 Marinca graduated from the University of Fine Arts, Music and Drama "George Enescu" in Iași.In 2005, she won three Best Actress Awards (the BAFTA Television Awards, the Royal Television Society Award and the 'Golden Nymph' at 45th ) for her role in "Sex Traffic", a CBC/Channel 4 drama about human trafficking.As well as appearing on stage in Romanian theatre productions, she also acted in "Measure for Measure" at the National Theatre in London.