The Life of a Basarabian Refugee Stuntman Who Acted Alongside Belmondo and Henry Fonda

Alexandru David’s life reads like an adventure film. He was a refugee child, a professional dancer, an international stuntman, a border fugitive and, eventually, a dance teacher who carried Romanian culture across five continents.

Born in Basarabia, in the village of Dănuțeni near Ungheni, David returned to Romania with his family as a child during the Second World War. They travelled by freight train to Tismana and later settled in Bucharest’s Militari district, which was still a commune at the time. The family struggled with shortages, and even as a boy he faced pressure to learn a trade and help bring money home.

His path into dance began through a choreography group at the Palace of the Pioneers. Access was limited to Pioneers and pupils with good grades, so David borrowed a Pioneer’s necktie, put it on and entered the building. He went straight to the dance room, where Ukrainian dances were taught.

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Dance keeps me alive.

As a young man, he joined the Ciocârlia ensemble and later worked as a professional dancer, actor and stuntman in Sergiu Nicolaescu’s team. His credits included the co-production “The Battle for Rome” and the television series “The Leatherstocking Tales,” alongside actors including Orson Welles, Laurence Harvey, Sylva Koscina, Hellmut Lange and Pierre Massimi.

In 1972, David escaped from the Socialist Republic of Romania across the border with the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, then described as “Europe’s bloodiest border.” After a short period as a stuntman in French films, he settled in California. Together with his brothers Mihai and Gigi, he founded a Romanian dance ensemble that travelled around the world, teaching and promoting Eastern European culture. Now 88, he continues to divide his time between the United States, Romania and Moldova. “Dance keeps me alive,” he told Weekend Adevărul.

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From an early age I liked music and was fascinated by musical instruments.