Toma Caragiu

Toma Caragiu (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈtoma karaˈd͡ʒi.u]; (21 August 1925 – 4 March 1977) was a prolific Greek-Romanian theatre, television and film actor.

He was born in an Aromanian family, from the Greek village of Chroupista (since 1926 renamed Argos Orestiko), in the region of Macedonia on 21 August 1925. Toma Caragiu was one of the best Romanian actors, with a rich activity in both film and theatre. He liked to play comic characters, but he excelled also in drama, one of his reference films being "Actorul şi Sǎlbaticii". He played alongside great actors such as Ştefan Bănică, Octavian Cotescu, Anda Călugăreanu etc.

Toma Caragiu is most famous for his monologues. In these short stories, he managed to put together stories that combined sarcasm, satire and black humor. His monologues were subtle and dealt with a variety of topics, starting with politics and ending up with mythical concepts. In each and every monologue he added a personal touch to the script, thus creating a warm and humorous atmosphere.

He died in Bucharest, during the earthquake of 4 March 1977. He is buried at Bellu Cemetery. His first wife was the actress Maria Bondar and the second one was Elena Bichman.