Edi Luarasi, actress, “Deserving Artist”, passed away . She was born in Tirana, in 1940. She became active in the State variety show (“estrada”) as a singer (1954-1957) together with her sister, becoming known as the duet “Mirdita Sisters”. She attended the higher studies for actors in the “Aleksandër Moisiu” school (1959-1963) and started working at the People’s Theatre. An actress with a strong temperament, with a ringing voice, lively and full of energy, Edi Luarasi has performed roles that have remained in the public’s memory, such as: Lena in the drama “Doctor Alex” by Ibrahim Uruç, Cordelia in the tragedy “King Lear” by Shakespeare (1965), Cuca in the drama “Cuca e maleve” (“The girl of the mountains”) by Loni Papa (1967), Lea in the drama “Njollat e murrme” (“Dark spots”) by Minush Jero (1969). She won the gold medal as the best actress, with the role of the mother in Minush Jero’s drama “Të pamposhturit” (“The invincibles”) (1971). As the presenter of the XI Song Festival on Radiotelevision (1972), criticized by the party and as the wife of director Mihal Luarasi, who was sentenced to prison, Edi Luarasi was sent to work as a seamstress in 1974, until she retired. After the democratic changes, in 1991, she played the main role, Claire Zachanassian, in the drama “Visit of the Old Lady” by Frederik Durrenmat, which was a heartbreaking return to the stage and a success of hers. During the period 1993-2003 she lived in Hungary with her husband. She returned to the stage with several other roles, where the role of Mother stood out in the drama “Korbi i bardhë” (“The white raven”) by M. Luarasi. Edi Luarasi has also acted in the cinematography, where he caught the eye with the role of Aphrodite in the film “Ngadhënjim mbi vdekjen” (“Victory over death”)(1967). (In the photo: Edi Luarasi)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 2 , Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2008, page 1538.
Photo: © https://www.kultplus.com/lajme/nderron-jete-aktorja-e-njohur-edi-luarasi/
Graphic processing: AHCF
