Maia Morgenstern - wikipedia Maia Morgenstern Maia Morgenstern Maia Morgenstern in November 2012 Maia Emilia Ninel Morgenstern ( 1962 - 05 - 01 ) 1 May 1962 ( age 56 ) Bucharest Residence Bucharest Nationality Romanian Alma mater I.L. Caragiale Institute of Theatre and Film Occupation Actress Years active 1980 -- present Known for Mary 's role in The Passion of the Christ Television Aniela ( 2009 ) Iubire și onoare ( 2010 -- 11 ) Las Fierbinți ( 2012 -- 14 ) Spouse ( s ) Claudiu Istodor ( m. 1983 -- 1999 ) Dumitru Băltățeanu ( m. 2001 -- 2015 ) Partner ( s ) Andras Istvan Demeter Children Tudor Aaron ( b. 1984 ) Eva Leea Cabiria ( b. 1999 ) Ana Isadora ( b. 2003 ) Parent ( s ) Usher Morgenstern ( father ) Sara Rapaport ( mother ) Maia Morgenstern in concert, singing Jewish songs. Timișoara, Romania, May 25, 2010. Maia Emilia Ninel Morgenstern ( Romanian pronunciation : ( ˈmaja ˈmorɡənʃtern ) ( listen ) ; born 1 May 1962 ) is a Romanian film and stage actress, described by Florin Mitu of AMOS News as `` a symbol of Romanian theater and film ''. In the English - speaking world, she is probably best known for the role of Mary, mother of Jesus, in Mel Gibson 's The Passion of the Christ. In Romania, she has been nationally known since her 1992 role as Nela in Balanța, a film known in the United States as The Oak, set during the waning days of Communist Romania. Biography Born in Bucharest, in a Jewish family, she graduated from the Film and Theatre Academy of Bucharest in 1985. She then played at Teatrul Tineretului ( Youth Theater ) in Piatra Neamț until 1988, and at the Teatrul Evreiesc de Stat ( State Jewish Theatre ) in Bucharest 1988 - 1990. From 1990 -- 1998 she was a member of the company of the National Theatre in Bucharest, and since 1998 of Teatrul Bulandra, also in Bucharest ; in addition, she continues to act at the Jewish State Theatre and other Bucharest theaters and elsewhere in Romania. Among her notable stage roles in recent years, in a Romanian - language production of The Blue Angel ( Îngerul Albastru in Romanian ) at Bucharest 's Odeon Theater, in 2001 - 2 she played ( to great critical acclaim ) Lola Lola, the character made famous by Marlene Dietrich. At the same time, she was also playing the role of Kathleen Hogan in a Romanian - language production of Israel Horovitz 's Park Your Car in Harvard Yard at the State Jewish Theater. Morgenstern has appeared in numerous films, primarily in Romanian language roles. In The Passion of the Christ, she performs a role in Aramaic, but like the other actors in the cast of that film, she simply memorized her lines phonetically. Her surname, Morgenstern, means `` Morning Star '' in German, a title of the Virgin Mary, the character she played in The Passion of the Christ. Mel Gibson, a devout Traditionalist Catholic, thought this of great significance when casting her. In interviews, she has defended The Passion against allegations of antisemitism, saying that the high priest Caiaphas is portrayed not as a representative of the Jewish people, but as a leader of the establishment, adding that `` Authorities throughout history have persecuted individuals with revolutionary ideas. '' She has been married twice, and has 3 children : Tudor Aaron, Eva Leea Cabiria and Ana Isadora. She has won several major awards as an actress : Best Actress for : Cei care platesc cu viața ( `` Those who pay with their lives '', 1991 ), Romanian Filmmakers Union UNITER ( Romanian theater association ) Lucia Sturdza Bulandra Prize ( 1990 ) for her stage role as Medea in Trilogia antică ( Ancient Trilogy ), directed by Andrei Șerban. Best Actress for : Balanța ( 1992 ), European Film Awards Best Actress for : Balanța ( 1992 ), Cinéma Tout Ecran ( Geneva Film Festival ) Best Actress for : Balanța ( 1992 ), Romanian Filmmakers Union UNITER best actress award ( 1993 ), for her role in Ghetto at the Romanian National Theatre. UNITER ( 1995 ) award for her performance in the stage production of Lola Blau. Best Film Actress for : The Passion of the Christ ( 2004 ), Ethnic Multicultural Media Awards ( EMMA Awards ), UK Filmography Where translations of titles are italicized, it indicates use of the translated title for the film in English - language release. Film Year Role Language The Passion of the Christ : Resurrection TBA Mary TBA High Strung 2016 Madame Markova English # Selfie69 2016 Femeie Bila Romanian Miss Christina 2013 Mrs. Moscu Romanian The Secret of Polichinelle 2013 Maya Romanian Fata din Transilvania 2011 Romanian La fin du silence 2011 the mother French Sange Tanar, Munti Si Brazi 2011 Mama Romanian drama Luna verde Simona Romanian Iubire si onoare ( TV series ) 2010 -- 2011 Marieta Romanian Aniela ( tv series ) 2009 -- 2010 Maica Stareţa Romanian The House of Terror 2008 ( pre-production ) Eszter Somos English Eva 2009 Maria English The Fence 2007 ( in production ) Herman 's mother English Mansfeld 2006 Mrs. Mansfeld Hungarian / English / Russian / German Margo 2006 Margo 's stepmother Romanian Visuri otrăvite ( `` Poisoned Dreams '' ) 2006 Ada 's mother Romanian 15 2005 Irene Romanian / French L'Homme pressé 2005, TV Bonne de Bois de Rose French Orient Express Amalia Frunzetti Romanian Damen tango Romanian The Passion of the Christ Mary Aramaic Căsătorie imposibilă ( `` Impossible marriage '' ) 2004, TV series Romanian Bolondok éneke ( Fool 's Song ) 2003 Gina Hungarian / French / Romanian A Rózsa énekei ( Rose 's Songs ) 2003 Olga Hungarian Patul lui Procust ( Procust 's Bed ) Based on Camil Petrescu 's novel Patul lui Procust Doamna T. Romanian Dark Prince : The True Story of Dracula 2000, TV woman at the fountain English Marie, Nonna, la vierge et moi 2000 Nonna French Kínai védelem ( Chinese Defense ) 1999 Hungarian Față în față ( Face to Face ) 1999 Romanian Triunghiul morții ( `` Triangle of Death '' ) 1999 Regina Maria Romanian Az Álombánya 1998, TV, short Hungarian Witman fiúk ( Witman Boys ) 1997 Mrs. Witman Hungarian Omul zilei ( The Man of the Day ) 1997 Romanian Ulysses ' Gaze ( original Greek title : Το Βλέμμα του Οδυσσέα, To Vlemma tou Odyssea ) 1995 playing opposite Harvey Keitel as Ulysses ' wife English / Greek The Seventh Chamber 1995 Edith Stein ( the starring role ) Hungarian Nostradamus Helen English Trahir ( Betrayal, Romanian title : A trada ) 1993 woman in prison French / Romanian Casa din vis ( `` The House from the Dream '' ) 1993 Romanian Cel mai iubit dintre pămînteni ( The Earth 's Most Beloved Son ) based on Marin Preda 's novel Cel mai iubit dintre pământeni 1993 Romanian Balanța ( The Oak ) 1992 Nela ( the starring role ) Romanian Rămînerea ( Forgotten by God ) 1992 Romanian Băiatul cu o singură bretea, also known as Flăcăul cu o singura bretea ( `` The Boy with a Single Brace '' ) 1991 Romanian Cei care plătesc cu viața ( Those Who Pay with Their Lives ) 1991 Romanian Pasaj Romanian Marea sfidare ( `` The great defiance '' ) Romanian Maria și marea ( `` Maria and the Sea '' ) Maria Romanian Anotimpul iubirii ( The Season of Love ) 1986 Romanian Secretul lui Bachus ( The Secret of Bacchus ) 1984 the girl in the restaurant ( as Maia Morgenstern Istodor ) Romanian Dreptate în lanțuri ( Chained Justice ) Romanian Prea cald pentru luna mai ( `` Too hot for the month of May '' ) Romanian References ^ Jump up to : ( in Romanian ) Gabriela Dumba, Pur și SIMPLU, Maia Morgenstern Archived 2008 - 05 - 27 at the Wayback Machine., ( `` Pure and simple, Maia Morgenstern '', but with a pun, because Simplu is a Romanian musical group with whom she had done a video ), Gardianul, December 23, 2006. Accessed online December 20, 2007. Jump up ^ ( in Romanian ) Florin Mitu, 2007 Interviu : Maia Morgenstern, AMOS News, November 17, 2007. He addresses her, `` Sunteți un simbol al teatrului și filmului românesc... ''. Accessed online December 20, 2007. ^ Jump up to : ( in Romanian ) Florin Mitu, 2007 Interviu : Maia Morgenstern, AMOS News, November 17, 2007. Accessed online December 20, 2007. Jump up ^ The Passion of the Christ : About the Language, CinemaReview.com. Accessed online December 20, 2007. Jump up ^ Marco R. della Cava, J.C., ' morning star ' and Mel Gibson, USA Today, posted 2 / 22 / 2004 9 : 39 PM, updated 2 / 23 / 2004 11 : 21 AM ; retrieved March 1, 2005. Jump up ^ ' Passion ' actress : Film not anti-Semitic Archived 2008 - 07 - 25 at the Wayback Machine., CNN, February 4, 2004. Accessed 20 December 2007. Jump up ^ Naomi Pfefferman, Jewish Actress Proud to be Mel Gibson 's Virgin Mary Archived 2006 - 06 - 28 at the Wayback Machine., The Jewish Journal, November 1, 2003. Reproduced on the New American Media Archived 2008 - 08 - 28 at the Wayback Machine. site, a site focusing on ethnic journalism. Accessed online December 20, 2007. ^ Jump up to : ( in Romanian ) Evelyn Badea, Maia Morgenstern, femeia care ştie să aibă succes în toate Archived 2007 - 12 - 20 at the Wayback Machine., Adevărul, 20 October 2007 Accessed online 20 December 2007. ^ Jump up to : Awards for Balanta ( 1992 ), IMDB. Accessed 20 December 2007. Jump up ^ Ethnic Multicultural Media Awards, UK : 2004, IMDB. Accessed 20 December 2007. European Film Award for Best Actress Carmen Maura ( 1988 ) Ruth Sheen ( 1989 ) Carmen Maura ( 1990 ) Clotilde Courau ( 1991 ) Juliette Binoche ( 1992 ) Maia Morgenstern ( 1993 ) Emily Watson ( 1996 ) Juliette Binoche ( 1997 ) Élodie Bouchez and Natacha Régnier ( 1998 ) Cecilia Roth ( 1999 ) Björk ( 2000 ) Isabelle Huppert ( 2001 ) Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert, Emmanuelle Béart, Fanny Ardant, Virginie Ledoyen, Danielle Darrieux, Ludivine Sagnier and Firmine Richard ( 2002 ) Charlotte Rampling ( 2003 ) Imelda Staunton ( 2004 ) Julia Jentsch ( 2005 ) Penélope Cruz ( 2006 ) Helen Mirren ( 2007 ) Kristin Scott Thomas ( 2008 ) Kate Winslet ( 2009 ) Sylvie Testud ( 2010 ) Tilda Swinton ( 2011 ) Emmanuelle Riva ( 2012 ) Veerle Baetens ( 2013 ) Marion Cotillard ( 2014 ) Charlotte Rampling ( 2015 ) Sandra Hüller ( 2016 ) Alexandra Borbély ( 2017 ) BNF : cb14038611k ( data ) GND : 1021037265 ISNI : 0000 0001 1440 9585 LCCN : nr2003040103 NKC : xx0050892 SUDOC : 113788290 VIAF : 32198468 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Maia_Morgenstern&oldid=848226512 '' Categories : Romanian stage actresses Romanian film actresses European Film Award for Best Actress winners Caragiale Academy of Theatrical Arts and Cinematography alumni People from Bucharest Romanian Jews Jewish actresses 1962 births Living people Hidden categories : Articles with Romanian - language external links Webarchive template wayback links All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from November 2017 Articles with permanently dead external links Infobox person using alma mater Articles with hCards Articles with hAudio microformats Wikipedia articles with BNF identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with NKC identifiers Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Talk About Wikipedia Čeština Deutsch Español فارسی Français 한국어 Հայերեն Hrvatski Italiano עברית Latina Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 Polski Română Русский Shqip Türkçe Українська 12 more Edit links This page was last edited on 30 June 2018, at 15 : 44 ( UTC ). 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Question: who played mary in the passion of christ
Answer: Maia Emilia Ninel Morgenstern