Early life and debut The future actor was born Constantin Cornel Jean on 21 August 1927. Some confusion was maintained as to this date, with sources also using "1928"; Jean sometimes presented himself as younger, once giving his birth year as 1931. His place of origin was the small town of
Techirghiol—he was precisely born in a since-demolished
mahala formed around Pericle Macri's brick factory. including a sister, Ileana, who achieved local notoriety as a poet and teacher of literature. The family's ethnic background was for long unclear, since Constantin was typecast as
Romani (by 2000, he had had six explicitly "Gypsy" roles in his film career alone), and often proudly presented himself as such to his public. As late as 1995,
Florin Cioabă, self-proclaimed "
King of the Romanies", claimed Jean as one of his nominal subjects. He was known as having partial
Greek ethnicity, from a family of immigrants which had long settled in
Northern Dobruja; Jean also spoke of the racial confusion in a 1989 humorous interview, wherein he noted that, though identifying as Greek, he had to abide by his
light-skinned colleagues, who wanted him to act as "having just fallen off a tree, the first of my family not to sport a tail." He grew up in a multi-ethnic environment, and quickly learned mannerisms associated with various groups, integrating them into his performances. Such skepticism was described in a 1987
epigram by Al. Clenciu, which claimed to render Jean's side of the story: A member of the
Romanian Orthodox Church, Jean always celebrated
Saint Constantine's Feast (21 May) as his
name day. though he informed his fans of their mistake when they congratulated him on
Saint John's Day. Jean's later youth was spent during the early stages of the
Romanian communist regime. He was as a
stevedore in the
Port of Constanța (1947–1949), where he and his colleagues formed an "artistic brigade". For a while, Jean also worked on the railway between
Bumbești-Jiu and
Livezeni. He did his
Land Forces service at the 9th border regiment in
Turnu Severin, which was back then on high alert due to the
Yugoslav crisis. His army comrades included the future film director
Iulian Mihu, who greatly enjoyed his antics and wrote rudimentary plays for him to act in. Jean was honorably discharged as a
sergeant major in 1952. Returning to his Dobrujan home, he became a foreman on the
Danube–Black Sea Canal. He received a
professional certification in construction, but his main work was as an accountant at the Metallurgical Equipment Enterprise in
Medgidia. He subsequently gained more exposure as an amateur actor, involved directly in spreading anti-capitalist
agitprop, and taking a regional prize in 1954. Also in 1954, as a member of the Trade Unions' House of Culture (CCS), Jean was cast in
Isaak Dunayevsky's operetta,
Wind of Liberty, taking his first national prize. Since his adolescence, he had also been remarked for his talents as a
ballroom dance. In 1955, the CCS, which occupied the greater part of
Constanța Casino, had him as a salaried dance instructor. The institution also established the local tradition in puppet theater, and Jean was involved from the start, handling marionettes in a May 1955 production of
Mashenka and The Bear. He lived for a while on the Casino grounds, in a small room with no plumbing. During one of his trips to the bathroom, the pajama-wearing Jean stumbled upon government inspectors, who were displeased by the sight; as a result, he was moved into a state-owned seaside apartment, on Cristea Georgescu Street.
Revue breakthroughs and Ion Duțu in
Mozaic–Constanța, staged by Fantasio Theater in June 1963 Jean's successes as an actor resulted in his permanent employment by Constanța's municipal theater, "Fantasio", though he never pursued formal training in the field. His first contribution was in a show called
Estrada pe satelit—his first-ever role as a Romani (
Ursar) man; he came to be trusted by director Ion Drugan, who offered him his first in-depth roles. Jean's biographer, Jean Badea, looks back on most of these productions as "trivial" and "embarrassing", noting that they mostly circulated the tropes of communist propaganda, which the actors themselves were unable to bypass. In late 1959, Jean found a decades-long comedic partner in
Gelu Manolache, who acted as a
straight man in most of their shared productions. These were his favorite acts, and he reportedly never missed them. On one occasion, he showed up for one such act fresh from a car crash, with an
orthopedic cast on his arm. Looking back on the period in 1994, he noted: "They only cast me in the negative roles, always a thief, a rascal, a prowler, a 'colorful' fella. [...] I created myself a niche of my own, one that the public enjoys." In 1960, he was "Spiridon" in the revue
La mare și... la mai mare, earning praise for his subtlety, as well as for his "robust and seemly humor". Also that year, Jean appeared in
Jean Delannoy's
Baron of the Locks—this being the first of his eighty-plus film roles. By his own account, Jean only became nationally famous after being cast in
Procesul alb, a 1965 film directed by Mihu; this was also his first time sharing the screen with
Toma Caragiu, who, as a police investigator, was required to beat him (according to Jean, Caragiu was instructed not to hold back, "so that [Jean] will 'feel' the slap"). Though selected by Mihu mainly for his apparent exoticism, suited to his character's standing as a "lovable scoundrel", he was enthusiastically welcomed by film chroniclers, and received immediate offers from 24 other directors. Jean and
Jorj Voicu had small comedic parts in
Manole Marcus'
Zodia Fecioarei, which was filmed at
Vama Veche in summer 1966. According to reviewer Călin Căliman, their satirical cameos were enjoyable, but did not fit in with the narrative structure. Jean followed up with a major role as a professional burglar in the 1967 release
Maiorul și moartea. While the film was largely forgotten by the public, critics remarked that his performance was highly nuanced and entirely commendable. Jean also filmed under director Ion Niță for the 1968 comedy
Zile de vară, done from a screenplay by
Fănuș Neagu. Căliman argued that the film should never have been produced, and that Jean had been required to do "ham acting" for the part of a
Lăutar entertainer. By then, he was becoming a staple of comedic films, which were the only projects that brought him enjoyment. As such, he refused to appear as the
militiaman in
Lucian Pinitilie's
The Reenactment (1968), being replaced there by
Ernest Maftei. He did however agree to star in the
Radu Gabrea's
Prea mic pentru un război atît de mare (1969), which was his first dramatic performance (albeit as a cameo). Arriving at Constanța State Theater in 1969,
David Esrig insisted on having Jean cast as Paolo in
Carlo Goldoni's classical comedy,
Villeggiatura. Though he received encouraging reviews, the show ended after only 20 runs. He was not offered a contract with that institution, largely because Fantasio would not share him.
Rise to fame ,
Puiu Călinescu, and a
militiaman, in a prison scene from in
Brigada Diverse intră în acțiune (1970) Jean was featured as Parpanghel, a Romani man lost among the
hajduks, in
Dinu Cocea's adventure-comedy film,
Răzbunarea haiducilor (1968). As Badea observes, he expanded on the small part created for him by writer
Eugen Barbu, reinventing it into a central attraction; other chroniclers similarly describe Parpanghel as a "succulent role, befitting his talent". Jean returned to this role in
Haiducii lui Șaptecai and
Zestrea domniței Ralu (both released in 1971).
Adio, dragă Nela!, a satire directed by
Cornel Todea from another one of Neagu's screenplays, witnessed Jean's first run-in with the
communist censors. The film was completed in 1972, but immediately shelved, and not shown in theaters until 1990. Jean's reputation was established later in the 1970s, when he provided comic relief in a police-procedural series,
Brigada Diverse, that began with
Brigada Diverse în alertă!. By his own account, the films were "panned by some", but genuinely successful with the public, "and took in quite a lot of money." His collaboration with
Dem Rădulescu and
Puiu Călinescu as a "homogeneous crew of swindlers" is one of the most memorable trios in Romanian film history. Their on-screen presence as likable
social parasites was in itself a subversion of communist morality. Though the project was supposed to have some eleven episodes, it was stopped abruptly after only three, allegedly because a general of the militia realized that his colleagues, rather than the offenders, were the ones being satirized. As explained by Badea, Jean took on many engagements to facilitate his overspending habits—he once complained that he had become a "cash cow" to girls in the lower echelons of showbiz. His first marriage was to fellow puppeteer Mioara Mocanu; upon their divorce, he married a Fantasio ballerina, Nina Ciocea. Later in his film career, he was in high demand, but chose not to renounce his contract with Fantasio. As a result, he commuted between Constanța and the various film sets, and did most of his sleeping on trains. Among the contemporary reviewers, Căliman was unimpressed, describing Jean's performance as "excessive ham acting". After having directed him on
Explosion,
Mircea Drăgan optioned Jean for the role of Țeelic, a Romani tribal leader, in the historical piece
Frații Jderi. He performed that part for the duration of filming on location, but complained about being typecast; at the time, he was also featured as "Limbă" in
Sergiu Nicolaescu's "
Commissioner Roman" series of feature-length films, noting that he no longer hoped to gain more traction, or star in title roles. Badea sees many of Jean's early film roles as "phoned in" for mediocre scripts, but adds: "whenever supported by a quality screenplay, Jean managed to polish his small roles, to uncover nuances in the typology of picturesque characters". He was also featured in
comedy sketches aired on
Romanian Television, and starred in its New Years' Eve programming. In the 1972–1973 edition, he earned praise for vignettes in which he appeared, alongside
Brigada Diverses Rădulescu, as a fumbling host of a New Year's party, and, on his own, as an alcohol vendor (described by comedic writer Liviu Timbus as "a
Mitică of the atomic era"). The format was taken to live performances: in August 1973, Jean, Rădulescu and
Amza Pellea headlined a
variety show at
Constanța Stadium, organized as part of the
Serbările mării festival. In another televised slot, aired on 31 December 1973, Jean and Bănică Sr. parodied the upcoming
Ali–Frazier boxing match. At New Year's 1975, Jean appeared in the televised revue
Noaptea de vis, rated by critic Ileana Colomieț as one of the best shows of its kind. According to Nistor, these shows, as well as similar appearances in the summer-vacation specials, revealed him as "thoroughly engaging and extremely charismatic".
Mature roles in a
film still from
Mastodontul, 1975 Nicolaescu used Jean in another supporting role, with the "historical ballad"
Nemuritorii (1974)—as observed by Căliman, Jean's contribution was one of the film's main attractions. Badea sees here a "timid start" to his return as a tragedian, consolidated in 1975, when he appeared as "Dekawe" in
Mastodontul—according to Badea and various other critics, his contribution there was overwhelmingly beautiful. Also then, Mihu completed his bitter comedy,
Nu filmăm să ne amuzăm. According to critic Șt. O. Mugur, his presence was the only attribute that made the film watchable. He provided comic relief in
Francisc Munteanu and Ștefan Traian Roman's 1975 war drama,
Evadarea. After 1976, Jean was especially beloved by young audiences for his role as Ismail the Turk in
Mircea Mureșan's television miniseries,
Toate pînzele sus, According to Mitchievici: "A picturesque, genuinely
Levantine figure who speaks Romanian in a peculiar way, Jean Constantin has forever inscribed himself in our memory [as Ismail.]" As Badea notes, this effort showed that he could easily take on as a comedic lead, with glimpses of tragic seriousness. A period columnist,
Nicolae Ulieru, was disappointed with the production, arguing that Ismail's on-screen moments were "facile", a "rudimentary solution" to keeping the public interested. One of Jean's steadier on-screen collaborations was ended abruptly by the
March 1977 earthquake, during which Caragiu was crushed to death. He visited the wreckage alongside
Ion Besoiu,
Florian Pittiș and
Victor Rebengiuc, who caught a rare glimpse of him weeping uncontrollably. Drăgan reused Jean's talents in the 1977 production,
Oil!, which also starred
Ray Milland and
Woody Strode. It came out at roughly the same time as
Gloria nu cîntă, a
musical film.
Săptămîna columnist Radu Georgescu praised his cameo, "[done] with the love and passion that one generally reserves only for the greatest of roles". The same year, Mureșan released his police procedural,
Împușcături sub clar de lună, in which Jean has a key role. According to critic Mircea Alexandrescu, this was a stretch, since he was never believable.
Geo Saizescu directed Jean in the crowd-pleaser
Eu, tu și Ovidiu, with music by
Temistocle Popa. Critic Alice Mănoiu argues that his "exotic-picturesque" contribution as Misică, a hypnotist-turned-trade unionist, was especially enjoyable; Badea calls it "fascinating". In the 1977 comedy,
Acțiunea Autobuzul, Jean shared the screen with
Draga Olteanu Matei, with critics noting that their partnership was somewhat artificial, effectively fishing for laughs. Various commentators suggest that Jean carried Munteanu's 1978 musical,
Melodii, melodii, which would have otherwise been unbearable. His return as Limbă in the 1978 effort
Revanșa came with more screen time, since Nicolaescu now wanted him as a sidekick to his heroic lead—resulting in a well-received "mix of suspense and tomfoolery." Mănoiu and fellow columnist
D. I. Suchianu reserved praise for his performance as an over-the-top gangster in Nicolaescu's 1979 comedy,
Uncle Marin, the Billionaire, listing it as one of the film's funnier aspects. Journalist
Ecaterina Oproiu was amused by his Anglicized mannerisms, also suggesting that his temporary appearance
in travesti was "a delightful moment for fans of the
burlesque." Jean satirized overenthusiastic "art brigades" in
Andrei Blaier's football-themed comedy,
Totul pentru fotbal, released in 1978. In one of the noted scenes, he exchanged lines with a real-life goalkeeper,
Rică Răducanu, mocking the academic ambitions of Romanian athletes. Jean also appeared in the 1981 sequel,
Am o idee!, helping to guarantee its commercial success. During the 1979–1980 season, he was under contact with the
National Theater Bucharest (TNB), assigned to play Pristanda in
Radu Beligan's version of the classical comedy,
O scrisoare pierdută. While several chroniclers offered encouragement, writer Romulus Diaconescu was unimpressed, noting that he had "overdone his improvisation in a 'playful' style". During this moment of his career, he relied on his female
prompter, whom he promised to marry after the premiere. He did so in 1980, his marriage to Nina Ciocea having since been terminated. Born Nina Petcu, Jean's third wife had previously been married to another actor,
Gheorghe Cozorici. Though well received by Bucharest's theatergoers, Jean could not sign a contract for the TNB, since he was again optioned by Fantasio. He and Rădulescu began touring Romania with another variety show,
Ritmuri cu haz..., which was reportedly a major hit with the public by the time of its run at
Craiova (June 1980). Jean was cast as "Bluferini" in
Alecu Croitoru's 1980 film
Al treilea salt mortal, which received mixed reviews. He was by then also working under
Dan Pița for the
Ostern The Oil, the Baby and the Transylvanians, which critics described as another memorable achievement. Here, he was Temistocle, a somber Orthodox priest and gravedigger, moving freely between comedy and drama. With Olteanu Matei, he gave a comedic performance in Cocea's own Ostern,
Iancu Jianu, haiducul—released in 1981, with
Adrian Pintea in the title role. Contemporary reviewers were unimpressed, discussing the duo as "frivolous" and demanding that Jean be "allowed or forced, at long last, to appear as something other than a Gypsy puppet." Also in 1981, Jean provided "a few moments of tiny humor" in Nicolaescu's war movie,
Capcana mercenarilor, disliked by Badea for his "gratuitous buffoonery".
During late communism Alongside Manolache and his other Constanța colleagues, Jean starred in the 1981–1982 show
Fantasiorama, for which he received critical acclaim. In summer 1982, he was entertaining vacationers at
Popasul Dobrogean restaurant in
Mamaia. He had an "unusual cameo as a 'waggish' sailor" in Nicu Stan's first credit as a film director,
Un echipaj pentru Singapore. Jean appeared as a construction worker in Munteanu's 1984 satirical film,
Un petic de cer. Oproiu was impressed by his "eminently lovable" presence; according to Alexandrescu, Munteanu effectively exploited Jean, who managed to rescue an otherwise mediocre project. Also then, he and
Sebastian Papaiani had supporting roles as petty fraudsters in Saizescu's
Secret of Bacchus. He surprised the general public by choosing a more subdued or "laconic" method. According to Badea, this should be regarded as a comedic masterpiece, with Jean fully benefiting from a profound screenplay, the work of
Titus Popovici. Saizescu then cast him in a "colorful role" for
Sosesc păsările călătoare, done in early 1985 from
Fănuș Neagu's script. It received mixed reviews, though Jean's effort was universally praised. Cocea's historical series was completed that same year by
The Silver Mask, with Jean cast as a picturesque charlatan, "Professor Aurică". He appeared in the filmed version of
Coana Chirița (1986), directed by Drăgan from Olteanu Matei's script. His screen time was reportedly met with "frantic applause" by moviegoers across the land. In a 1982 interview, Jean looked back on his film career, describing his typical role as mixing a "fumbler" and a "crafty one". He denied that this was his real-life persona, and confessed that he did not enjoy the public attention he was always receiving. He also noted that he did not like appearing on Romanian Television, and he had only agreed to speak with its reporters on three occasions (once, alongside pop singer
Aura Urziceanu). At some point in the early 1970s, he and Manolache had agreed to join the
Romanian Communist Party, but, as Badea observes, only did so to fill a mandatory quota of showbiz professionals. As later noted by journalist Virgil Dumitrescu, Jean had always refrained from reciting odes to
socialist patriotism—thus underscoring the point that such propaganda jobs were not mandatory, but only demanded by those who expected additional perks. The actor became mildly critical of the
austerity policy introduced in the 1980s by communist leader
Nicolae Ceaușescu, as well as of the
mandatory personality cult. During one show at Fantasio, he joked that the frequent
power outages were
de la tablou (which could be understood as "from the
distribution board", or as "from [Ceaușescu's] portrait"). Without ever claiming the status of a dissident, he made a point of listening to
Radio Free Europe broadcasts. He only stopped when informed by someone in his entourage that continuing to do so would affect his eligibility for tours around the
Western bloc. Jean and Manolache still contributed to the state-run patriotic festival,
Cîntarea României, during its parade of revue shows in summer 1986. As noted by critic Alecu Popovici, his humor relied "almost entirely on the bronze color of his skin", though he engaged audiences with "his tremendous comedic charm". He appeared alongside
Marin Moraru in another Alecsandri-based movie,
Chirița la Iași.
Gheorghe Vitanidis directed him in the musical
În fiecare zi mi-e dor de tine. In some ways a continuation of
Gloria nu cîntă, it premiered during as a
Cîntarea României segment in 1988. Vitanidis surprised critics by partnering him up with
Marin Moraru, whose style of comedy was entirely different. In Badea's assessment, the experiment charmed audiences, but was never again reattempted, "another missed opportunity in [Jean's] so very controversial and fluctuating destiny." This period also saw the release of
Secretul lui Nemesis, a Saizescu comedy that tried to revive the same formula as
Bacchus. Badea notes that the effort was a failure, largely because Jean resorted to "old schemas". , August 1987 During the better years of Ceaușescu's regime, Jean had reportedly earned 1,400
lei as his base salary, and covered all his regular expenses with these. He activated his state pension in late 1987, thus formally ending his full-time contract at Fantasio, but without informing most of his friends of this decision. For a while, he mainly focused on regular collaborations with
traditional music ensembles, including Brîulețul of Constanța, Chindia of
Târgoviște, Călușul of
Scornicești, and the folkloric section of
Ploiești Philharmonic Orchestra. He combined his duties at
Cîntarea României with gestures that seemingly defied
national-communist aesthetic guidelines, once appearing as a
Western sheriff on posters that were widely circulated. He and Manolache gave occasional performances abroad, visiting
East Germany and the
People's Republic of Poland. They were also allowed into Israel, where they catered to the recently formed
Romanian Jewish diaspora. They gained a cult following there, especially because they chose to imitate the interwar couple, "Stroe and Vasilache", with its hints of
Jewish humor. Jean's career was briefly endangered by a heart attack he suffered on 8 March 1988. During June 1989, he joined a selection of actors and singers that toured the
Moldavian SSR (a Romanian-speaking portion of the
Soviet Union). He reportedly enjoyed triumphs at
Chișinău Republican Stadium and in
Bender, where he performed musical duets with Gioni Dimitriu. August saw the premiere of a television series,
Misiunea. Authored by Munteanu and directed by
Virgil Calotescu, this production revived propaganda tropes, depicting communists as engaged in a struggle against old-regime figures; Jean himself had a "bad guy" cameo. In October, he and Bănică Sr. guest starred at an exhibition match between two women's football teams (Juventus and ICIM Brașov), held on
Sibiu Municipal Stadium.
1989 Revolution and transition years Jean lived through the
Romanian Revolution of December 1989, which ended communism. The change was signaled in television programing: on New Year's 1990, the national station, unable to come up with a new show, aired old sketches featuring Jean and his colleagues, but included segments that had previously banned by the censors. Jean was upset about the political and social changes, especially in terms of living costs. In his subsequent comedic monologues, he made his public laugh and think with lines such as: "Before, we used to eat yogurt and save money to buy a car. Now we sell our cars to afford the yogurt." The revamped Romanian Television, now styled
TVR 1, changed its employment policies and, in August 1991, awarded Jean his own special,
Cafeneaua actorilor, taped at Bucharest's Odobești Restaurant. The change of regimes came with a rapid decline in showbiz standards: in a 1993 interview,
impresarios Alexandru Mihu and Anghel Stoian acknowledged that, in order to turn a profit, shows starring Jean also needed to feature about ten other performers. They took pride in noting that this formula had been successfully tried out as
O floare și doi grădinari ("One Flower for Two Gardeners"), which had played to packed houses at both
Sala Palatului and
Arena Polivalentă. In a 1996 interview, Jean expressed his disappointment at the "exceedingly vulgar humor" promoted by new comedy acts, and declared that the public must have grown tired of the political jokes that had taken over with the lifting of censorship. For a while after the revolutionary events, Jean made noted appearances in
sex comedies by Mureșan:
Miss Litoral (1990) was panned by Căliman, but
A doua cădere a Constantinopolului (1994) found his favor, and was a genuine hit with the general public. Film scholar Cătălin Olaru decries
Miss Litoral as a semi-pornographic and sexist work, noting that the comedy relied on
reaction shots, which showed Jean and
Alexandru Arșinel aroused by the parade of nude or semi-nude beauty contestants. Mureșan engages in social commentary about
Romania's capitalist transition by having Jean's character ("Nea Mielu") speak in a variety of Western languages and affiliate with comically-named political parties. In
A doua cădere a Constantinopolului, the humor is carried by sexual misunderstandings, some of which involved Jean's character—again named "Ismail", in what amounted to a self-parody. Jean also took roles in Drăgan's more conventional police procedural,
Atac în bibliotecă, done in 1992 from a script by
George Arion. The movie was panned by reviewer Călin Stănculescu, who noted that Jean's performance matched the overall feel by "carrying the imprint of perfect bad taste." Jean had additionally begun touring outside of the country, with revue shows held for the
Romanian diaspora in Israel, Germany, Italy, America, and the
post-Soviet states. He was usually accompanied by Manolache, In March 1994, after having starred in their own show at
Constantin Tănase Theater, Jean, Popescu and Arșinel drove themselves to Sweden, where they had been booked for four variety shows; here, they were reunited with self-exiled colleague,
Vasilica Tastaman. By May, Jean had separated from Manolache, and had stabilized his trio with Popescu and Arșinel, using scripts by Popescu's husband, Puiu Maximilian. He was especially proud of their Dobrujan tours, noting that they had managed to perform with a full house despite conditions of "great poverty", and even as local cinemas were showing the nominally more attractive
Indecent Proposal. In September, he was at
Craiova's Minerva Restaurant, performing alongside
Maria Ciobanu and
Florin Piersic at a Romani baptism. Jean was still a regular at New Year's specials, as aired by TVR 1. In December 1995, he taped his own segment of the show, under I. C. Dalu's direction; this featured a monologue with his memories of old Constanța, as well as a segment introducing the young actress Oltița Chirilă. Around that time, he had reunited with Nicolaescu, starring as "Elvis" in the latter's ''
of 1996 (a performance described as entirely forgettable by columnist Eugenia Vodă) and being promised a title role in a film project called Jean și fantomele''. His popularity was leading various impresarios to use his name on posters for shows that he did not participate in. During April 1996, he had agreed to do a show at
Satu Mare, but was forced to cancel it after only 100 tickets were sold, allegedly because the public no longer trusted that he would really appear on stage. While performing at
Augsburg in November of that year, he learned that his name was being fraudulently used to advertise a show at the Ploiești Philharmonic, and warned its impresarios that he was ready to sue. At Fantasio, Jean was acting as a mentor to several young women, helping them start their careers. In the mid-1990s, rumors spread that he was romantically engaged with the aspiring singer Silvia Chifiriuc. He denied such claims, explaining that the relationship was purely platonic; wishing to remain discreet about his private life, he only briefly discussed his marriage to Nina. She lived alone, in Jean's Bucharest apartment,
Old age Again in high demand, Jean branched out as a recording artist, selling his own
compact discs of music and jokes. Ahead of For New Year's Day 1997, he was preparing to film with TVR 1. His act was originally meant to feature a duet of
lăutărească music, alongside the Romani performer
Romica Puceanu. Her death in October put an end to the project. In the final version of the show, Jean performed in a sketch by Dan Mihăescu, showing him as a
Lăutar, trying to please a former communist potentate turned businessman (who was played by Rădulescu). He picked 25 October 1997 as the 40h anniversary of his debut, and celebrated it with a show at Sala Palatului. Guest stars (among them Arșinel, Olteanu Matei and Rădulescu) appeared with masks on, and a 5-million-lei prize was offered to whoever correctly guessed their identities. His health was in decline, and in December 1997 he had to undergo emergency treatment for a second heart attack. He recovered swiftly, giving up smoking and almost entirely renouncing liquors, allowing him to perform as a
nightclub act at the New Year's party in
Baia Mare. Jean received further recognition in 1998, when he was granted the first-ever National Revue Prize by the association of musical theaters. In 1999, he was made an honorary citizen of Constanța. In autumn 1999, TVR 1 commissioned Jean, who was in
Chicago for the "Romanian Days" festival, for a satellite broadcast, aired within the
Arca Marinei segment. He was also courted by
Pro TV, initially as a special guest on its programs
Ministerul Comediei and
Super-Bingo. Jean signed with that privately owned station for New Year's 1999: with Papaiani, Olteanu Matei,
Victor Rebengiuc and other old-school actors, he was a guest star in
Florin Călinescu's
Arca lui Nae special. He spent the first three months of 2000 touring across Western Europe. Ahead of the
2000 local elections, he appeared at a fundraiser for the
Christian Democratic National Peasants' Party at Sala Palatului, invited there by candidate
Vladimir Popescu, who was his personal friend. His act included a parody of the
Democratic Party's anthem,
Omul bun și pomul copt. Completed with lyrics about "old people that reek of death", it was poorly received by the Peasantist
gerontocracy. He publicized the fact that his state pension was exceedingly small—set at a monthly 1.6 million lei (some 80
United States dollars), it required that he make frequent returns to the stage, in shows of declining quality. Resuming his work on the big screen, Jean appeared in another sex comedy, the 2001
Sexy Harem Ada-Kaleh (directed by Mureșan as a "sequel of sorts" to
A doua cădere). As Ismail, he was reunited with his illegitimate son, played by
Ștefan Bănică Jr. The resulting film, described by Mureșan himself as catering to the moviegoers' evolving tastes, In addition to being "obstinate in protecting his private life", In 2006, Constanța State Theater commissioned Beatrice Rancea to direct the
musical Șatra, based on Romani-themed stories by
Maxim Gorky. Jean appeared in the production as a "special guest". Also then, he had a celebrated dramatic role in
Cătălin Mitulescu's feature film,
The Way I Spent the End of the World. While Romanian critics were impressed, he himself played down the performance, arguing that: "I only did what was asked of me as an actor, and that's it." Mitulescu was the only "
Romanian New Wave" filmmaker to take an interest in Jean's work, and also one of the few directors not to cast him as an
ethnic minority. Around that time, he was also inducted into the
Knights of Malta. Against his wife's advice, Jean continued to act throughout his final years, never disclosing to the public that his health was failing. In June 2009, he was hospitalized for another documented heart attack, but released from care before the end of the month. Late that year, he was filming for Nicolaescu's '''', as "Agârbiceanu", head of the
Romanian mafia. In early 2010, Jean traveled for diaspora shows in
Vancouver. Singer
Benone Sinulescu, who worked alongside him, claims that Jean went through another visible health crisis, bordering on a heart attack, at the start of his return trip. According to Sinulescu, he had failed to report his
pacemaker before going through the
millimeter wave scanner at
Vancouver International Airport. In May, Jean suffered a fourth heart attack, for which he was treated at Bucharest's
Fundeni Hospital. Asking to be released, he gave his final performance in front of his fellow Dobrujans, at
Adamclisi. He then died in his residence on Constanța's Ferdinand Boulevard on 26 May; his body was discovered by the
laïko singer Ionuț Galani, who had been his close friend. ==Legacy==