Dan Istrate
Dan Istrate was born in Romania and has been trained in acting since he was 18 years old. He graduated from the University of Theatre and Film in Bucharest, Romania. He performed at the National Theatre in Bucharest, the Jewish Theatre, and "Radu Stanca" Theatre in Sibiu. He played the lead role in the Romanian feature film, Double Ecstasy, directed by Iulian Mihu before he moved to the United States in 2001.
Dan performed for many theaters on the East Coast, including the Shakespeare Theatre Company (DC), Arena Stage (DC), Studio Theatre (DC), Theatre J (DC), The Players Theater (NY), and has been a company member of Synetic Theatre (VA) for ten years. He has also performed internationally in Bucharest (Romania), Tbilisi (Georgia), Izmir (Turkey), Bratislava (Slovakia), Paris (France) and Seoul (South Korea).
As a dancer and musician he has collaborated with Sharna Fabiano Tango Company and baredances in Washington DC, and independent dance artists in Los Angeles.
While in Los Angeles, Dan Istrate has appeared in many TV shows, feature films, and short films, and music videos: "Start Up" on Netflix, "Great News" on NBC,"S.W.A.T." on CBS, and "Alias" on ABC, " Dinner With The Alchemist," directed by Kevin Good. He also co-produced and starred in the feature film "Her Tango," directed by Jason Mullis inspired by his own passion for Argentinian Tango. Dan has recently co-produced, co-directed, and starred in the art-house film "Golani", a raw and heart-wrenching portrayal of life during Communism in the late 1980's in Romania. All three feature films are available on Amazon Prime. He displays great acting versatility portraying Enzo, a lovable strip club owner, in the comedy series "Sexpectations", created by Jenna St. John.
Dan Istrate has been part of the Synetic Motion Pictures streaming platform from its inception in 2020. He directed and starred in the short film "Leeks, Onions, and Pork Fat", as part of Synetic Theater's adaptation of the Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio. He starred in the award winning "Put The Devil Back in Hell" by Francesca Jandasek, and "Orpheia" by Ben Cunis. He is working as a producer, director, and actor on a new mini-series for the Synetic Motion Pictures Streaming Platform scheduled to premiere in 2021.