 Grigore Vasiliu was born on 24 January 1905 into the family of a small businessman on the ""Pârâul Târgului"" street in Fălticeni.As a child he wanted to become a circus clown; however, his parents did not consider acting a serious job, and when he finished the ""Nicu Gane"" high school in Fălticeni in 1924, he was sent to study law in Cernăuţi.He started in the local theater where he was noticed by Dragos Protopopescu, the theater director.