Grigore Vasiliu Birlic
Grigore Vasiliu Birlic | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Grigore Vasiliu 24 January 1905 |
| Died | 14 February 1970(aged 65) |
| Resting place | Bellu Cemetery,Bucharest |
| Nationality | Romanian |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1934–1969 |
| Spouses |
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Grigore Vasiliu Birlic(Romanian pronunciation:[ɡriˈɡorevasiˈli.ubirˈlik];January 24, 1905 – February 14, 1970) was aRomanianactor who appeared on stage, television and in films. He was best known for comedic roles.
Early life
[edit]Grigore Vasiliu was born on 24 January 1905 into the family of a small businessman on the"Pârâul Târgului"street inFălticeni,in theBukovinaregion of Romania. As a child he wanted to become a circus clown; however, his parents did not consider acting a serious job, and when he finished the"Nicu Gane"high school in Fălticeni in 1924, he was sent to study law at theUniversity of Cernăuți.
Early career
[edit]He started in the local theater where he was noticed byDragoș Protopopescu,the theater director. He received his first role as a mute character in the comedic play"Musca spaniolă"( "The Spanish Fly" ) byFranz ArnoldandErnst Bach.He was hired at the National Theater inCernăuți,and his next appearance was inVictor Ion Popa's"Amanetul"(The Pawn Shop) byLudvig Holberg.[1]Birlic, who struggled with a lisp, failed to get into the Dramatic Art Conservatory of Cernăuţi seven times before succeeding at the eighth. There, he was a student ofPetre Sturdzaand metJules Cazabanas a fellow student.
Top of the career
[edit]
In 1933, directorAurel Maicanbrought him to Bucharest where he performed in plays such as"Vârcolacul"( "The Werewolf),"Micul Weber"( "Little Weber" ) and"Prostul din baie"( "The Idiot in the Bathroom" ). Grigore Vasiliu was nicknamedBreloc( "Pendant" ) after playing inIon Iancovescu's[clarification needed]Corabia lui Noe( "Noah's Ark" ).
His big breakthrough was with Iancovescu's[clarification needed]playÎmpăratul( "The Emperor" ) byLuigi Bonelli.Alongside him wereMania Antonovaand N.N. Matei. Following this success, he played the main character inTudor Mușatescu's adaptation of the playBirlicbyFranz ArnoldandErnst Bach.The play was another success for the actor who became known as Grigore Vasiliu-Birlic due to the character he interpreted for a long time with great success.
Although he was appointed director of the theatre groupColorado,communist laws banned private theatre groups and he was fired. He returned to theNational Theatre of Bucharestwhere the repertory was set by the Propaganda Department of theRomanian Communist Party.[citation needed]
His comeback was in 1953'sSică Alexandrescu's adaptation ofIon Luca Caragiale's play,O scrisoare pierdută( "A Lost Letter" ), in which he initially portrayed Dandanache and then Brânzovenescu.Radu Beliganpraised the play and described Birlic as "[a] genius of comedy, of the Romanian humor".[citation needed]
In 1956, Alexandrescu, Birlic,Alexandru GiugaruandGeorge Calboreanuperformed the playBădăranii( "The Boors" ) byCarlo Goldoniat the Goldoni Festival in Venice. A storm erupted while the actors were on stage, yet the guests remained in the garden ofPalazzo Grassi,entranced by Birlic's interpretation of Caciani.[citation needed]
End of career
[edit]
After his return fromItaly,Birlic continued acting inD-ale carnavalului(lit. "Carnival Stuff" ) andConu Leonida față cu reacțiunea(lit. "Master Leonida Face To Face With Reactionism" ) byCaragiale,The MiserandLe Bourgeois gentilhommebyMolière,Yegor BulychovbyMaxim Gorki,The Government InspectorbyNikolai Gogol,Oameni care tac(lit. "People Who Don't Talk" ) byAlexandru Voitin,Krechinsky's WeddingbyAleksandr Sukhovo-Kobylin,andMielul turbat(lit. "The Rabid Lamb" ) byAurel Baranga.
In his entire career, Birlic portrayed 13 of Caragiale's characters. For Romanians, the face of Grigore Vasiliu-Birlic merges with the notion of a Caragiale character. Birlic himself said"As one of the actors who have played the most characters – 13 – from the work of our great dramatist, I recall Caragiale with affectionate gratitude for the theatrical successes that he occasioned me with. These roles represented to me in over 35 years of theatre, a great school of acting knowledge, characters of our drama masters."[citation needed]
Sensing that his end was near, Birlic asked his manager, Gaby Michăilescu, to help him direct his last theatrical appearance. He chose to reenact the play that gave him his name, "Birlic".Actors who also played in Birlic's last appearance wereSilvia Dumitrescu-Timică,Alexandru Giugaru,Petre Ștefănescu-Goangă,Nicolae Gărdescu,Vasilica Tastaman,andIon Antonescu-Cărăbuș.
On 14 February 1970, Grigore Vasiliu-Birlic died at the age of 65 inBucharest.He is buried atBellu Cemeteryin Bucharest.
Film
[edit]In 1934, Birlic began in his film career with the movieBing-Bang[2]alongside Stroe and Vasilache, followed byDoamna de la etajul II( "The second floor lady" ) starring Birlic, Maud Mary, Mihai Popescu, andMihai Fotino.DuringWorld War II,artistic activities in Romania were limited, but Birlic returned in 1951 in Jean Georgescu'sVizita( "The Visit" ), an adaptation of Caragiale's sketch. Following this success, he was featured inO Scrisoare Pierdută,in Gheorghe Naghi and Aurel Micheles'sDouă lozuri( "Two Lottery Tickets" ), and in Iancovescu'sD-ale carnavalului( "The Carnival" ). The three adaptations of Caragiale's work formed the highlight of Birlic's career.
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | Bing-Bang | The Client | |
| 1937 | Doamna de la etajul II | Director in the Ministry | |
| 1951 | Viața Învinge | Mișu | |
| 1952 | Vizita | The guest | |
| 1952 | Lanțul Slăbiciunilor | ||
| 1953 | O Scrisoare Pierdută | Iordache Brînzovenescu | |
| 1955 | Directorul Nostru | Gh. Ciubuc | |
| 1957 | Două lozuri | Lefter Popescu | |
| 1957 | D'ale Carnavalului | Crăcănel | |
| 1959 | Telegrame | ||
| 1959 | Doi vecini | Attorney M. Theodorescu-Falciu | |
| 1959 | Băieţii Noştri | ||
| 1960 | Bădăranii | Caciano | |
| 1961 | Post restant | ||
| 1961 | Drum nou | ||
| 1961 | Aproape de Soare | Petre's father | |
| 1962 | Doi băieți ca pâinea caldă | ||
| 1963 | Lumina de iulie | ||
| 1964 | Pași spre lună | Mercur | |
| 1964 | Mofturi 1900 | ||
| 1965 | Titanic Vals | Spirache Necșulescu | |
| 1965 | The Lace Wars | ||
| 1966 | Steaua fără nume | Udrea, the music teacher | |
| 1966 | Corigența domnului Profesor |
External links
[edit]- Grigore Vasiliu-BirlicatIMDb
- (in Romanian)Birlic Cultural Association
- (in Romanian)Birlic, a perfect actor
References
[edit]| International | |
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| National | |
