Romanian actor and Covid-19 doubter Bogdan Stanoevitch who caught the virus in November, has died aged 62, a news agency reported.
The actor who also served as a minister in the government of Victor Ponta was known for his outspoken criticism of compulsory face masks and his belief that Covid-19 was created in a lab.
Hotnews reported that he died Tuesday at the C C Iliescu Institute for Cardiovascular Diseases, where he’d been transferred from another hospital after being confirmed with the virus.
The actor was one of 156 Covid-19 patients who succumbed to the disease on Tuesday, the highest single-day death toll since Dec. 31. Romania added just under 3,700 new coronavirus cases Tuesday.
Bogdan Stanoevici, as he was known in Romania, was also acting manager of the state Metropolitan Circus from 2017 to 2020.
After the pandemic reached Romania, the actor said at a press conference that he was healthy and would not wear a mask.
„To avoid speculation and stupid attacks, I don’t wear a mask because I am healthy and to quote the health minister, sick people wear a mask and healthy people don’t.” Weeks later, he caught the virus.
He served as the minister for Romanians Everywhere from December 2014 to January 2015 and went on to be a state secretary in the culture minister in Victor Ponta’s government.
Under communism he had major roles in movies such as “The Yellow Rose” (1982), “We on the Frontline” (1985) and “Nemesis’ Secret)” (1987).
Seven months before the anti-communist uprising, he settled in France after marrying a French woman where he continued his acting career.
In February 2011, he returned to Romania to act in the “The Human Resources Manager” an Israeli-Romanian-French movie directed by Eran Riklis.
