Maia Emilia Ninel Morgenstern (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈmaja
ˈmorɡənʃtern] (listen); born 1 May 1962) is a Romanian film and
stage actress, described by Florin Mitu of AMOS News as "a symbol of
Romanian theater and film". In the English-speaking world, she is
probably best known for the role of 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. She received a star on the Romanian Walk of Fame in
Bucharest on 1 May 2011.Born in Bucharest, in a Jewish family, she
graduated from the Film and Theatre Academy of Bucharest in 1985. She
then played at Teatrul Tineretului (Youth Theater) in Piatra NeamÈ›
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; in addition, she continues to act
at the Jewish State Theatre and other Bucharest theaters and elsewhere
in Romania. Among her notable stage roles in recent years, in a
Romanian-language production of The Blue Angel (ÃŽngerul 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.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.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 blessed Traditionalist Catholic,
thought this of great significance when casting her. In interviews,
she has defended The Passion of the Christ against accusations of
antisemitism, 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."
ˈmorɡənʃtern] (listen); born 1 May 1962) is a Romanian film and
stage actress, described by Florin Mitu of AMOS News as "a symbol of
Romanian theater and film". In the English-speaking world, she is
probably best known for the role of 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. She received a star on the Romanian Walk of Fame in
Bucharest on 1 May 2011.Born in Bucharest, in a Jewish family, she
graduated from the Film and Theatre Academy of Bucharest in 1985. She
then played at Teatrul Tineretului (Youth Theater) in Piatra NeamÈ›
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; in addition, she continues to act
at the Jewish State Theatre and other Bucharest theaters and elsewhere
in Romania. Among her notable stage roles in recent years, in a
Romanian-language production of The Blue Angel (ÃŽngerul 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.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.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 blessed Traditionalist Catholic,
thought this of great significance when casting her. In interviews,
she has defended The Passion of the Christ against accusations of
antisemitism, 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."
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