Dem Rădulescu

Dumitru R. Rădulescu, known professionally as Dem Rădulescu or Rădulescu-Biban, was a Romanian comedian, actor, director, and professor at the Caragiale National University of Theatre and Film (UNATC). Though attracted to acting in his late teens, he was initially an athlete, and had a short career in semi-professional boxing. His life, from his debut years to his fifties, was spent under the communist regime, whose values were sometimes forced into his roles. At the National Theater Bucharest, young Rădulescu was mainly cast in Soviet plays, including one based on Anton Makarenko's pedagogy, before finding his niche as a performer in comedies by the Romanian classic Ion Luca Caragiale, as directed by Sică Alexandrescu. Increasingly recognized for his contributions in Shakespearean comedy, he was also a favorite of the author Aurel Baranga, who used him in satires targeting social parasitism.