FAMOUS & INFAMOUS ROMANIANS.

Alecsandri, Vasile (1821-1890)
Alexandru cel Bun (died in 1432)
Aman, Theodor (1831-1891)
Antipa, Grigore (1867-1944)
Antonescu, Ion (1882-1946)- fascist leader and war criminal
Anton, Fabian (b. 1975)- cinematographer, poet, writer, graphic artist
Apostol, Gheorghe (b. 1913)
Arghezi, Tudor (1880-1967)
Aslan, Anna (1897-1988)- biologist, physician, and entrepreneur
Badarau, Eugen (1887-1975)
Barnatiu, Simion (1808-1864)
Bednarik, Ignat (1882-1963)
Bibescu, Princess Marta (1886-1973)
Blaga, Lucian (1895-1961)
Blandiana, Ana (b. 1942)- poet and dissident
Botezatu, Gheorghe (1893-1949)
Brancoveanu, Constantin (1654-1714)
Brancusi, Constantin (1876-1957)- sculptor
Bratianu, Ion C. (1821-1891)
Brauner, Victor (1903-1966)- painter, Surrealist *
Cantemir, Dmitrie (1673-1723)
Caragiale, Ion Luca (1852-1912)
Caranfil, Nae (b. 1960)
Ceausescu, Elena (1916-1989)- communist leader
Ceausescu, Nicolae (1918- 1989)- communist dictator
Ceausescu, Valentin (b. 1948)- physicist and son of dictator
Cioran, Emil (1911-1995)- philosopher, Iron Guard sympathizer, nihilist
Coanda, Henri Marie (1886-1972)- inventor, aerodynamics pioneer, flying saucer designer
Codrescu, Andrei (b. 1946)- journalist, dadaist poet, and author
Comenici, Nadia (b. 1961)- Olympic goldwinning gymnast
Constante, Lena (1909-2005)- artist, essayist, memoirist, Aromanian, dissident
Constantinescu, Emil (b. )- former President of Romania
Coposu, Corneliu (1914-1995)
Cosbuc, George (1886-1918)- poet
Creanga, Ion (1837-1889)- folklorist, storyteller, and children's writer
Cuza, Alexandru Ion (1820-1873)
de Noailles, Anna (1876-1933)- Romanian princess and poet
Delavrancea, Barbu Stefanescu(1858-1918)
Desusianu, Ovid (1873-1938)- poet, folklorist, Modernist, linguist, and philologist
Dinescu, Mircea (b. 1950)
Donici, Alecu (1806-1865)
Eliade, Mircea (1907-1986)- philosopher
Eminescu, Mihai (1850-1889)- poet
Enescu, George (1881-1955)- composer, violinist, conductor, and pianist
Farcasanu, Mihai (1907-1987)- journalist, diplomat, writer, liberal
Fernic, Ionel (1901-1938)- aviator, composer, parachutist
Fondane, Benjamin (1898-1944)- poet, critic, existentialist, Symbolist *
Gheorghiu-Dej, Gheorghe (1901-1965)- communist leader
Ghica, Ion (1816-1897)
Goga, Octavian (1881-1938)- politician, poet, playwright, fascist leader
Goma, Paul (b. 1935)- dissident
Haret, Spiru(1851-1912)
Hasdeu, Tadeu (1838-1907)
Heymann, Eva (1931-1944)
Hoffman, Dustin (b. 1937)- American actor *
Holban, Anton(1902-1937)
Iancu, Marcel (1895-1984)- artist, architect, Dadaist, and Constructivist *
Ierunca, Virgil (1920-2006)
Ionesco, Eugene (1909-1994)- playwright, dramatist, and Theatre of the Absurdist
Ionescu, Tache (1858-1922)
Iorga, Nicolae (1871-1940)
Iliescu, Ion (b. 1930)- communist reformist and political leader
Isanos, Magda (1916-1944)- poet and author
Keitel, Harvey(b. 1939)- Hollywood actor
King Carol I(1839-1914)
King Ferdinand I(1845-1913)
Kogalniceanu, Mihai (1817-1891)
Liiceanu, Gabriel (b. 1942)- philosopher and publisher of Humanitas
Lovinescu, Monica (1923-2008)- essayist, poet, writer, and dissident
Lipatti, Dinu (1917-1950)- composer and concert pianist
Luca, Gherasim (1913-1994)- poet and Surrealist *
Lupu, Vasile (1595-1661)- Moldavian voivoide
Maiorescu, Titu (1840-1917)- Conservative literary critic
Malaela, Horatiu- Romanian New Wave director and cinematographer 

Micle, Veronica (1850-1889)- poet
Micu-Klein, Samuil (1745-1806)- theologian, historian, and linguist
Miculescu, Constantin (1863-1937)- physicist
Mihai Viteazul (1568-1601)- ruler of Wallachia, Moldavia, and Transylvania
Mihaescu, Gib (1894-1935)- novelist and dramatist
Minulescu, Ion (1881-1944)- avant-garde poet, author, critic, and early Symbolist
Mitulescu, Catalin (b. 1972)- Romanian New Wave film director

Moisil, Grigore (1906-1973)- mathematician and logician
Mueller, Herta (b. 1953)- Nobel prize winning novelist
Mungiu, Cristian (b. 1968)- Romanian New Wave film director
Mungiu-Pippidi, Alina (b. 1964)- scholar, political scientist, author, civil society activist

Musatescu, Tudor (1903-1970)- playwright and satirist
Muntean, Radu (b. 1971)- Romanian New Wave film director
Natan, Bernard (1886-1942)

Naum, Gellu (1915-2001)- poet, dramatist, children's writer, and founder of Surrealist group
Neamtu, Gelu (b. 1939)
Negruzzi, Constantin(1808-1868)
Nemescu, Cristian (1979-2006)- Romanian New Wave film director
Nicolaescu, Sergiu (1930-2013)- film director, actor, and politician
Noica, Constantin (1909-1987)- philosopher, anthropologist, and disciple of the "logic of Hermes"
Oberth, Hermann (1894-1989)- Transylvanian physicist, engineer, and founder of rocketry
Onicescu, Octav (1892-1983)- mathematician, statistician, and probability theorist
Oprea, Leonard (b. 1953)- writer and dissident *
Panet, Francisc (1907-1941)- chemist, communist activist, and victim of Nazis
Pauker, Ana (1893-1960)- communist party leader, revolutionary *

Paun, Paul (1915-1994)- physician, writer, Surrealist
Parvan, Vasile (1882-1927)- historian, archaeologist
Patapievici, Horia-Roman (b.1957)- physicist, essayist, liberal
Petrescu, Cezar (18922-1961)- journalist, novelist, and children's writer 
Pintilie, Lucian (b. 1933)- Romanian New Wave film director
Poni, Petru (1841-1925)
Popper, Iuliu (1857-1893)
Porumboiu, Corneliu (1975)- Romanian New Wave film director
Preda, Marin (1922-1980)- author and playwright
Prince Nicholas; Nicholas Michael de Roumanie Medforth-Mills (b. 1985)- son of Elena
Prince Radu; Radu Duda (b. 1960)- His Royal Highness, actor, humanitarian
Princess Elena (b. 1950)- Princess of Hohenzollern
Princess Margareta (b. 1949)- Her Royal Highness, custodian of the Romanian crown
Proca, Alexandru (1897-1955)- physicist, co-author of the Maxwell-Proca and Einstein-Proca theories
Puiu, Cristi (b. 1967)- Romanian New Wave film director
Queen Elizabeth, Carmen Sylva (1843-1916)- wife of King Carol I
Queen Marie (1875-1938)- wife of King Ferdinand, feminist, and Ba'hai
Radulescu-Motru, Constantin (1868-1957)
Rebreanu, Liviu (1885-1944)
Rizea, Elisabeta (1912-2003)
Roman, Constantin (b. )- geologist, author, linguist, and student of Carpathians
Romanescu, Aristizza (1854-1918)- Romanian stage actress
Rosenthal, Constantin David (1820-1851)- painter, sculptor, 1848 revoluntionary *
Ryder, Winona (b. 1971)- American actress *
Saguna, Andrei (1809-1873)
Sadoveanu, Mihai (1880-1961)- novelist, writer, communist politician, social realist
Sarbu, Filimon (1916-1941)
Sebastian, Mihail (1907-1945)
Serban, Andrei (b. 1943)- American theatre director
Serban, Florin (b. 1975)- Romanian New Wave film director
Slavici, Ion (1848-1925)- Transylvanian writer, journalist, and Iron Guardist
Sorescu, Marin (1936-1996)- playwright and poet 
Stanescu, Nichita (1933-1983)- poet
Stefan cel Mare (1437-1504)
Steinhardt, Nicu (1912-1989)- writer, Orthodox hermit, father confessor *
Surdu Stanescu, Elena (b. 1942)- sculptor, artist
Tanase, Maria (1913-1963)- folk music singer
Tepes, Vlad; Vlad the Impaler; Count Dracul (1431-1476)- voivoide of Wallachia
Teodorescu, Virgil (1909-1987)- avantgarde artist, poet, and Surrealist
Tismaneanu, Leonte (1913-1981)- communist party activist *
Tismaneanu, Vladimir (b. 1951)- political scientist, historian, and liberal
Titulescu, Nicolae (1882-1941)
Trost, Dolfi (1916- 1966) poet, artist, Surrealist, and entopic graphomanic
Tudoran, Dorin (B. 1945)- poet, essayist, journalist, and dissident 
Tutea, Petre (1902-1991)- philosopher, journalist, and Orthodox nationalist
Tzara, Tristan; Samy Rosenstock (1896-1963)- avant-garde poet, performer, Dadaist
Valentin, George; Prince Bibescu (1880-1941)- aviation pioneer
Voiculescu, Dan (b. 1946)- politician, businessman, and founder of Humanist Party
von Rezzori, Gregor (1914-1998)- novelist, author, wanderer, and memoirist
Voronca, Ilarie (1903-1946)
Vuia, Traian (1872-1950)
Wurmbrand, Richard (1909-2001)
Xenopol, A.D. (1847-1920)
Zamfirescu, Duiliu (1858-1922)
Zub, Alexandru(b. 1934)

As a work in progress, this page is constantly being updated. If you have any names to add, please send a name and link to the webmaster. Given the rising anti-Semitism in neighboring states, I have used an asterisk to indicate Jewish Romanians. Please note that so much of what is beautiful in Romanian culture has been contributed by Romanian Jews.