On July 7, 1915 in the family of the peasant Timofte from the village of Sucleia, district of Slobozia, the thirteenth child was born and named Costica. In time everyone called him so – Uncle Costea…

Constantin Constantinov, famous theatre and film actor, artist of the people (1953). He graduated from the Odessa School of Theatre Arts (1938). He began his activity in 1937 at the Moldovan Dramatic-Musical Theatre in Tiraspol. He excelled both in comic roles – Osip (The Reviewer by N. Gogol, 1938), Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro, P. Beaumarchais, 1941), and in dramatic roles – Cir (Liubov Iarovaia, C. Treniov, 1938), Ilnat (Nazat Stodolea, T. Shevchenko, 1939).

His famоus dramatic roles at the Mihai Eminescu Theatre were: Tache (Tache, Ianche and Cadâr, V. I. Popa, 1960), Mitrici (The Power of Darkness, L. N. Tolstoy, 1960), Imanuil (Tata, D. Matcovschi, 1979), Shmukin (Petro, A. galin, 1982).

His comic roles were particularly memorable: Papandopol (A Wedding at Malinovka, L. Iuhvid and A. Reabov, 1947), Pantalone (Servant to Two Masters, C. Goldoni, 1948), Pristanda (A Lost Letter, I. L. Caragiale, 1952), Zemleanika (The Reviewer, N. Gogol, 1972), Bivoleanu (Actors in the Province after C. Stamati-Ciurea, 1980), etc. He also played female characters, winning particular success with the role of Chirița in the comedy by V. Alecsandri’s Two Girls and a Girl (1974).

In addition to more than 100 theatre roles, Uncle Costea has also given life to about 50 film characters, playing both leading and supporting roles, all of them very memorable. She made her film debut in the musical film “Leana”, shot at the “M.Gorky” studio in Moscow in 1955.  He appeared in the films “The Haiduce Ballad”, “Ten Winters in a Summer”, “The Length of the Day”, “Delayed Explosion”, “The Red Viper”, “House of Dionysus” and others.

In 2000, he was awarded the “Mihai Eminescu” medal – in recognition of his fruitful creative activity, outstanding merits in the development of theatrical and cinematographic art and substantial contribution to the propagation of spiritual and moral values.

Constantin Constantinov passed away on 8 March 2003 and was buried in the Central Cemetery.  In December 2007, a new street in the Riscani sector of the Chisinau municipality was named after Constantin Constantinov, and a commemorative plaque was installed on the frontispiece of block no. 71 on A. Shciusev Street, where the artist lived.