Nicolae Herlea (28 August 1927 – 24 February 2014) was a distinguished Romanian operatic baritone renowned for his performances in the Italian operatic repertoire. Born in Bucharest, Romania, he honed his craft at the Bucharest Music Conservatory under Aurelius Costescu-Duca and furthered his studies at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome with Giorgio Favaretto. Herlea's career took off in 1951 when he won first prizes in international singing competitions in Geneva, Prague, and Brussels, making his stage debut at the Romanian National Opera in Bucharest as Silvio in "Pagliacci."

Herlea became particularly famous for his portrayal of Rossini's Figaro, a role he performed approximately 550 times, and for the title role in "Rigoletto." His international career began in 1958, with performances at prestigious venues such as the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, London's Royal Opera House, La Scala in Milan, and the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He also graced stages in Barcelona, Berlin, Vienna, Salzburg, Brussels, Prague, and Budapest.

Throughout his career, Herlea recorded several complete operas, including "Il barbiere di Siviglia," "Lucia di Lammermoor," "Rigoletto," "La traviata," "La forza del destino," "Cavalleria rusticana," "Pagliacci," and "Tosca." After retiring from the stage, he dedicated himself to teaching master classes at the Bucharest Conservatory and served as the president of the jury for the Hariclea Darclée International Voice Competition.

Herlea was honored with the Order of the Star of the Romanian Socialist Republic, 3rd class, in 1971, and the Order of the Star of Romania, Commander rank, in 2000. In his personal life, he married Simona, a gynecologist, in 1969, and they had two sons. The family later relocated to Frankfurt, Germany, where Herlea spent his final years.