Toma Caragiu (21 August 1925 – 4 March 1977) was a Romanian theatre, television and film actor. He was born in an Aromanian family from the village of Chroupista (since 1926 renamed Argos Orestiko) in the region of Macedonia in Greece on 21 August 1925. Toma Caragiu was one of the best-known Romanian actors, with a rich activity in both film and theatre. He liked to play comic characters, but he excelled also in drama, one of his reference films being "Actorul și Sălbaticii". He played alongside great actors such as Ștefan Bănică, Octavian Cotescu, Anda Călugăreanu etc. Toma Caragiu is most famous for his monologues. In these short stories, he managed to put together stories that combined sarcasm, satire and black humor. His monologues were subtle and dealt with a variety of topics, starting with politics and ending up with mythical concepts. In each and every monologue he added a personal touch to the script, thus creating a warm and humorous atmosphere. He died in Bucharest, during the earthquake of 4 March 1977. He is buried at Bellu Cemetery. His first wife was the actress Maria Bondar and the second one was Elena Bichman. Caragiu had two sisters, linguist Matilda Caragiu Marioțeanu and sculptor Geta Caragiu.

Partial filmography