The 2nd Most Famous Voice In Cold War Romania (419)

Cold War Conversations Podcast

Ian Sanders

Society & Culture, Documentary, History

4.8 • 758 Ratings

🗓️ 29 August 2025

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Irina Nistor worked as a translator of TV programs in Romania under the Communist regime, and is known for secretly voicing over thousands of banned movie titles on VHS tapes smuggled in from the West in the four years between 1985 and the revolution. She was reckeoned to be the 2nd most famous voice in Romania after the Communist leader Nicolae Ceaușescu. In a basement with two TVs, a VCR, and a microphone, she voiced four to six films a night, from Doctor Zhivago to cartoons her children watched. Though distribution was handled by her recruiter, Teodor Zamfir, her Romanian-language voice overs spread across the country, reaching crowded living rooms where families gathered around rare VHS players. These films offered Romanians a forbidden glimpse of life beyond the Iron Curtain—stories free of ideology, filled with possibility and freedom. While her precise role in communism’s fall is immeasurable, Nistor’s voice became one of defiance, opening a window to the wider world and inspiring hope under Ceaușescu’s repressive regime. Related episodes: Childhood Memories of the 1989 Romanian Revolution https://pod.fo/e/2d696e Cold War, Warm Hearts – Hitchhiking behind the 1960s Iron Curtain https://pod.fo/e/2098ae A Childhood under the eye of the Secret Police https://pod.fo/e/a4730 My life laid bare through secret police files https://pod.fo/e/12e45f A Hungarian childhood in Cold War Romania https://pod.fo/e/1190aa Escaping from Cold War Romania https://pod.fo/e/11ad63 Emanuela – a Cold War Romanian Childhood https://pod.fo/e/f0376 Reporting the 1989 Romanian Revolution https://pod.fo/e/1ea8c Episode extras ⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/episode419/⁠ The fight to preserve Cold War history continues and via a simple monthly donation, you will give me the ammunition to continue to preserve Cold War history. You’ll become part of our community, get ad-free episodes, and get a sought-after CWC coaster as a thank you and you’ll bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If a monthly contribution is not your cup of tea, we welcome one-off donations via the same link. Find the ideal gift for the Cold War enthusiast in your life! Just go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/store/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on BlueSky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/coldwarpod.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on Threads ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.threads.net/@coldwarconversations⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on Twitter ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Instagram ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Youtube ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Love history? Join Intohistory ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://intohistory.com/coldwarpod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Cold War Conversations, the home of real stories of the Cold War.
0:05.7	The censorship in the national television was all shows for Tom and Jerry. They would never be on the table with food.
0:15.0	This is Cold War Conversations. If you're new here, you've come to the right place to listen to Cold
0:21.9	War History. Please make sure you follow us in your podcast app so you don't miss future episodes.
0:27.9	Irina Nista worked as a translator of TV programs in Romania under the communist regime
0:33.4	and is known for secretly voicing over thousands of banned movie titles on VHS tapes smuggled in from the West.
0:41.1	She voiced six to eight films a night from Dr. Jivago to cartoons her children watched.
0:46.7	The Romanian language voiceovers spread across the country,
0:50.1	reaching crowded living rooms where families gathered around rare VHS players.
0:55.0	These films offered Romanians a forbidden glimpse of life beyond the iron curtain,
1:00.0	stories free of ideology filled with possibility and freedom.
1:04.0	I'm delighted to welcome Irina Nistor to our Cold War conversation.
1:10.0	Just a quick heads up, this was recorded over a phone line from Bucharest,
1:14.4	so the audio isn't great in some places,
1:17.6	but it's definitely an account well worth listening to.
1:20.1	I was born in 1957 in Bucharest, Romania.
1:25.9	My mother, she was a French professor at the Polytechnical School,
1:31.9	and my father was an engineer. And my grandparents, also because we are living together,
1:37.9	they were both my grandfather was also an engineer. And my grandmother, she was a chemist,
1:44.0	but she worked late after the communist came in power.
1:47.6	Because before, the wives were at home taking care of the child of my mother.
1:53.1	What was their view of the communist regime in Romania?
	...

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