She was born in 1941 in
Bucharest, the daughter of Constantin and Elena Petrescu. She graduated from the
Institute of Theatre and Film I.L. Caragiale, class of 1963, under the guidance of teachers and
David Esrig. Irina Petrescu was noticed one day by director , who came to her table in the
Continental restaurant and asked her to audition for his film. The film has not done, but the audition was shown to
Liviu Ciulei, who searched for – and found – an interpreter for Ana's role in "
Waves of the Danube". At that time Petrescu was only 17 years old. For the Institute she also prepared with Știopul, who insisted to give the exam, and she had gotten in reciting lyrics of
Mihai Eminescu and a fable by . In 2000, Petrescu was awarded by
Romanian President Emil Constantinescu the
Order of the Star of Romania, Officer class. She died in 2013 at after a long battle with breast cancer, and was buried at the Reînvierea Cemetery in the
Colentina neighborhood of Bucharest. ==Selected filmography==