.
After graduation he started to work as a camera operator. He was hard-working, well-organized, curious,
intelligent and keen of learning. During these years he acquired many of the skills that have proved so
useful when making his later movies.

Film director, writer and actor

Nicolaescu was considered during his lifetime, as he is now, the most popular, loved and prolific
Romanian movie director. His overwhelming film career spanning 55 years, leaves us today his legacy of
some 60 movies, for the making of which he used to act at times, simultaneously, as film director, as an
actor, and the writer/screenplayer. In his native Romania he is remembered as a superstar for his
patriotism, the high praise he gained as a film director, and his charismatic and strong personality.

Nicolaescu's debut as a director was in 1962 with the short film Scoicile nu au vorbit niciodată (Shells
Have Never Spoken). His first feature film was the 1967 French-Romanian co-production Dacii (Les
Guerriers). The film was entered into the 5th Moscow International Film Festival.[2] Nicolaescu
continued his film-making career by both directing a large number of movies and starring in many of his
own films. His 1971 film Mihai Viteazul was entered into the 7th Moscow International Film Festival.[3]
As an anecdotal detail, in Steven Spielberg's E.T. The Extraterrestrial (original version only), the young
boy Elliott watches this movie on TV – Mihai Viteazul in the US version – the scene with the battle of
Calugareni. His 1976 film The Doom was entered into the 10th Moscow International Film Festival.[4]

Mihai Viteazul (Michael the Brave) ruled the Romanian-speaking principalities (Wallachia, Moldavia, and
Transylvania), a union he accomplished under his reign for a very brief period (1600–1601). It was
initially planned that Sergiu Nicolaescu would produce Mihai Viteazul with Hollywood superstars playing
the lead characters. The communist authorities of the time drastically ruled for an all Romanian cast. The
obstacle, eventually, was circumvented by means of casting, in the lead role of Mihai Viteazul the actor
Amza Pellea, who achieved a masterful rendition of the hero. Sergiu Nicolaescu was able, throughout his
career, to select the best actors available for the characters they had to portray.