Maia Morgenstern

 ( Romanian Stage Actresses ) 

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. The Passion of the Christ: About the Language , CinemaReview.com. Accessed online 20 December 2007. She reported that she felt really proud to portray the Virgin Mary.

Her surname, Morgenstern, means "Morning Star" in German, is 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.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 1 March 2005. In interviews, she has defended The Passion of the Christ against allegations of antisemitism, 'Passion' actress: Film not anti-Semitic , CNN, 4 February 2004. Accessed 20 December 2007. 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."Naomi Pfefferman, Jewish Actress Proud to be Mel Gibson’s Virgin Mary , The Jewish Journal, 1 November 2003. Reproduced on the New American Media site, a site focusing on ethnic journalism. Accessed online 20 December 2007.

On 29 March 2021, a Romanian man was arrested after Morgenstern received an email stating "I intend to throw her in the gas chamber".

• Best Actress for: Cei care platesc cu viața ("Those who pay with their lives", 1991), Romanian Filmmakers Union
• UNITER (Romanian Theatrical Union) Lucia Sturdza Bulandra Prize (1990) for her stage role as Medea in Trilogia antică ( Ancient Trilogy), directed by Andrei Serban.
• Best Actress for: The Oak (1992), European Film Awards Awards for Balanta (1992), IMDB. Accessed 20 December 2007.
• 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 .
• Best Film Actress for: The Passion of the Christ (2004), Ethnic Multicultural Media Awards (EMMA Awards), UK Ethnic Multicultural Media Awards, UK: 2004, IMDB. Accessed 20 December 2007.