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Transylvanian acting legend Lujza Orosz dies aged 94

One of the most illustrious Transylvanian Hungarian actresses, Lujza Orosz, has passed away at 94, announced the Hungarian Theatre of Kolozsvár (Cluj-Napoca) in a communiqué on Sunday. The artist was a perpetual member of the Hungarian Theatre of Kolozsvár and is thus being mourned by the entire institution.

Lujza Orosz was born on December 19, 1926, in the northwestern Transylvanian village of Krasznahorvát (Horoatu Crasnei). She graduated in 1950 at the theatre faculty of the Hungarian Artistic Institute of Kolozsvár. She was a member of the Hungarian theatre company of Kolozsvár from 1948 until her retirement in 1977. Nevertheless, she continued to play certain roles in several plays for more than another decade. In 1992, she was declared to be a perpetual member of the Hungarian Theatre of Kolozsvár.

Her style of acting was exceptionally suggestive and direct, and she had several outstanding performances: She was an unforgettable Gertrudis in the famous Hungarian drama of József Katona’s Bán Bánk, a memorable Queen of the Night in the symbolic fairytale play Csongor and Tünde, Hecuba in The Trojan Women, Olga in the Three Sisters, and a fantastic Old Lady in the Hungarian tragedy Chickenhead (Csirkefej), written by György Spiró. Besides her theatrical roles, Lujza Orosz starred in movies too: She can be seen in Horizont (1971), Madárkák (The Birds, 1971), Makra (1974), Hajdúk (1975), 141 perc a befejezetlen mondatból (Der unvollendte Satz, 1975), Legato (1977), Hidegrázás (Chills,1994) and Egyszer élünk (We Live Only Once, 2000).

Orosz also worked at the Hungarian Radio of Kolozsvár and taught a speech technique class at the Theatre Faculty of the Music Academy in Kolozsvár. Throughout her career, she received many professional awards for her outstanding work and accomplishments. For instance, in 1992, she received the Lili Poór Award (offered by the Transylvanian Hungarian Association for Public Culture – EMKE), and in 2016, she was offered a lifetime achievement award by The Transylvanian International Film Festival (TIFF).

Title image: Lujza Orosz (1926-2020) was an outstanding Transylvanian Hungarian actress, with a highly suggestive style. The archive photo captures a moment from the rehearsal of the play Chickenhead (Csirkefej, 1992.)

Source: huntheater.ro

 

Author: Éva Zay