Constantinescu Corina
Main achievement
Actress in Romania. Known for the role of Smaranda Creangă in the film Amintiri din Copilărie. She has appeared in 16 film productions.
About
Corina Constantinescu, born on November 16, 1919, in Nisporeni, Lăpușna County, in present-day Republic of Moldova, was a remarkable Romanian theater and film actress, active for over five decades in Romanian cinema. A graduate of the Conservatory of Music and Dramatic Art in Bucharest in the 1938 class, under Professor Maria Filotti, where she was a classmate of Raluca Zamfirescu, Irina Răchițeanu, and Eugenia Bădulescu, she debuted on stage at the Mic Theater in Bucharest, an emblematic institution where she spent a large part of her career. Among her most famous film roles are Stanca Dorobanțu in "Nepoții gornistului" (1953) and "Răsare soarele" (1954), Smaranda Creangă in "Amintiri din copilărie" (1965), Sofia in "Tănase Scatiu" (1976), as well as appearances in films such as "Străinul" (1964), "Tinerețe fără bătrânețe" (1969), "Accident" (1977), or her last role, Elvira in "Daria, iubirea mea" (2006), demonstrating versatility in various genres from drama and historical to fantasy and comedy. Her career was marked by collaborations with renowned directors such as Elisabeta Bostan, Sergiu Nicolaescu, Dan Pița, and Mircea George Cornea, contributing to award-winning and beloved films like "Pentru patrie" (1978) and "O vară cu Mara" (1988). She received the Order of Labour, 2nd Class, in 1954 for her merits in the films "Nepoții gornistului" and "Răsare soarele," and her stage presence, characterized by naturalness and emotional depth, enriched the portrayal of motherhood, rural women, and historical figures in post-war Romanian cinema. By 2003, she had appeared in over 20 productions, her last performance being in a short film, solidifying a distinct place in the gallery of classic Romanian screen actresses. In her personal life, Corina Constantinescu was married to physician Mihai Pavelescu, with whom she had her daughter, actress Ioana Pavelescu, thus continuing a family tradition in the arts. The sister of violinist Mihai Constantinescu and sister-in-law of painter Paul Gherasim, she cultivated close friendships with cultural figures such as Petre Țuțea, Liviu Ciulei, Clody Berthola, and Jenny Acterian. She passed away on August 26, 2008, in Bucharest, leaving behind an artistic legacy that inspires subsequent generations of women from Bessarabia and Romania, highlighting Moldavian roots in the history of national cinema.
