Sergiu Nicolaescu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sergiu Nicolaescu
Nicolaescu at the premiere of Carol I, 2010
Born	Sergiu Florin Nicolaescu (1930-04-13)13 April 1930 Târgu Jiu, Kingdom of Romania
Died	3 January 2013(2013-01-03) (aged 82) Bucharest, Romania
Nationality	Romanian
Alma mater	Politehnica University of Bucharest
Occupation	Film director actor politician
Years active	1962–2013

Sergiu Florin Nicolaescu (born April 13, 1930 – died January 3, 2013) was a famous Romanian film director, actor, and politician. He was known for making many movies, especially historical films and exciting thrillers.

Some of his most famous historical movies include Mihai Viteazul (1970), Dacii (1966), and Războiul Independenței (1977). He also made popular thrillers like Un comisar acuză (1973), which were set in Romania a long time ago.

Early Life and Learning

Sergiu Nicolaescu was born in Târgu Jiu, Gorj County. When he was five years old, his family moved to Timișoara, where he grew up.

He studied at the Politehnica University of Bucharest and became a mechanical engineer. This means he learned how to design and build machines. After finishing school, he started working as a camera operator, which is someone who operates a camera for films. He was very hardworking and eager to learn, which helped him a lot in his filmmaking career.

A Master of Film: Director, Writer, and Actor

Sergiu Nicolaescu is considered one of Romania's most popular and productive film directors. His career lasted 55 years, during which he made about 60 movies. For many of these films, he was not only the director but also an actor and the writer. In Romania, people remember him as a superstar because of his love for his country, his amazing skills as a director, and his strong personality.

First Films and Big Successes

Nicolaescu's first short film was Scoicile nu au vorbit niciodată (Shells Have Never Spoken) in 1962. His first full-length movie was Dacii in 1967, which was a co-production with France. This film was shown at the 5th Moscow International Film Festival.

He continued to direct many movies and often acted in them himself. His 1971 film Mihai Viteazul was also shown at the 7th Moscow International Film Festival. Fun fact: In the original version of Steven Spielberg's E.T. The Extraterrestrial, the character Elliott watches a scene from Mihai Viteazul on TV!

Bringing History to Life

Many of Nicolaescu's films were about important people and events in Romanian history. He was very good at showing historical battles and costumes accurately. For example, in Mihai Viteazul, he recreated the Battle of Călugăreni with great detail. He managed a huge team of 5,000 people, including actors and extras, to make these scenes look real. Even without modern technology like mobile phones, he kept everyone organized.

His movie Mihai Viteazul is often seen as the best Romanian historical film and is well-known around the world. It was released internationally as The Last Crusade.

To make his historical films, he received help from the Romanian Ministry of Defence, which provided many extras and war equipment. He also did a lot of research, getting advice from military experts and historians.

Taking Risks in Filmmaking

Sergiu Nicolaescu was known for taking big, but carefully planned, risks while filming. For war scenes, he sometimes used real dynamite and even real blood to make them look very realistic. He was always able to show actors and camera operators exactly what to do, even in dangerous situations. During his long career, he had some accidents and illnesses, but he always bravely finished his film projects.

His 1985 film The Ring was shown at the 14th Moscow International Film Festival. For this movie, Nicolaescu, who was 50 years old at the time, trained very hard in boxing with a former European champion. The boxing matches and hits in the film were real!

Later Films

Even though his later films were not as popular as his earlier ones, he continued to direct new movies. Some of these include Orient Express (2004), Cincisprezece (2005), which was a love story set during the Romanian Revolution of 1989, Supravietuitorul (2008), Carol I (2009), and Poker (2010).

When asked to pick his favorite films, Nicolaescu chose Mihai Viteazul, Osanda (The Doom), and Atunci i-am condamnat pe toti la moarte.

A Role in Politics

Sergiu Nicolaescu became involved in politics during the Romanian Revolution in 1989. Because he was so well-known and respected for his films, his speeches during the Revolution helped bring order and understanding to the people. In December 1989, he was cheered by hundreds of thousands of Romanians in Bucharest after the former leader, Nicolae Ceaușescu, left power. He asked the crowd to stay calm and support the new leaders.

Nicolaescu played an important political role and was elected to the Romanian Senate in 1992 as a member of the Social Democratic Party. In 2005, he said in an interview that he regretted going into politics because it took too much time away from making films.

Personal Life and Hobbies

Sports and Active Lifestyle

Nicolaescu said that when he was young, he enjoyed many sports, including athletics, equestrianism (horse riding), boxing, shooting, and rugby. He was a very active person and lived a disciplined life. Even when he was 80 years old, he spent at least an hour every day doing physical activities like gymnastics.

Although he wasn't a huge football fan, he said that the team Steaua București was his favorite. He liked famous players from Steaua more than those from other teams.

Family Life

Sergiu Nicolaescu was married three times. He did not have any children, which he said was his biggest regret in life.

Health Challenges

Since 2000, Nicolaescu had a digestive condition called diverticulitis. In January 2008, when he was 78, he had two brain surgeries after an accident. Doctors didn't think he would recover because he was completely paralyzed. However, after three months of intense therapy, he learned to walk, speak, and write again! He said these surgeries changed him, making him feel his age more and sometimes making him impatient. Despite health problems in his last years, he kept directing, acting, and planning new films, showing his lifelong passion for movies.

On December 26, 2012, he was admitted to the hospital with heart problems and a chest injury. Doctors found he had a severe case of his diverticulitis, which led to other complications. After surgery, he developed breathing problems. Sergiu Nicolaescu passed away on January 3, 2013, at 8:20 AM. His body was cremated two days later, as he had wished.

Filmography

Director

Actor

Images for kids

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  Sergiu Nicolaescu at the premiere of Carol I

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  Sergiu Nicolaescu at the premiere of Last corrupt in Romania

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  Sergiu Nicolaescu and Prince Paul