In memoriam Virgil Andriescu
Those who knew him or were his friends often heard him say that “ACTORS NEVER DIE.” Indeed, they live on in the memory of the spectators who were moved by them and shared with them the ineffable energy of every theatrical performance. They live on in the films watched by generations, in written reviews, and in the hearts of their fellow performers.
Virgil Andriescu was born on April 26, 1936, in Botoșani. He graduated from the “I.L. Caragiale” Institute of Theatre and Film Arts (class of 1963, professor Alexandru Finți). Immediately after graduating, he was hired at the Youth Theatre in Piatra Neamț, and from 1965 at the Drama Theatre in Constanța. He debuted at the Youth Theatre in Piatra Neamț in the role of Varlam in George Ciprian’s “The Man with the Crock,” and his first appearance on the Constanța stage was in 1962.
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“Virgil Andriescu. A charismatic actor, loved by audiences across the country, who knew him through tours, films, and television shows, he performed here [at the theatre in Constanța - ed. note] between 1965 and 2000, with a break of a few seasons during which he was an actor at the Giulești Theatre (without severing his connection with Constanța). Between 1998 and 2000, he also held the position of director of the Constanța theatre, succeeding his colleague Lucian Iancu.
Handsome and with an air of aggressive barbarity, yet also very talented and ambitious, I would say he was, and remained for a long time, a true sex symbol, creating, in varied and original fashion, a gallery of young leading men and lovers, one more captivating than the other: Paris (“There Will Be No War in Troy”), Robert (“The Parakeet and the Turkey”), the cheerful Pescami (“The Legend of the Beautiful Agigea”), Cătălin (“The Blizzard”), Vlad (“I, Mircea the Voivode”), Elio (“Butterflies… Butterflies…”), Mircea Aldea (“The Magpies”), Sandy (“Bliss”), and others. As he aged, he confidently took on characters of the most diverse artistic identities, comedy, drama, tragedy; from rustic types (the Shepherd in “Master Pathelin’s Farce”) to kings (Pyrrhus in ‘Andromache’ or Macbeth), or intellectuals (the Professor in ‘Passacaglia’); from age or character compositions (Bismarck - “Faith”) to cross-dressing roles (Acroteleutia - “Miles Gloriosus”); from the diabolical and temperamental Zmeu in Alecsandri’s “Sânziana and Pepelea” to the delicate and unfortunate Gaston in Anouilh’s “Traveler Without Luggage.” Under Esrig’s direction, he played Guglielmo and Cecco (simultaneously) in Goldoni’s “The Holiday Trilogy” and Count Riccardo in “The Boors” by the same author, directed by Dembinski. He was an extraordinary Leonida (“Mr. Leonida Faces the Reactionaries” - Caragiale), built on a line that - I'd say - has no predecessors, in a performance suffocated by censorship, unfortunately for the audience of our city.
From everything he created emanated masculine strength and a great deal of humanity, wrapped in a grave restraint that, over time, only increased his charm. With a very honest and direct way of being, he made many friends but also quite a few enemies. In the theatre, as everywhere where people work under nervous pressure, appearances please people more.” - Georgeta Mărtoiu, in Thalia Ex Ponto, the most thoroughly researched chronicle of the Constanța theatre.
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Virgil Andriescu was part of the cast of the following productions staged at the theatre in Constanța:
The Great River Gathers Its Waters by Dan Tărchilă, directed by Constantin Dinischiotu, 1962
Dad Is Polishing Himself by Spiros Melas, directed by Sică Alexandrescu, 1963
I Love the Seventh One by Coman Șova, directed by Constantin Dinischiotu, 1966
When No One Sees Us by Thurzo Gabor, directed by Raul Serrano (Argentina), 1966
I, Mircea the Voivode by Dan Tărchilă, directed by Constantin Dinischiotu, 1966
My Friend, Pix by V.E.M. Galan, directed by Călin Florian, 1966
Don Juan by Molière, directed by Constantin Dinischiotu, 1967
There Will Be No War in Troy by Jean Giraudoux, directed by Ion Maximilian, 1967
The Lower Depths by Maxim Gorky, directed by Marietta Sadova, 1967
The Parakeet and the Turkey (Witnesses Are Eliminated) by Robert Thomas, directed by Mihai Berechet, 1967
The Great Tailors of Wallachia by Alexandru Popescu, directed by Mihai Berechet, 1968
The Night of the Iguana by Tennessee Williams, directed by Nicoleta Toia, 1969
The Holiday Trilogy by Carlo Goldoni, directed by David Esrig, 1969
Invitation to the Castle by Jean Anouilh, directed by Ion Maximilian, 1969
The Wedding of Perugia by Al. Kirițescu, directed by Gheorghe Jora, 1970
The Sagittarius by Ion Omescu, directed by Geo Berechet, 1969
Bliss - A Wacky Family by Noël Coward, directed by Mihai Berechet, 1970
The King of Thieves by Ștefan Berciu, directed by Geo Berechet, 1970
A Flea in Her Ear by Georges Feydeau, directed by Mihai Berechet, 1970
Saint Mitică the Gentle by Aurel Baranga, directed by Val Mugur, 1970
Napoleon Was… a Girl by Sică Alexandrescu, adapted from an American farce by Margaret Mayo, directed by Ion Maximilian, 1970
The Legend of the Beautiful Agigea by Alexandru Mitru, directed by Val Mugur, 1970
The Next Room by Paul Everac, directed by Geo Berechet, 1971
Butterflies… Butterflies… by Aldo Nicolai, directed by Gheorghe Jora, 1971
Ovidius by Grigore Sălceanu, directed by Marietta Sadova, 1971
Zero Grade in Conduct by Virgil Stoenescu and Octavian Sava, directed by Gheorghe Jora, 1971
The Man Who… by Horia Lovinescu, directed by Gheorghe Jora, 1972
Don’t Play With the Oltenian Girls by Gheorghe Vlad, directed by Călin Florian, 1972
Masquerade by Mikhail Lermontov, directed by Ion Maximilian, 1972
Coupe Performance: The Farce of Master Pathelin, directed by Ion Maximilian, 1973
Between the Two of Us There Was Only Silence by Lia Crișan, directed by Ion Maximilian, 1973
Răzvan and Vidra by Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu, directed by Mihai Dimiu, 1973
Isabella, Three Caravels and a Big Liar by Dario Fo, directed by Ion Maximilian, 1973
The Mysterious Phone Conversation by Virgil Stoenescu, directed by Mihai Dimiu, 1974
He, She and the Chorus (Life) by Gyurko Laszlo, directed by Sandu Simionică, 1974
The Divorce by Alexandru Sever, directed by Gheorghe Jora, 1974
The Discovery of Romania, dramatic poem in verse by Adrian Păunescu, directed by Laurențiu Azimioară, 1974
The Reward by Ghiță Barbu, directed and designed by Silviu Purcărete, 1974
The Tempest by Barbu Ștefănescu Delavrancea, directed by Gheorghe Jora, 1974
The Magpies by Alexandru Kirițescu, directed by Gheorghe Jora, 1974
The Last Ride by Horia Lovinescu, directed by George Rafael, 1975
Four Tears by Viktor Rozov, directed by Gheorghe Jora, 1975
Sânziana and Pepelea by Vasile Alecsandri, directed by Anca Ovanez Doroșenco, 1976
Tropaeum Traiani by Grigore Sălceanu, directed by Gheorghe Jora, 1976
Miles Gloriosus by Plautus, directed by Silviu Purcărete, 1976
The Great Soldier by Dan Tărchilă, directed by Ion Maximilian, 1977
The Square Circle (The Quadrature of the Circle) by Valentin Kataev, directed by Constantin Dinischiotu, 1977
Autobiography by Horia Lovinescu, directed by Gheorghe Jora, 1978
Coupe Performance: Letter to Master Manole by Hristu Limona, directed by Constantin Dinischiotu, 1978
The Moment by Virgil Stoenescu, after the novel by Dinu Săraru, directed by Constantin Dinischiotu, 1978
Saturday at Veritas by Mircea Radu Iacoban, directed by Ion Maximilian, 1978
The Legends of the Atreids (The Purple Carpet), scenario by Silviu Purcărete after the tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, with Romanian songs, laments, and incantations, directed by Silviu Purcărete, 1978, at the ruins of Histria Fortress
The Chair by Tudor Popescu, directed by Constantin Dinischiotu, 1979
Faith by Ion Coja, directed by Constantin Dinischiotu, 1979
Andromache by Racine, directed by Gheorghe Jora, 1980
Traveller Without Luggage by Jean Anouilh, directed by Ion Maximilian, 1980
Captain Apostolescu Investigates by Horia Tecuceanu, directed by Gheorghe Jora, 1980
The Game of Life and Death in the Desert of Ashes by Horia Lovinescu, directed by Gheorghe Jora, 1981
Hecuba by Euripides, directed by Silviu Purcărete, 1981
Hop, Signor! by Michel de Ghelderode, directed by Gheorghe Jora, 1982
The Holy Drunkenness by Paul Everac, directed by Dominic Dembinski, 1982
We Are Not All Born the Same Age by Tudor Popescu, directed by Gheorghe Jora, 1982
The Duck’s Head by George Ciprian, directed by Dominic Dembinski, 1983
One on One by Aleksandr Ghelman, directed by Ion Maximilian, 1983
The Boors by Carlo Goldoni, directed by Dominic Dembinski, 1984
Passacaglia by Titus Popovici, directed by Dominic Dembinski, 1984
Coupe Performance: I.L. Caragiale - Mr. Leonida Faces the Reactionaries, directed by Dominic Dembinski, 1984
These Sad Angels by D.R. Popescu, directed by Dominic Dembinski, 1986
Classified Ad by Alexandru Sever, directed by Andrei Mihalache, 1986
Macbeth by William Shakespeare, directed by Andrei Mihalache, 1990
Tache, Ianke and Cadâr by Victor Ion Popa, directed by Lucian Iancu and Virgil Andriescu, 1999
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, directed by Tudor Mărăscu, 2000
Opera for Future Dictators by Andonis Doriadis, directed by Yannis Margaritis, 2000
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In 2020, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 14th edition of the Gopo Awards.
He made his cinema debut in 1968 in the Romanian–Hungarian co-production directed by Károly Makk, “The Lovely Holidays” / “Bolondos vakáció,” accumulating throughout his career over 30 roles, of which six were leading roles in feature films, and over 30 more, including seven leading roles, in television films. His filmography includes titles such as The Labyrinth (Șerban Creangă, 1980), Eleven O’Clock (Lucian Bratu, 1985), Lights from the Open Sea (Stelian Stativa, 1986), Shadows of the Sun (Mircea Veroiu, 1986), Look Forward in Anger (Nicolae Mărgineanu, 1993), and Zero Point (Sergiu Nicolaescu, 1996), as well as collaborations with directors such as Andrei Blaier (“Fapt divers,” “Bătălia din umbră,” “Vacanța cea mare,” “Divorț… din dragoste”), Lucian Pintilie (“The Oak”), Dan Pița (“Pas în doi”), and Nae Caranfil (“It’s Dangerous to Lean Out”).
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Virgil Andriescu - memoirist
His first book, A Life as It Happened, was published in 2022. It was followed by True Stories With and Without Quibbles in 2023, and the third volume, Seven Thoughts for a Lost Time, will be published posthumously.
He was awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of Constanța County in 2020 and the title of EMERITUS ARTIST OF THE CONSTANȚA THEATRE in 2023.
Virgil Andriescu passed away yesterday, November 20, at the age of 89, but his memory will endure. We pay tribute to a great actor.