The senior state officials offered their condolences to the family of Ion Ungureanu. “The news of the death of master Ion Ungureanu saddened us as we lost the Man who devoted his life to the national ideals, to the fight for identity and for the consolidation of the national values. He was a model director and a symbol of the national theater whose works will always remain part of the cultural heritage of the Republic of Moldova,” says the obituary signed by President Igor Dodon, Speaker of Parliament Andrian Candu, Prime Minister Pavel Filip, Minister of Culture Monica Babuc and people of science and culture, IPN reports.
Ion Ungureanu devoted his life to developing the national culture by working as stage manager, theater and film actor, by writing, by administrative-political activity and by serving as an MP and minister of culture of the Republic of Moldova (1990-1994). As a minister of culture, he put up the monument of the Capitoline She-Wolf in the square of the National Museum of History and positioned the monument to Stephan the Great and Holy in its initial place. Despite the existential conditions, he managed to create real values in theater as a manager and in film as an actor.
“The life, history and culture lessons of the master when he read the country’s Declaration of Independence in the Great National Assembly Square in Chisinau, had dialogues with admirers, trained pupils or shaped the development directions of the national culture will remain in our memory. The film and play roles, kindness and joy that master Ungureanu managed to arouse in our souls will remain alive,” says the obituary.
The body of Ion Ungureanu will be laid at the Chisinau Church “Saint Teodora de la Sihla” at 2am on January 31, 2017. From 10am, the coffin will be available for farewell bidding at the National Palace “Nicolae Sulac”. Later, the burial procession will head for the Armenian Central Cemetery, where the artist will be buried.
Ion Ungureanu was born in Opaci village of Tighina county (currently in Causeni district), on August 2, 1935. He studied philology at the State Teacher Training University “Ion Creanga” in Chisinau and then at the Theater School “B. Shchukin” in Moscow, from where he returned in 1960. In 1958, Ion Ungureanu made his debut as a film actor in the role of Boris Gradinaru in the movie “When the man is not at his place”. This was the first feature film made at “Moldova-film” Studio. He acted in 25 films made at “Moldova-film” and “Mosfilm”. He worked as an actor and stage manager at the Central Television in Moscow. In 1991, he served as Minister of Culture and Cults of Moldova. Ion Ungureanu took part in the events to revitalize the national conscience, being the one who read the Declaration of Independence at the Great National Assembly. In 1990, he entered Moldova’s first Parliament. Between 1995 and 2005, he served as vice president of the Romanian Cultural Foundation in Bucharest.
In recognition for his activity, Ion Ungureanu was conferred the honorific titles of Emeritus Master of Arts of the Russian Federation, the People’s Artist of the Republic of Moldova, State Award Laureate, Knight of the Order of the Republic, Doctor Honoris Causa of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, etc.
