Saturday, December 14, 2013

  Oldest active professional theatre actor: Radu Beligan breaks Guinness World Records' record (VIDEO)

BUCHAREST, Romania -- The 95-year old Romanian actor Radu Beligan, who will turn 95 on December 14, will perform in a new theater play at the Metropolis Theater in Bucharest on his birthday, setting the new world record for the Oldest active professional theatre actor , according to the World Record Academy: www.worldrecordacademy.com/ .

  Photo: The 95-year old Romanian actor Radu Beligan set the new world record for the longest – living actor still on stage. ( enlarge photo )

The Guinness World Records' record for the Oldest Oscar nominee for Best Actor was set by Richard Farnsworth (USA, 1920 - 2000) who was aged 79 years 167 days when the Academy nominated him for Best Actor for his role as Alvin Straight in The Straight Story (USA 1999) on 15 February 2000.

  The Guinness World Record for the Oldest Golden Globe winner - actor was set by Henry Fonda (USA) (1905–1982), who was aged 76 years 259 days when he was awarded the Golden Globe for Best Actor for his portrayal of Norman Thayer Jr in On Golden Pond (USA 1981) on 30 January 1982.

  Beligan, who will turn 95 on December 14, will perform in a new theater play at the Metropolis Theater in Bucharest on his birthday.

  The next day, after performing in another play at the National Theater, he will be handed over the world record Award.

  The actor has been performing for the last 70 years, having played famous parts in both Romanian and international plays. Beligan has been active in theater, film, TV and radio, as well as a theater director, The Romania-Insider.com reported.

  Beligan was born in Galbeni village, Bac?u County, Romania to a Romanian father and a Greek mother.

  Graduate of the Dramatic Arts Conservatory, Bucharest Initiator and Founder of the Comedy Theater of Bucharest 1968, Director of the National Theater "I.L. Caragiale", Bucharest.

Mr. Radu Beligan has received numerous accolades including the Ordre National de la Legion D'Honneur from the President of France for his work as an actor and the National Star from the Romanian President. ( enlarge photo )

   He is known for The Poseidon Explosion (1973), The Afternoon of a Torturer (2001) and Afacerea Protar (1957).

  Mr. Radu Beligan played many celebrated roles by major Romanian playwrights (Ion Luca Caragiale, Barbu ?tef?nescu Delavrancea, Camil Petrescu, Tudor Mu?atescu, Mircea ?tef?nescu, Victor Ion Popa, Victor Eftimiu, Mihail Sebastian, Aurel Baranga, Mirodan) and universally known roles by Shakespeare, Goldoni, Gogol, Anton Chekhov, George Bernard Shaw, Gorki, Albert Camus, Jules Romains, Eugène Ionesco, Jean Anouilh, Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Edward Albee, Peter Schaffer, Patrick Süskind, Neil Simon, and Umberto Eco).