In Memoriam Radu Beligan
The great Romanian actor Radu Beligan, one of the most distinguished figure
Valentin Țigău, 21.07.2016, 13:18
Throughout his long and outstanding life, Radu Beligan, who died Wednesday at the age of 97, was an epitome of the spirit of theatre, with a remarkably complex outlook on life and art. The honorary president for life of the International Theatre Institute and co-president, together with Yehudi Menuhin, of the international theatre and music festivals organized by UNESCO, Radu Beligan was for a long time the intellectual benchmark of Romanian theatre.
He performed for 70 years, which brought him a Guinness Book of Records entry as the world’s oldest active professional theatre actor. An honorary member of the Romanian Academy and the director, for several decades, of the National Theatre and Bucharest Comedy Theatre, a director and a professor, Radu Beligan played hundreds of theatre and film parts. One of his most memorable performances was the Rica Venturiano role in I. L. Caragiale’s comedy “A Stormy Night.”
Vastly educated and devoted to the ideal of excellence in everything he did, Radu Beligan left a legacy revolving around intellectual curiosity and the desire to expand knowledge of human nature. The magic of maestro Radu Beligan will live forever, writes the PM of Romania Dacian Ciolos in a condolence letter, while the head of state Klaus Iohannis describes Radu Beligan as the perfect embodiment of the ideal actor.
Radu Beligan was always proud to be a Romanian and to make Romanian values known wherever he traveled. He was appreciated by audiences around the world and had longstanding friendships with great world artists like Elia Kazan, Peter Brook, Laurence Olivier, Arthur Miller and Salvador Dali.
