ACTORS from Romania

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Romanian Actors of all time. This list of famous Romanian Actors is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Romanian Actors.

1. Bela Lugosi (1882 - 1956)

With an HPI of 72.12, Bela Lugosi is the most famous Romanian Actor.  His biography has been translated into 63 different languages on wikipedia.

Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó (Hungarian: [ˈblɒʃkoː ˈbeːlɒ ˈfɛrɛnt͡s ˈdɛʒøː]; October 20, 1882 – August 16, 1956), better known by the stage name Bela Lugosi ( lə-GOH-see; Hungarian: [ˈluɡoʃi]), was a Hungarian–American actor. He was best remembered for portraying Count Dracula in the horror film classic Dracula (1931), Ygor in Son of Frankenstein (1939) and his roles in many other horror films from 1931 through 1956. Lugosi began acting on the Hungarian stage in 1902, appearing in more than 170 productions. Beginning in 1917, he performed in Hungarian silent films. During World War I, he served as an infantry officer in the Austro-Hungarian Army from 1914 to 1916. After the failed Hungarian Communist Revolution of 1919, Lugosi was forced to emigrate to Germany due to his Socialist party activities. He acted in several films in Weimar Germany, before arriving in New Orleans as a seaman on a merchant ship, then making his way north to New York City and Ellis Island. In 1927, he starred as Count Dracula in a Broadway adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel, moving with the play to the West Coast in 1928 and settling down in Hollywood. He later starred in the 1931 film version of Dracula directed by Tod Browning and produced by Universal Pictures. Through the 1930s, he occupied an important niche in horror films, but his notoriety as Dracula and thick Hungarian accent greatly limited the roles offered to him, and he unsuccessfully tried for years to avoid typecasting. He co-starred in a number of films with fellow horror icon Boris Karloff, including The Black Cat (1934), The Raven (1935), and Son of Frankenstein (1939). By this time, Lugosi had been receiving regular medication for sciatic neuritis, and he became addicted to doctor-prescribed morphine and methadone. This drug dependence (and his gradually worsening alcoholism) was becoming apparent to producers, and after 1948's Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Lugosi experienced a career decline and mostly appeared in low-budget films, some of which were directed by Ed Wood. His collaborations with Wood include a brief appearance in Plan 9 from Outer Space, released posthumously in 1957. Lugosi married five times and had one son, Bela G. Lugosi (with his fourth wife, Lillian).

2. Edward G. Robinson (1893 - 1973)

With an HPI of 67.54, Edward G. Robinson is the 2nd most famous Romanian Actor.  His biography has been translated into 51 different languages.

Edward G. Robinson (born Emanuel Goldenberg; December 12, 1893 – January 26, 1973) was an American actor of stage and screen, who was popular during Hollywood's Golden Age. He appeared in 30 Broadway plays, and more than 100 films, during a 50-year career, and is best remembered for his tough-guy roles as gangsters in such films as Little Caesar and Key Largo. During his career, Robinson received the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for his performance in House of Strangers. In 1999, he is ranked number 24 in the American Film Institute's list of the 25 greatest male stars of Classic American cinema. During the 1930s and 1940s, Robinson was an outspoken public critic of fascism and Nazism, which were growing in strength in Europe in the years which led up to World War II. His activism included contributing over $250,000 to more than 850 organizations that were involved in war relief, along with contributions to cultural, educational, and religious groups. During the 1950s, he was called to testify in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee during the Red Scare, but he was cleared of any deliberate Communist involvement when he claimed that he was "duped" by several people whom he named (including screenwriter Dalton Trumbo), according to the official Congressional record, "Communist infiltration of the Hollywood motion-picture industry". As a result of being investigated, he found himself on Hollywood's graylist, people who were on the Hollywood blacklist maintained by the major studios, but could find work at minor film studios on what was called Poverty Row. Robinson's roles included an insurance investigator in the film noir Double Indemnity, Dathan (the adversary of Moses) in The Ten Commandments, and his final performance in the science-fiction story Soylent Green. Robinson received an Academy Honorary Award for his work in the film industry, which was awarded two months after he died in 1973. Multiple film critics and media outlets have cited him as one of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination.

3. Maia Morgenstern (b. 1962)

With an HPI of 61.86, Maia Morgenstern is the 3rd most famous Romanian Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Maia Emilia Ninel Morgenstern (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈmaja ˈmorɡənʃtern] ; born 1 May 1962) is a Romanian film and stage actress, described by Florin Mitu of AMOS News as "a symbol of Romanian theater and film". Internationally, she is best known for portraying the Blessed Virgin Mary in Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. In Romania, she has been nationally known since her 1992 role as Nela in Balanța, a film known in the United States as The Oak. The film is set during the waning days of Communist Romania. She received a star on the Romanian Walk of Fame in Bucharest on 1 May 2011.

4. Marcel Iureș (b. 1951)

With an HPI of 61.82, Marcel Iureș is the 4th most famous Romanian Actor.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Marcel Iureș (Romanian pronunciation: [marˈtʃel ˈjureʃ] ; born 2 August 1951) is a Romanian actor. He is one of Romania's most acclaimed stage and film actors. He has acted in films and on stage both in Romania and internationally, and has played at least ten roles on Romanian and British television. His work includes voiceovers for Disney and computer games. Iureș is the president and a judge of the Anonimul International Film Festival and also the president of Ideo Ideis Festival (an annual national theatre festival for teenagers).

5. Sebastian Stan (b. 1982)

With an HPI of 60.34, Sebastian Stan is the 5th most famous Romanian Actor.  His biography has been translated into 53 different languages.

Sebastian Stan (born August 13, 1982) is a Romanian-born American actor. He gained recognition for his role as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe media franchise, beginning with the film Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), and serving as a lead actor in the Disney+ miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021) and the film Thunderbolts* (2025). On television, Stan played Carter Baizen in Gossip Girl (2007–2010) and the Mad Hatter in Once Upon a Time (2012), and starred in the miniseries Political Animals (2012). In 2022, he received critical acclaim for playing Tommy Lee in the Hulu miniseries Pam & Tommy earning nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. On Broadway, Stan has appeared in the Eric Bogosian play Talk Radio (2007) and starred in the William Inge play Picnic (2013). On film, Stan had supporting roles in The Martian (2015), and starred in I, Tonya (2017) and Fresh (2022). For his performance in A Different Man (2024), he won a Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. For his portrayal of a young Donald Trump in The Apprentice (2024), Stan earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor.

6. John Houseman (1902 - 1988)

With an HPI of 59.90, John Houseman is the 6th most famous Romanian Actor.  His biography has been translated into 41 different languages.

John Houseman (born Jacques Haussmann; September 22, 1902 – October 31, 1988) was a Romanian-born British-American theatre and film producer, actor, director, and teacher. He became known for his highly publicized collaboration with director Orson Welles from their days in the Federal Theatre Project through to the production of Citizen Kane. He enjoyed a distinguished career as an influential producer of both the stage and screen, and was the founding director of the Juilliard School and co-founder of The Acting Company. Houseman was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture for producing William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar (1953). As an actor, Houseman won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Professor Charles W. Kingsfield in the 1973 film The Paper Chase, which he reprised in the 1978 television series adaptation. He was also nominated for four acting Golden Globe Awards (winning once), and a Primetime Emmy Award for producing. In 1979, Houseman was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame.

7. Maria Tănase (1913 - 1963)

With an HPI of 59.85, Maria Tănase is the 7th most famous Romanian Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Maria Tănase (Romanian pronunciation: [maˈri.a təˈnase]; 25 September 1913 – 22 June 1963) was a Romanian singer and actress. Her music ranged from traditional Romanian music to romance, tango, chanson, and operetta. Tănase has a similar importance in Romania as Édith Piaf in France or Amália Rodrigues in Portugal. In her nearly three-decade-long career, she became widely regarded as Romania's national diva, being admired for her originality, voice, physical beauty and charisma. In Romania, she is still regarded as a major cultural icon of the 20th century. In 2006 she was included in the list of the 100 Greatest Romanians of all time by a nationwide poll. Among her songs are Cine iubește și lasă (1937), Leliță cârciumăreasă (1939), Bun îi vinul ghiurghiuliu (1938), Doina din Maramureș (1956), Ciuleandra (1956), Lume, lume (1966), and Până când nu te iubeam.

8. Mircea Diaconu (1949 - 2024)

With an HPI of 59.74, Mircea Diaconu is the 8th most famous Romanian Actor.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Mircea Diaconu (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈmirtʃe̯a diˈakonu]; 24 December 1949 – 14 December 2024) was a Romanian actor, writer and politician. First appearing on stage in 1970, and on screen two years later, Diaconu pursued a lengthy career in both formats, working with a series of prominent directors. He acted in some sixty films through the 2000s, and continued to act in theatre during the ensuing decade. He took part in the Romanian Revolution of 1989. In 2008, he entered electoral politics, becoming a senator, and subsequently serving a term as a Member of the European Parliament. In 2019, he ran for president, placing fourth.

9. Ágnes Esterházy (1891 - 1956)

With an HPI of 59.30, Ágnes Esterházy is the 9th most famous Romanian Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Ágnes Esterházy (born Ágnes Jósika de Branyitska, 15 January 1891 – 4 April 1956) was a Hungarian film actress who worked mainly in Austria and Germany. She appeared in 32 films between 1918 and 1943.

10. Elvira Popescu (1894 - 1993)

With an HPI of 58.71, Elvira Popescu is the 10th most famous Romanian Actor.  Her biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Elvira Popescu (Romanian pronunciation: [elˈvira poˈpesku]; in French, Elvire Popesco; 10 May 1894 – 11 December 1993) was a Romanian-French stage and film actress and theatre director. During the 1930s and 1940s, she starred in a number of French comedy films.