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Maia Morgenstern

Maia Morgenstern in concert, singing Jewish songs. Timișoara, Romania, 25 May 2010.

Maia Emilia Ninel Morgenstern (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈmaja ˈmorɡənʃtern] ⓘ; born 1 May 1962) is a Romanian film and stage actress,[1] described by Florin Mitu of AMOS News as "a symbol of Romanian theater and film".[2] In the English-speaking world, 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, set during the waning days of Communist Romania.[1] She received a star on the Romanian Walk of Fame in Bucharest on 1 May 2011.[3]

Biography

Born in Bucharest, Romania, to a Jewish family,[1] she attended the Zoia Kosmodeminskaia High School in her native city,[4] and graduated from the Film and Theatre Academy of Bucharest in 1985. She then played at Teatrul Tineretului (Youth Theater) in Piatra Neamț until 1988, and at the Teatrul Evreiesc de Stat (State Jewish Theatre) in Bucharest 1988, 1989, and 1990. From 1990 to 1998 she was a member of the company of the National Theatre in Bucharest, and since 1998 of Teatrul Bulandra, also in Bucharest;[5] in addition, she continues to act at the Jewish State Theatre and other Bucharest theaters[1] and elsewhere in Romania.[5] Among her notable stage roles in recent years, in a Romanian-language production of The Blue Angel (Îngerul Albastru in Romanian) at Bucharest's Odeon Theater, in 2001-2 she played (to great critical acclaim) Lola Lola, the character made famous by Marlene Dietrich. At the same time, she was also playing the role of Kathleen Hogan in a Romanian-language production of Israel Horovitz's Park Your Car in Harvard Yard at the State Jewish Theater.[1]

Morgenstern has appeared in numerous films, primarily in Romanian-language roles. In The Passion of the Christ, she performs a role in Aramaic, but like the other actors in the cast of that film, she simply memorized her lines phonetically.[6] She reported that she felt really proud to portray the Virgin Mary.[7]

Her surname, Morgenstern, means "Morning Star" in German, a title of the Virgin Mary, the character she played in The Passion of the Christ. Mel Gibson, a devout Traditionalist Catholic, thought this of great significance when casting her.[8] In interviews, she has defended The Passion of the Christ against allegations of antisemitism,[9] saying that the high priest Caiaphas is portrayed not as a representative of the Jewish people, but as a leader of the establishment, adding that "Authorities throughout history have persecuted individuals with revolutionary ideas."[10]

On 29 March 2021, a Romanian man was arrested after Morgenstern received an email stating "I intend to throw her in the gas chamber".[11]

Personal life

She has been married twice, first to Claudiu Istodor (1983–1999), and then to Dumitru Băltățeanu (2001–2015). She has three children, one of them being actor Tudor Aaron.[12]

Awards, recognition

She has won several major awards as an actress:

Filmography

Where translations of titles are italicized, it indicates use of the translated title for the film in English-language release.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e (in Romanian) Gabriela Dumba, Pur și SIMPLU, Maia Morgenstern Archived 2008-05-27 at the Wayback Machine, ("Pure and simple, Maia Morgenstern", but with a pun, because Simplu is a Romanian musical group with whom she had done a video), Gardianul, December 23, 2006. Accessed online December 20, 2007.
  2. ^ (in Romanian) Florin Mitu, 2007 Interviu: Maia Morgenstern, AMOS News, November 17, 2007. He addresses her, "Sunteți un simbol al teatrului și filmului românesc…". Accessed online December 20, 2007.
  3. ^ "Maia Morgenstern received a star on Walk of Fame, for her birthday", Adevărul.ro
  4. ^ "Absolvenți ai Școlii Centrale care au adus o contribuție importantă la dezvoltarea culturii, artei, științei, economiei" (PDF). cnscb.ro (in Romanian). Școala Centrală. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  5. ^ a b (in Romanian) Florin Mitu, 2007 Interviu: Maia Morgenstern, AMOS News, November 17, 2007. Accessed online December 20, 2007.
  6. ^ The Passion of the Christ: About the Language Archived 2018-01-02 at the Wayback Machine, CinemaReview.com. Accessed online December 20, 2007.
  7. ^ "Jewish Actress Proud to Portray Mother of Jesus in Gibson's Passion". Catholic Exchange. 7 November 2003. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
  8. ^ Marco R. della Cava, J.C., 'morning star' and Mel Gibson, USA Today, posted 2/22/2004 9:39 PM, updated 2/23/2004 11:21 AM; retrieved March 1, 2005.
  9. ^ 'Passion' actress: Film not anti-Semitic Archived 2008-07-25 at the Wayback Machine, CNN, February 4, 2004. Accessed 20 December 2007.
  10. ^ Naomi Pfefferman, Jewish Actress Proud to be Mel Gibson’s Virgin Mary Archived 2006-06-28 at the Wayback Machine, The Jewish Journal, November 1, 2003. Reproduced on the New American Media Archived 2008-08-28 at the Wayback Machine site, a site focusing on ethnic journalism. Accessed online December 20, 2007.
  11. ^ "Romanian Arrested for Sending Death Threats to Jewish Actress". Balkan Insight. 29 March 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
  12. ^ a b c d (in Romanian) Evelyn Badea, Maia Morgenstern, femeia care ştie să aibă succes în toate Archived 2007-12-20 at the Wayback Machine, Adevărul, 20 October 2007, Accessed online 20 December 2007.
  13. ^ a b c Awards for Balanta (1992), IMDB. Accessed 20 December 2007.
  14. ^ Ethnic Multicultural Media Awards, UK: 2004, IMDB. Accessed 20 December 2007.