How the great Anna Széles, “Brigitte Bardot” of Romania, ended up doing a sport considered risky on the shores of the Black Sea
Article by Maria Olteanu – Published Wednesday, April 15, 2026, 6:36 p.m. / Updated Wednesday, April 15, 2026, 6:36 p.m.
Actress Anna Szeles (83 years old), Brigitte Bardot” of Romania, recently told how she managed to learn and practice water skiing, a sport considered risky at the seaside. She was put in a position to learn new skills after receiving a role that involved such a position. She did not regret it, on the contrary, it was a source of pride for her when she left the country's borders.
In 1962, when she was in her first year at the acting institute in Târgu Mureș, a commission from Bucharest selected her for the film “Vacation at Sea”. Decades later she recounted how she was chosen and how that was when she had to learn to water ski.
But everything she had accumulated during that time helped her and she used it a few years later when she arrived in Acapulco, Mexico. “They remained a mask, they didn't think that such a thing was practiced in Romania”, Anna Széles told now, extremely proud of what she achieved then.
How Anna Széles came to learn water skiing
“I was lucky! The commission came year after year and didn't take anyone. But they chose me, to be Magda. Alexandru Repan was my partner. It was a production with big names, Iurie Darie, Finteșteanu, Costache Antoniu…
I didn't have high hopes, because I didn't speak Romanian well. During the test recordings, the instructions were in Romanian, and I just watched, not understanding anything.
At that time, the Romanian coast was under construction, they wanted to popularize it. This was the first color, widescreen film in Romanian film production. Then I had to learn to water ski, which was a big deal back then. And it worked for me.
I had a good teacher and I got to the level where I could water ski even if it was raining or the sea was rough. For filming, I woke up at 4:00 a.m., the director Andrei Călărașu wanted us to shoot while there was no sun, so that we wouldn't get tanned
– Anna Szeles
A few years later, I arrived in Acapulco, Mexico, where several directors, actors and actresses were invited. Then it came up about water skiing, and I told them I could do it, that I learned at home. They remained masked, they did not believe that such a thing was practiced in Romania.
I gave them a demonstration! And I showed them how modern we Romanians are! I told you, I was brave! I knew how to swim well, I had nothing to fear”, said Anna Szeles, in an interview for libertatea.ro.
Impressive career for Anna Szeles
Anna Szeles was born in Oradea, on August 24, 1942. She attended the “Szentgyörgyi István” Academy of Dramatic Arts in Târgu Mureș, which she completed in 1965. Immediately after graduation, she began her career at the Hungarian State Theater in Cluj-Napoca, where she performed until 1989.
Throughout her career, Anna Szeles has been awarded numerous important awards. In 1997 she received the “Golden Butterfly” Award at the World Meeting of Hungarian Filmmakers, being the only Hungarian film actress so honored.
In 2014, she was awarded the “György Bessenyei” Art Award, and three years later she became a permanent member of the Hungarian State Theater in Cluj-Napoca. In 2018, Romanian filmmakers gave him the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Transilvania International Film Festival
On a personal level, in 1975 she married the actor Florin Piersic, but their marriage ended after a decade. After the changes of 1989, the artist settled in Hungary with her son, Daniel, where she continued her stage work at the Thália Theatre.
