She graduated from the Institute of Theatre and Film “I.L. Caragiale” as valedictorian in 1975, where she studied Performing Arts with Eugenia Popovici. The same year she received the ACIN prize for the part of Maria she had played in the film Cursa directed by Mircea Daneliuc. However, the road towards this double triumph was not an easy one because even though she had manifested her histrionic vocation ever since she was little (when she would publicly recite and sing), the doors of the institute didn’t open for her the first time she tried to get in, nor did they open the second time, for that matter.
Over the course of two years she tried to stay close to the stage, whether that meant introducing a band of professional artists in Tulcea, or being an actress in an ensemble cast in Satu Mare. After graduation, she was assigned to the local theatre in Reșița and after two more years she started acting at the Bulandra Theatre in Bucharest. Film directors such as
Tatos, Mărăscu, Bocăneţ or
Pintilie have constantly worked with her, but the films directed by MirceaDaneliuc (with whom she was married at the time) are the ones that shine the most in her filmography.
“In his films, unprejudiced and untempted by artistic convenience, MirceaDaneliuc sets out to capture a few moments of truth in most common of places, among ordinary people. The characters entrusted to ToraVasilescu fully strive for authenticity.” (
Cornel Cristian, Magazinestival Cinema 1984).
“Vibrancy is ToraVasilescu’s natural state. Her gaze vibrates – in a sad, scared or inquisitive manner -, her smile vibrates – timidly, boldly or childishly – the tone of her voice vibrates – it can be cold, flat or, on the contrary, affectionate -, but what vibrates the most are her moments of silence. The silence of the girl she plays in
Probă de microfon, in front of the mike, when asked something or in front of a sinner who realizes it’s too late. ToraVasilescu’s moments of silence vibrate employing the full scale and intensities of human feelings and her characters, which are overtly unsentimental, are always jammed – and what a lovely jam it is – by this artistic temperament that seems to have been especially designed to vibrate like this, in every possible way, and to express the entire range of emotions.” (
Eva Sîrbu, Magazin estival 1980)
