Who is Ivan Bekjarev

Ivan Bekjarev was one of the most important Serbian and Yugoslav actors of the second half of the twentieth century, a man whose career spanned theatre, film, television, cabaret, and teaching. He was born on April 6, 1946, in Belgrade, and died on November 16, 2020, in the same city, at the age of 74. Over more than five decades of work, Ivan Bekjarev played more than a hundred and fifty stage roles and appeared in more than fifty films, and domestic audiences remember him most vividly for the roles of Stevica Kurčubić in the series Bolji život ("A Better Life") and of the notorious camp commandant Vujković in the series Banjica. He was a longtime leading actor at the Yugoslav Drama Theatre and a full professor of acting at the Academy of Arts in Belgrade, where he trained several generations of young actors.

Early Life and Childhood

Ivan Bekjarev's origins trace back to Macedonia, from where his parents came to Belgrade. His father, Georgi, or Đorđe, moved to the capital shortly before the Second World War, while his mother, Radmila, originally from Gevgelija, arrived in Belgrade in 1945, after the war ended. There is an interesting detail connected to the family surname itself — before the war, Ivan's father had Serbianized the surname to Bećarević, but after Ivan's birth he changed it back to Bekjarev, in order to avoid the unpleasantness caused by its similarity to the name of Boško Bećarević, head of Belgrade's Special Police, which collaborated with the occupying forces during the war.In 1952, when Ivan was just six years old, the family moved to Kraljevo, where his father was officially transferred for work. A childhood spent between Belgrade and the Serbian interior shaped the future actor, who, after returning to the capital, resumed his elementary education in Belgrade.

Education

After finishing elementary school, Ivan Bekjarev enrolled at the Sixth Belgrade Gymnasium. Already during his secondary school years he showed an interest in acting, and after graduating he decided to pursue studies at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade. He was coached for the entrance exam by the already-established actors Mića Tomić and Olivera Marković, which shows that his talent had been recognized from an early age. At the Academy he studied alongside Josif Tatić and Milan Gutović, colleagues with whom he would later share theatre and film sets throughout his career.The Faculty of Dramatic Arts was, at the time, the central institution for training actors in Yugoslavia, and the generation to which Bekjarev belonged produced several names that would go on to define the Yugoslav acting scene for decades to come.

Beginning of His Career

Ivan Bekjarev made his film debut in 1967, in Bokseri idu u raj ("Boxers Go to Heaven"), in which the lead role was played by Mija Aleksić. That first film role marked the beginning of a long career that would encompass work in theatre, film, and television, as well as engagements beyond the borders of Yugoslavia — he also made films in Denmark and Italy.Alongside his early film work, Bekjarev also turned to theatre, appearing as a guest performer in most theatres in Serbia over the course of his career, though he spent the greater part of his professional life tied to a single house — the Yugoslav Drama Theatre in Belgrade. Beyond acting, he also tried his hand early on at radio and television hosting — in 1970 he delivered the very first "Good afternoon" on the newly founded Radio Studio B, showing how early he established himself as a versatile artist in front of both microphone and camera, not only on the theatre stage.

Rise to Fame

Although he had been working in theatre and film since the late 1960s, Ivan Bekjarev achieved wider, mass popularity in the 1980s, thanks to his television roles. His role as Vujković, commandant of a Nazi camp, in the series Banjica is particularly remembered — a performance for which he was named TV Personality of the Year in Yugoslavia in 1984, an honor that attests to the strength of the impression that role left on audiences, despite being a villainous character quite the opposite of the comic image he would later acquire.It was comedy, however, that made Bekjarev truly beloved in households across the former Yugoslavia. The role of Stevica Kurčubić in the cult series Bolji život, which aired in the late 1980s and early 1990s, brought him enormous popularity and the status of one of the most recognizable comic actors of his generation. Thanks to that role and others like it, he also achieved great popularity in another cult series, Srećni ljudi, where he made an impression as the character Despotović.

Greatest Successes

Over a career spanning more than five decades, Ivan Bekjarev played more than 150 stage roles, around 60 of them at the Yugoslav Drama Theatre, where he was a member and longtime leading actor for a full 33 years. He also performed as a guest at most other theatres in Serbia. In film, he appeared in more than 50 productions, made not only domestically but also abroad, including in Denmark and Italy.On the small screen, he is remembered for roles in the series Otpisani, Više od igre, Kraj dinastije Obrenović, and Gorki plodovi, in which he portrayed a range of complex dramatic characters, showing that his body of work rested on more than just comic roles. He was also a successful performer in musical stage productions — he acted and sang lead roles in cabarets and musicals such as Man of La Mancha, in which he played Sancho, as well as in the productions Orfeum Brane Cvetkovića and Tri frtalja Beograda.For sixteen years he served as artistic director and selector of the International Festival of Monodrama and Pantomime in Zemun, making a significant contribution to the development and promotion of this particular performing art form in Serbia. For his contribution to film art, he received the Yugoslav Film Archive's award, its plaque, in 2012, and was elected a member of the Academy of Film Art and Science (AFUN).

Private Life

Ivan Bekjarev was married, to a wife named Milka Bekjarev. He was devoted to his family, as well as to his other great passion outside the arts — football. He was a loyal supporter and honorary member of the football club Red Star Belgrade, whose matches he followed with genuine interest throughout his life.In the final years of his life, he remained active in the arts — his last role came in the film Bilo jednom u Srbiji, directed by Petar Ristovski, and his last major honor, the "Zlatni ćuran" lifetime achievement award, was given to him in 2016 at the Days of Comedy in Jagodina.Ivan Bekjarev died on November 16, 2020, in Belgrade, at the age of 74, from complications caused by the coronavirus. According to media reports, the actor had been hospitalized at the Infectious Diseases Clinic in Belgrade a few weeks before his death, due to a worsening health condition. His death drew great public condolence, and among those who expressed their sympathy was the then-President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, who learned of the actor's death during a live television appearance. Ivan Bekjarev was buried in the Alley of Distinguished Citizens at New Cemetery in Belgrade, the resting place of numerous notable figures from Serbian culture and public life. A memorial service in his honor was held at the Yugoslav Drama Theatre, the house to which he devoted most of his professional life.

Trivia

The Bekjarev family changed their surname once and later changed it back to its original form, in order to avoid confusion with the surname of the notorious head of Belgrade's Special Police from the occupation period. He was a parliamentary candidate on the list of the Movement for the Forces of Serbia in the 2007 parliamentary elections, showing that, alongside his art, he also briefly tried his hand at political engagement. Alongside Mija Aleksić, with whom he made his film debut, he worked with many other prominent actors of his generation over the course of his career, including Josif Tatić and Milan Gutović, his fellow students from the Academy. He was a longtime radio and television host, beginning his hosting career in 1970 at Radio Studio B. His entire library, diplomas, and awards were bequeathed to the "Adligat" Association for Culture, Art and International Cooperation in Belgrade, where his artistic legacy is preserved today.

Awards and Recognition

Over the course of his career, Ivan Bekjarev received a great number of significant acting honors. He was given the October Award of the City of Belgrade for lifetime achievement as a comic actor, as well as awards for his roles as Jordan in the National Theatre's production of Pobratim and as Pankracije in the Yugoslav Drama Theatre's production of Trgovci. He also won two annual awards from the Yugoslav Drama Theatre, for his roles in Noćas je noć (1982) and Mario i Mađioničar (1992), and for the first of these two roles he also received, the same year, an award from the Association of Dramatic Artists of Yugoslavia.Among his other honors are the "Branislav Nušić" Award for lifetime achievement at the Nušić Days festival in Smederevo (1996), two "Zlatni ćuran" lifetime achievement awards at the Days of Comedy in Jagodina (the most recent in 2016), and the "Zlatni smijeh" award at the "Jazavac" Days of Satire in Zagreb (1984). He was also a winner of the International Festival of Monodrama and Pantomime in Zemun, a festival he himself led for many years as artistic director. In 2012, he received the Yugoslav Film Archive's plaque for his outstanding contribution to the development of film art.

Legacy and Influence

Ivan Bekjarev left a deep mark on the Serbian and Yugoslav acting and teaching tradition. As a full professor of acting at the Academy of Arts in Belgrade — elected associate professor in 2001 and full professor in 2006 — he trained several generations of young actors, among whom Milan Kalinić, Iva Štrljić, Aleksandra Balmazović, and Danijel Nikolić are most often mentioned. His teaching work thus lives on through the careers of the artists he trained.Ivan Bekjarev's artistic work and biography were also presented to the public through a monograph titled Ivan Bekjarev, published in 2004 by the Serbian Association of Dramatic Artists, formally documenting and preserving his contribution to acting for future generations. His personal legacy — his library, diplomas, and awards — is preserved today at the "Adligat" Association for Culture, Art and International Cooperation in Belgrade, where visitors can explore the material traces of his rich career.For many viewers, he remains to this day a symbol of an entire era of Yugoslav television and theatre — an actor whose comic roles, such as Stevica Kurčubić, became part of popular culture and are still gladly watched in reruns, decades after they first aired.

Biography — Frequently Asked Questions

When was Ivan Bekjarev born? Ivan Bekjarev was born on April 6, 1946, in Belgrade.When and how did Ivan Bekjarev die? Ivan Bekjarev died on November 16, 2020, in Belgrade, at the age of 74, from complications caused by the coronavirus.Where is Ivan Bekjarev buried? He is buried in the Alley of Distinguished Citizens at New Cemetery in Belgrade.What is Ivan Bekjarev best known for? He is best known for the roles of Stevica Kurčubić in the series Bolji život and camp commandant Vujković in the series Banjica, as well as for his long-standing membership at the Yugoslav Drama Theatre.Where did Ivan Bekjarev study acting? He graduated from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade.How many roles did Ivan Bekjarev play? He played more than 150 stage roles and appeared in more than 50 film productions.Was Ivan Bekjarev a professor? Yes, he was a full professor of acting at the Academy of Arts in Belgrade, where he taught from his election to the position in 2001.Which club was Ivan Bekjarev a supporter of? He was a loyal supporter and honorary member of the football club Red Star Belgrade.What was the last award Ivan Bekjarev won? His last major award, the "Zlatni ćuran" lifetime achievement award, he won in 2016 at the Days of Comedy in Jagodina.What was the origin of Ivan Bekjarev's family? Ivan Bekjarev's parents were of Macedonian origin — his father, Georgi (Đorđe), and his mother, Radmila, originally from Gevgelija.

Conclusion

Ivan Bekjarev was one of the pillars of the Serbian and Yugoslav acting scene of the second half of the twentieth century — an artist whose body of work spanned theatre, film, television, musical stage performance, and teaching. From his film debut in 1967, through thirty-three years as a member of the Yugoslav Drama Theatre, to the roles that made him a beloved face of Yugoslav television, Bekjarev built a career of rare breadth and length. He died in 2020, but his legacy lives on through the roles we still watch in reruns, through the generations of actors he trained, and through the legacy preserved at the "Adligat" Association in Belgrade.