Golden Stars of the Stage & Screen

Romfilatelia proudly presents the postage stamp issue Golden stars of stage and screen, a dear project, dedicated to promoting Romanian cultural and artistic values that have succeeded and still succeed to instill love for theatre and film.

This postage stamp issue emphasizes Great national Actors, rightfully considered the Golden generation of the Romanian theatre and cinema.

Mircea Albulescu, Tamara Buciuceanu-Botez, Valeria Gagealov, Ileana Stana Ionescu, Draga Olteanu Matei, Marin Moraru, George Motoi, Sebastian Papaiani, Florin Piersic, Mitică Popescu, Sanda Toma are only 12 of our theatre and cinema golden stars.

Mircea Albulescu was born in 1934 in Bucharest. His role in the play Danton written by Camil Petrescu, remains a landmark in the Romanian theatre. He played over 70 roles in feature films and in 2005, he received the UNITER Lifetime Achievement Award.

Tamara Buciuceanu-Botez is born in Bessarabia, in the village of Tighina, in 1929. She played in over 30 films, her emblematic character being Teacher Isosceles of the series The Graduates (Liceenii). Having a mezzo-soprano voice, she played numerous scores, together with Ion Dacian, for nine years in the Operetta Theatre. In 2004, she receives the UNITER Lifetime Achievement Award, in 2010 the UNITER Excellence Award and she has been an Honorary Member of the National Theatre in Bucharest since 2004.

Valeria Gagealov was born in 1931 in Galati. Some of her memorable roles are in Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, a play offered to the public for 13 years, as well as the role of Sonia in the play The next room by Paul Everac, for which she was awarded the Creativity Prize in 1983. Among her films, we can mention the The Mill of Good Luck, The soirée, Prince Lapusneanu’s Return, The Loneliness of Flowers. She has been an Honorary Member of the National Theatre in Bucharest since 2001.

Ileana Stana Ionescu was born in Brad (Hunedoara County) in 1936. She has been present on the stage of the National Theatre in Bucharest for nearly 50 years. Of the many theatre roles that made her famous, we can mention The Boors by Carlo Goldoni, Titanic Waltz by Tudor Musatescu or The Jays by Alexander Kiritescu. She received in 1996 the ACIN Romania Award, in 1998 the UNITER Gala Excellence Award, and in 2002 she became a Corporate Member of the National Theatre in Bucharest.

Draga Olteanu Matei is born in Bucharest in 1933. We find her present in many roles in nearly 60 films. For television drama she has played over 100 roles. However, whenever talking about Lady Chirita, we think immediately of Draga Olteanu Matei. She is decorated with the Order of the Star of Romania, Knight rank, and is an Honorary Member of the National Theatre in Bucharest.
She was awarded the TVR (Romanian Television) and PTWB (Prime Time World Broadcast) Prize in 2003, and received the UNITER Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004.

Marin Moraru, born in Bucharest in 1937, graduated from the Institute of Theatre and Film Art in 1961, in Professor Dina Cocea’s class. He is an Honorary Member of the National Theatre in Bucharest since 2002. He starred in dozens of plays and movies, stunning audiences with his anthological creations. In 2009 he was awarded the Gopo Prize for his entire career.

George Motoi was born in Kaliakra, in the southern Dobrudja (also known as the Quadrilater region) in 1936. One of his most remarkable role is Prince Lapusneanu in Prince Lapusneanu’s Return. He received the Great Award of the Festival of San Remo (Italy) for his acting in the film Adela, directed by Mircea Veroiu, and in 2011 he received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Transilvania International Film Festival - TIFF.

Sebastian Papaiani, a Romanian actor whose father is of Greek ethnicity, was born in 1936 in the town of Pitesti. He played over 63 roles in film productions, winning the audience by giving life to characters in movies like Pacala, Tonight we dance in family, Jderi Borthers, Saturday night ball, At full sails!, and the B.D. movie series.

Florin Piersic was born in Cluj, in 1936, starring, throughout his career, in over 40 films and numerous plays on the stages of theatres in Cluj and Bucharest. The roles of Margelatu, Grigore Pintea outlaw and Anghel Saptecai outlaw are among some of his famous film interpretations. He was often compared to the French actors Jean Marais and Alain Delon. In 2005 he received the award for Most beloved actor at the “Ten for Romania” Gala Awards.

Mitica Popescu was born in Bucharest in 1936. Unforgettable are his roles in the films Glissando (directed by Mircea Daneliuc), Morometii (directed by Stere Gulea), The most beloved man on Earth (directed by Serban Marinescu) or the television series Lights and Shadows (directed by Andrei Blaier, Mircea Muresan). Mitica Popescu received the UNITER Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009, and the Gopo Excellence Award for his entire career in 2013.

Sanda Toma was born in 1934 and graduated from the Institute of Theatre and Film Art in Bucharest with the famous show The Barber of Seville, staged by director Vlad Mugur. Her film career was marked by one of the Romanian cinema masterpieces The Boors by Carlo Goldony, directed by Mircea Stefanescu and Sica Alexandrescu, where she played together with many great actors of the Romanian film and scene. In 2002 she received the UNITER Lifetime Achievement Award and the Excellence Prize for her entire career at the Romanian Festival Gala in 2010.

Olga Tudorache was born in Oituz in 1929. She received numerous awards among which we can mention the UNITER Awards - Lifetime Achievement, Best actress and Popularity - in 1995, 1999 and 2002, and the Trophy of the “I.L. Caragiale” Theatre Festival in 2004. Monumental and unforgettable, Olga Tudorache’s roles remain a landmark in the historiography of Romanian theatre and film.

The launching, on March 1st, of the postage stamp issue coincides beautifully with the one-decade anniversary of Romfilatelia. For ten years we have strived to be a genuine supporter of the Romanian culture, by constantly promoting Romania's well-deserved place in the historical treasure of the world, the original values and the outstanding personalities of our country.