Romanian Theater Director Ion Cojar Dies At 78

Family members said Cojar, 78, died Sunday morning, after spending three months in the hospital following an accident at home, when he fell and dislocated a hip. The artist did not recover, couldn’t walk and then couldn’t even eat.

Cojar will be buried Wednesday in the „Sfanta Vineri” cemetery in Bucharest, next to his wife, actress Raluca Zamfirescu, who died in December last year. Cojar will be buried with military honors, as he was decorated with the Star of Romania in the rank of officer.

„It was expected, he was very ill and was suffering very much,” said actor Florin Zamfirescu, professor and colleague of Cojar at the Theater and Cinematography University in Bucharest.

„He had a breakdown after his wife Raluca died a year. He was in very much pain,” Zamfirescu said.

Born on January 9, 1931 Cojar graduated the Bucharest theater university in 1955, where he taught between 1982 and 2000. Cojar was a teacher to many highly acclaimed Romanian actors such as Victor Rebengiuc, Florina Cercel, Mariana Mihut, Mircea Albulescu, Ion Lucian, Luminiţa Gheorghiu, Valentin Uritescu, Dan Puric, Mircea Rusu and Stefan Banica Jr.