Actresses and Singers of Romani heritage
Unfortunately, Romani talent is very underacknowledged and I think it's a shame. So, I have compiled a list of Romani performers. Of course, this isn't gonna solve everything. But I didn't see many other lists and decided it would be a good idea to make one. This list is everchanging and evolving. Note: some of the people on this list are multiracial.
I made a separate one for male actors because it was easier to organize it, order and all.
I update this list all the time and am in no way finished.
Actresses and Singers without IMDB Pages:
Riah May Knight
Carmen Moise
Nicoleta Ghiță
Bety Pisică
Joschla Melanie Weiss
Rea Andrea Kurmann
Celia Montoya Yatomon
Andra Maria Barangă
Morena Shirin
Emaleigh Conn
Natalia Tsekova
Sonia Carmona
Emília Boda-Novy
Ramona Farkas
Diana Savelyeva
Mina Rose
Tayo Awosusi-Onutor
Mary Nótár
Louise Abbasova
Lyalya Bobrova
Radmila Bogdanova
Karolina Buzyleva
Rada Gasparevich
Madina Dubaeva
Catherine Pearl
Olga Pearl
Vera Kvasnikova
Angela Lekareva
Nana Mushtakova
Linda Oglu
Maria Oglu
Nadezhda Oglu
Patricia Oglu
Adelina Plank
Almaza Plakhotnaya
Karolina Savelyeva
Ekaterina Plakhotnaya
Olga Slichenko
Tatiana Black
Patrina Sharkozy
Nina Shnurkova
Olga Yankovskaya
Valeria Yanysheva
Helpful Resources:
https://teatr-romen.ru/truppa/
https://www.romaniherstory.com/actresses
https://romaheroes.org/stars/
While you're here, why not, donate to these links if you would like to help systematically beyond the screen:
http://www.errc.org/get-involved/donate
https://www.romaeducationfund.org/donate/
https://eriac.org/contribute-to-eriac/
A list of actors/singers: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls091636157/
A list of Romani directors: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls085746846/?ref_=otl_2
I made a separate one for male actors because it was easier to organize it, order and all.
I update this list all the time and am in no way finished.
Actresses and Singers without IMDB Pages:
Riah May Knight
Carmen Moise
Nicoleta Ghiță
Bety Pisică
Joschla Melanie Weiss
Rea Andrea Kurmann
Celia Montoya Yatomon
Andra Maria Barangă
Morena Shirin
Emaleigh Conn
Natalia Tsekova
Sonia Carmona
Emília Boda-Novy
Ramona Farkas
Diana Savelyeva
Mina Rose
Tayo Awosusi-Onutor
Mary Nótár
Louise Abbasova
Lyalya Bobrova
Radmila Bogdanova
Karolina Buzyleva
Rada Gasparevich
Madina Dubaeva
Catherine Pearl
Olga Pearl
Vera Kvasnikova
Angela Lekareva
Nana Mushtakova
Linda Oglu
Maria Oglu
Nadezhda Oglu
Patricia Oglu
Adelina Plank
Almaza Plakhotnaya
Karolina Savelyeva
Ekaterina Plakhotnaya
Olga Slichenko
Tatiana Black
Patrina Sharkozy
Nina Shnurkova
Olga Yankovskaya
Valeria Yanysheva
Helpful Resources:
https://teatr-romen.ru/truppa/
https://www.romaniherstory.com/actresses
https://romaheroes.org/stars/
While you're here, why not, donate to these links if you would like to help systematically beyond the screen:
http://www.errc.org/get-involved/donate
https://www.romaeducationfund.org/donate/
https://eriac.org/contribute-to-eriac/
A list of actors/singers: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls091636157/
A list of Romani directors: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls085746846/?ref_=otl_2
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- Soledad Miranda was a Spanish actress who appeared in many films in the 1960s. Her remarkable beauty and her tragic untimely death make her story the stuff of legend. She was born on July 9, 1943 in Seville, Spain. She started her career when only eight years old as a flamenco dancer and singer. She made her film debut at age sixteen as a dancer. During the following years, the fragile beauty appeared in numerous comedies, dramas, B-movies, and horror films, mostly in Spain (over thirty films altogether from 1960 to 1970). Her biggest break came from legendary director Jess Franco, who cast Soledad in such cult classics as Count Dracula and Vampyros Lesbos. Soledad is generally regarded as Franco's greatest discovery. On August 18, 1970 Soledad was in a car accident on a highway in Portugal. She died hours later, survived by her husband (a former race-car driver) and young son. Shortly before this tragic accident, a German film producer had offered her a contract which would have made her a great star. Soledad was destined to become a legend. Not until the years after her death has she become a cult starlet with fans all over the world now discovering the beautiful, doomed actress.
- Olga Zhemchuzhnaya was born on 31 May 1969. She is an actress, known for Tsyganka Aza (1987), Neschastnaya indyanka (1992) and Karmelita (2005).
- Actress
- Composer
- Music Department
Rosario Flores was born on 4 November 1963 in Madrid, Madrid, Spain. She is an actress and composer, known for Talk to Her (2002), Rosario Flores: Sabor, Sabor (1993) and Against the Wind (1990). She has been married to Pedro Lazaga since 8 April 2006. They have two children. She was previously married to Carlos Orellana.- Actress
- Writer
- Music Department
Alba Flores was born in Madrid, Spain in 1986. From an early age it was clear that Alba would be an actress. She never contemplated another career and started studying drama and music at the age of 13. Aware of the enormous importance of preparation, Alba dedicated six years to training before accepting her first role on stage in Honeymoon in Hiroshima followed by the gypsy version of A Midsummer Night's Dearm. Alba made her film debut in 2005 in Chus Gutierrez's El calentito. Spain's entertainment community sat up and took notice of this outstanding new talent and she was immediately cast in a top rating television series, El comisario. This was quickly followed by El Sindrome de Ulises and the musical production Enamorados anonimos. The young actress went on to play important roles in two of Spain's most beloved television series, El tiempo entre costuras and Cuentame como paso. But is was with her breakout performance as Saray Vargas, a Roma gypsy prisoner in Locked up, that Alba became a household name in Spain. When the show's creator, Alex Pina, produced Casa de papel (Money Heist) he turned to Alba to play Nairobi, one of the series' leading roles. Alba is presently shooting the third season of Locked Up and in November returns to the highly anticipated next season of Money Heist.- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Alina Serban is is the winner of Best Actress Award at the German Actors Guild Awards 2020 for her leading role in "Gipsy Queen", a nominee for Best Actress of the German Film Awards 2020 and the representative of Romania at The Cannes International Film Festival 2018 for her leading role in "Alone at My Wedding".
The first one in her family to graduate high-school, she succeeded to graduate the Tisch School of the Arts in New York and obtained a master's from Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, becoming an award-winning actress and the first Roma woman theatre and film director of Romania.
As a professional actress, Serban's credits include numerous Shakespeare plays and productions presented at European theatre festivals . She acted opposite Benedict Cumberbatch in the BBC television series 'The Last Enemy', and made her debut on the silver screen with a supporting part in 'Written/Unwritten', a short film that won more than 20 awards.
She played the lead role and acted as a script consultant for three European film projects focusing on experiences of Roma women: 'Written/Unwritten', 'Alone at My Wedding' and 'Gipsy Queen'.
For her first leading role in cinema, Serban stars in Marta Bergman's feature film 'Alone at My Wedding', which premiered at the Cannes International Film Festival in 2018 and earned her several Best Actress awards.
She also stars as a boxer in Huseyin Tabak's 'Gipsy Queen', a German-Austrian production. For her performance in 'Gipsy Queen' she won the 'Best Actress' award at POFF Black Nights Film Festival Tallinn 2019, the 'Best Actress' award at The German Actors Guild Awards was nominated for the German Film Academy Award - LOLA.
In 2020, Serban made her debut as a filmmaker with "Bilet de iertare"/"Letter of Forgiveness"- the first film about the Roma slavery written and directed from a Roma perspective. The short film was awarded a Special Mention for Best Romanian Short Film at TIFF - Transilvania International Film Festival and Best Narrative Director at Female Voices Rock, USA.
As a playwright, Serban pioneered Roma feminist political theatre, with three plays to her name by the age of 29. She led the way in 2009 with 'Slumdog Roma' (later renamed 'I Declare at My Own Risk'), a poignant and often funny one-woman-show in which she recounts her life journey as a young Roma woman. In 2013, her second award-winning play explored the notion of 'Home'. Three years later, she wrote and directed 'The Great Shame', Romania's first play about the taboo topic of Roma slavery, becoming the first Roma woman director to have a play included in the permanent repertoire of a state theatre in Romania in 2018.- Dijana Pavlovic is known for Smalltown, Italy (2005) and Rosornas by (2023). She has been married to Claudio Migliavacca since 1999. They have one child.
- Oksana Fandera was born on 7 November 1967 in Odessa, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine]. She is an actress, known for Statskiy sovetnik (2005), Brothel Lights (2011) and Pro lyuboff (2010). She has been married to Filipp Yankovskiy since 1990. They have two children.
- Gratiela was born in Timisoara, Romania as Ioana Gratiela Brancusi. Her parents are of Roma, Greek, and Romanian descent. She is the great-grand-niece of Constantin Brancusi. She studied Journalism at the University of Bucharest. Gratiela is a member of The Actors' Gang Theater Ensemble. She is known for 1883 (2021) and Mayor of Kingstown (2022)
- Actress
- Producer
- Executive
Francesca Gelsomina Ruscio was born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Her mother, Mirella DiFulvio-Ruscio was born in Fara Filiorum Petri, Abruzzo, Italy and her father, Pasquale Ruscio is the son of Italian immigrants. She is also of Balkan-Romani and Middle Eastern decent. In 2013, Francesca Ruscio was crowned Miss Philadelphia under the Miss America Organization and served as a local ambassador for Children's Miracle Network hospitals. Presently, she still works with Veteran charities and CMN Hospitals and established her own non-profit called Veterans On The Move. Her non-profit aims to provide advocacy and funding for programs that help rehabilitate physically and mentally paralyzed veterans back into society, through recreational sports. Francesca graduated with a bachelor's degree from Temple University in the city of Philadelphia where she majored in broadcast journalism minoring in theater. She has professionally studied music for over 15 years and is a trained classical singer. Her original plan was to be a journalist in Philadelphia or New York City. After some early film appearances, she booked her first principle role in director Joe Gawalis's film, Bare Knuckle Brawler, with Machete's Danny Trejo and Karate Kid's Martin Kove.- Klaudia Dudová was born on 2 September 1988 in Levice, Czechoslovakia [now Slovakia]. She is an actress, known for The Way Out (2014), Red Line (2018) and Victim (2022).
- Actress
- Casting Director
- Casting Department
Hermina Fátyol was born in 1982 in Budapest, Hungary. She is an actress and casting director, known for Antigone (2011), Bawaal (2023) and Melegvizek országa (2022).- Kamilla Fátyol was born on 28 November 1983 in Hungary. She is an actress, known for The Martian (2015), Infinity Pool (2023) and Antigoné (2011).
- Actress
- Additional Crew
Amara Carmona was born on 16 May 1977 in Madrid, Madrid, Spain. She is an actress, known for Alma gitana (1996), Cachito (1996) and Hospital Central (2000).- Actress
- Soundtrack
Elena Furiase was born on 9 March 1988 in Madrid, Madrid, Spain. She is an actress, known for The Ministry of Time (2015), Harvey Johnson (2017) and Cuéntame cómo pasó (2001).- Actress
- Writer
Franciska Farkas was born on 5 November 1984 in Gyöngyös, Hungary. She is an actress and writer, known for Hintaszék (2022), Aranyélet (2015) and Three Thousand Numbered Pieces (2022).- Doinita Mihaela Oancea is a Romanian film and theater actress .She was born on February 15, 1987 in Bucuresti, Romania. She graduated from the faculty of theater within the "Spiru Haret" University.In 2008, she plays first role in Inima de tigan.Other notable roles in State de România (2009) , Fructul oprit (2018) ,Sacrificiul (2019) .Play on the stage of the theater ''Excelsior '' in Bucharest.
- Simonida Selimovic is known for Ciao Chérie (2017), Crush My Heart (2018) and Skateboarding is not for Girls.
- Actress
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Zita Moldovan is known for Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn (2021), Freedom (2023) and Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World (2023).
- Actress
- Actress
Bianca Mihai is known for Box (2015).- Raisa Mihai is a Romanian film actress .She was born on 2000 in Bucuresti, Romania. She graduated from National Music College "George Enescu" and National University of Music in Bucharest.In 2009, she plays first role in the movie Ho Ho Ho.Known for work in films With Open Arms (2017), Aventurile lui Nelly (2016) and Scris/Nescris (2016).
- Anastasia Dymitrow is known for Rocks (2019).
- Claudia Ruza Djordjevic is known for Io rom romantica (2014).
- Judit Jónás was born on 8 January 1964 in Bercel, Hungary. She is an actress, known for Oscar Wilde: Salome (1988), House of Spoils and Brazilok (2017).
- Actress
- Stunts
- Producer
Actress, singer, born as the 3rd child of a Manouche Sinti mother and a German-American father, had her first movie appearance as "Ariana" in "M-Inspiration" (1998) and "Engagement" (1998). After playing killer "Lucretia" in the unfinished Belgian action movie "Time to Kill" (1999) she appeared in a minor role in'Vivian Naefe''s _ " Einer geht noch' (2000)_ (TV) closely followed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet'''s Amélie (2001). Frequent TV and movie appearances established Manoush in the film industry all over Europe and after 2006 in the USA as well.
Besides acting Manoush works on her own songs after, in the early 90s, being discovered by German producer Jörg Pasler, who was fascinated by her lyrics and her guttural, sometimes coarse voice and her way of interpreting songs.- Actress
- Soundtrack
María Jiménez was born on 3 February 1950 in Seville, Seville, Andalucía, Spain. She was an actress, known for Heroic (2023), ¡Ja me maaten...! (2000) and Courage (1999). She was married to José Sancho. She died on 7 September 2023 in Seville, Seville, Andalucía, Spain.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Ayo was born on 14 September 1980 in Germany. She is an actress, known for The Gambler (2014), Volt (2016) and A Perfect Plan (2012).- Actress
- Composer
- Writer
Tatiana Eva-Marie is known for Swing Rendez-vous (2022), Cronos & Rhéa (2004) and Amidion: Mami (Follow Me) (2012).- Dasha Grady is a European singer, actress and model. She began her acting career at the age of 9 where she trained for classical theatre. She began her musical career in the opera, musical and is now a recording artist in R&B, gospel and pop.
In 2009, at a young age, Dasha hid her online presence from her guardians while she began uploading cover songs on Youtube. She is linked to fellow singers Nick Pitera, Christina Grimmie, and Traci Hines, with whom she shared a small, collaborative community where they would perform cover songs together and support each other's Youtube channels. - Music Artist
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Natalia Jiménez was born on 29 December 1981 in Madrid, Madrid, Spain. She is a music artist and actress, known for Ricky Martin: The Best Thing About Me Is You (2011), Somos Música (2020) and Trece miedos (2007). She has been married to Daniel Trueba since 26 December 2015. They have one child.- Actress
- Composer
- Music Department
Gigi Radics was born on 17 August 1996 in Salgótarján, Hungary. She is an actress and composer, known for The Game Creator (2016), HAVASI Symphonic Aréna Show (2015) and Swing (2014).- Sofi Marinova is known for Your Face Sounds Familiar: Bulgaria (2013), Sweet Revenge (2020) and With Rachkov, anything is possible (2022).
- Actress
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Cher Lloyd (born on 28 July 1993) is an English singer, songwriter, and rapper who rose to international prominence with the success of her debut studio album 'Sticks and Stones.' The lead single of the album, 'Swagger Jagger,' not only debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, but also became highly popular in other parts of the world, thus heralding the entry of the young singer into the international music scene. Born in Malvern, Worcestershire, England, United Kingdom. As a little girl she travelled around Wales with her parents in a caravan.into a family with a deep love for music, it did not take Cher long to realize which field to follow. Even as a little girl she displayed an innate talent for performing in front of others and actively participated in school and neighbourhood functions. As a student she studied performance arts and also attended the theatre arts school Stagecoach. Taking forward her passion, she auditioned for the reality completion show The X Factor UK (2004) many times before finally clearing the auditions in 2010. Her stint in the show brought her to limelight. Even though she was eventually eliminated from the competition, she was successful in gaining a contract with Syco Music which helped her launch her singing career. In addition to her musical skills, the young singer is also known for sporting a variety of tattoos on different parts of her body.
She was born with an innate love for music and displayed a strong love for performing in front of others even as a child. She studied performing arts at Dyson Perrins High School and also attended the theatre arts school Stagecoach.Though she regularly performed at school functions and parties, she wanted to take it forward and perform in front of bigger audiences. Thus she decided to audition for the reality television music competition The X Factor UK (2004). She was rejected many times before finally clearing the audition in 2010 with a rendition of the Keri Hilson version of 'Turn My Swag On'.She performed brilliantly in the competition during the initial few weeks but was eventually eliminated in fourth place. However, by this time she had become very popular among the audience and also the judges, and managed to attract the attention of executives at Syco Music who signed her to a contract.
Cher Lloyd released her debut single, 'Swagger Jagger' in July 2011. The single peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart and number two in Ireland. It also debuted at number 79 on the Mega Top 100 in the Netherlands. Her second single, 'With Ur Love' and third single 'Want U Back' also performed exceedingly well.In November 2011, she released her debut album 'Sticks and Stones' which included all her previously released hit singles. The album entered the UK Albums Chart at number four and peaked at number seven in Ireland. It was ranked at number nine on the Billboard 200 in the United States. The album sold millions of copies worldwide within a few months of its release, thus establishing Cher as a rising musical star. Spurred by the resounding success of her debut album, she immediately started working on her next album. However, the release of her second album was considerably delayed due to certain unforeseen reasons. The album, aptly title 'Sorry I'm Late,' was released on 23 May 2014.While the album peaked at number 12 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and at number 21 on the UK Albums Chart, it could not match the charting success of its predecessor. However, it still went on to become a massive commercial success and even outsold its predecessor! In July 2016, Cher Lloyd released her single 'Activated,' which will also be featured on her upcoming third studio album. As of May 2017, she was busy working on her new album.- Music Department
- Actress
- Composer
María José Llergo is known for Mediterraneo: The Law of the Sea (2021), Adiós (2019) and María José Llergo: Niña de las Dunas (2017).- Alba Molina was born in 1978 in Seville, Seville, Andalucía, Spain.
- Actress
- Writer
- Composer
Saray Rubio Montoya is known for Mi Origen (2021).