Pogonat studied acting in Bucharest and after graduation in 1959 she acted in theatres in Botoşani, Iaşi and Ploieşti. She made her film debut while she was still a student in Two Draw Tickets/Două lozuri (by Aurel Miheleş and Gheorghe Naghi) and Bird of Storm/Pasărea furtunii (by Dinu Negreanu) which premiered in 1957.

Her breakthrough came in 1966 when she starred in Mircea Săucan's masterpiece Meanders/Meandre. Other highlights in her career were Dark Alley/Drum în penumbră (1973) by Lucian Bratu, The Actor and the Savages/Actorul şi sălbaticii (1975) by Manole Marcus and Gloria Does Not Sing/Gloria nu cântă (1976) by Alexandru Bocăneţ.

She also appear in Happiness Is So Close/E atât de aproape fericirea (1977) by Andrei Cătălin Băleanu, The Minute/Clipa (1979) by Gheoghe Vitanidis and the popular TV series The Speckled/Pistruiatul (1973) by Francisc Munteanu and Lights and Shadows/ Lumini şi umbre (1981) by Andrei Blaier, Mihai Constantinescu and Mircea Mureşan.

After 1990 she continued her career in theatre, taught acting, and staged plays, but did less cinema except for four features including Bless You, Prison/Binecuvântată fii, închisoare (2002) by Nicolae Mărgineanu.

She received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Romanian Association of Theatre Artists (UNITER) in 2009.