Acting their Way to Success

The tinsel town of Hollywood is a congregation of actors of all genres and societies. Some of the lucky ones have made an indelible mark, whereas some have faded into oblivion. Among several others who’ve come to try their luck were actors from Albania or of Albanian ethnicity. And succeeded they have--some to a large extent and some to a reasonable amount.

The first name that comes to mind is James Adam Belushi’s. Well known for his work in the popular sitcom ‘According to Jim’, and as yesteryears comedian John Belushi’s younger brother. Lauretta Meci, the model turned actress has also created a stir with her appearance in movies like ‘Shadow Kill’ and ‘Star Wars’. Then there’s Peter Malota, trying his luck in movies with fair success. He was seen in Jean Claude Van Damne’s flicks like ‘Double Impact’, ‘Nowhere to Run’ and ‘The Quest’.

There are more Malotas joining the acting brigade: siblings Michael, Kristina and child artiste Marina Malota. One of the recent favorites though is Masiela Lusha, popularly known as Carmen Lopez from the George Lopez Show. This multi-faceted, gifted actress has starred in other hit television serials like Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Lizzie McGuire, apart from being a part of some memorable movies, with the latest in the pipeline being, Blood- The Last Vampire.

It isn’t just Hollywood that has been graced with gifted Albanian actors. They’ve also performed their way to success in other foreign films. If you’re familiar with European movies, you’ll probably recognize the name of Gedeon Burkhard, who carved a niche for himself in German films. The highly accomplished Tinka Kurti is one of the best-known Albanian actresses. She had over 50 feature films and 150 theatre plays to her credit, in a 60-year career. Some others that join the list are Nevin Mecan, the actor who was recognized globally for his role as Niku in the film ‘Tirana Year Zero’, Faruk Begolli, the most famous actor/director, and Melihate Ajeti, the numero uno theatre actress from Paris.

It must be surprising to most that the little known country of Albania has produced actors of high-class caliber and brought Albania to light in the international film fraternity.