Who is Milena Dravić

Milena Dravić was born on October 5, 1940, in Belgrade, and died on October 14, 2018, in the same city. She was a Serbian and Yugoslav film, television, and theatre actress, whose career spanned nearly six decades, during which she appeared in more than a hundred film roles. Milena Dravić was also known for her collaboration with actor Dragan Nikolić, her husband, with whom she spent more than four decades of marriage. She is remembered for her roles in the films Prekobrojna, The Battle of Neretva, Special Treatment, Nije lako sa muškarcima, and Zona Zamfirova, as well as for the awards she won at the Cannes and Venice film festivals.

Early Life and Childhood

Milena Dravić was born in Belgrade, in what was then the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. According to some sources, her father, Milenko Dravić, played football, while her mother, Ana Dravić, devoted herself to family and household matters. The actress also had a younger brother, Rade, who played hockey. Since this family information comes from a limited number of sources, it should be treated with some caution.According to available sources, a close relative was the first to notice young Milena's interest in performing, after which her parents enrolled her in ballet lessons. Growing up, she also attended ballet school, where, according to some biographical accounts, one of her teachers pointed out that she also had acting talent. At the time, young Milena did not attach much importance to this, until a chance encounter in Sarajevo set her life on an entirely different course.

Education

Milena Dravić received her elementary education at the "Janko Veselinović" school in Belgrade. After her first film roles and notable success in domestic cinema, she decided to continue her artistic training at the academic level, enrolling at what was then the Academy of Theatre, Film, Radio and Television in Belgrade (the forerunner of today's Faculty of Dramatic Arts). She enrolled in her studies motivated by her early success, but because of her filming commitments she did not attend classes regularly. According to several sources, she was expelled from the faculty in 1970 for having missed lectures for months, and her professor, Ognjenka Milićević, proposed at the time that her role in the film Prekobrojna be recognized as her thesis project — an offer Milena Dravić declined.

Beginning of Her Career

Milena Dravić's path to acting began entirely by chance. In 1959 (according to some sources, 1958), while visiting relatives in Sarajevo, she was noticed by the Slovenian director of Czech origin, František Čap, who offered her the lead role in the film Vrata ostaju otvorena. Filming lasted the whole summer, and the production company was "Bosna Film." After this debut, the young actress caught the attention of other directors, and over the following three years she made an equal number of films.During this period, Milena Dravić appeared in Diližansa snova (directed by Soja Jovanović, 1960), Zajednički stan (M. Vajda, 1960), Bolje je umeti (Voja Nanović, 1961), Uzavreli grad (Veljko Bulajić, 1961), and Leto je krivo za sve (Puriša Đorđević, 1961). These roles cemented her position as one of the most promising young actresses in Yugoslav film.

Rise to Fame

The turning point in Milena Dravić's career was her role in the film Prekobrojna (1962), directed by Branko Bauer, in which she played a village girl who sets off on a youth labor brigade. For this role she won the Golden Arena award at the Pula Film Festival, confirming that she was on her way to becoming one of the leading actresses in Yugoslav cinema.Following this success came roles in films such as Kozara, Lito vilovito, and Čovek nije tica, in which she acted alongside Eva Ras. In 1967, she played a role in the film Jutro, opposite Ljubiša Samardžić. For this role she won the "Golden Rose" award at the Venice Film Festival, and the two of them were named the film couple of the year, further cementing Milena Dravić's popularity with Yugoslav audiences.In the late 1960s, she also took part in filming The Battle of Neretva, a major war drama that also starred internationally known actors such as Yul Brynner and Orson Welles, and which was nominated that year for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. For her role in the film Kros kontri (1969), directed by Puriša Đorđević, Milena Dravić had to prepare specially by training in running, reflecting her professional dedication to her roles.

Greatest Successes

In the 1970s and 1980s, Milena Dravić cemented her status as one of the most important actresses in Yugoslav film. For her role in the co-production film Vlak bez voznog reda (Voda nešto nosi), made in collaboration between Czech and American production companies and directed by Academy Award winners Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos, she won the European "Golden David" award for Best European Actress in 1978.A work of particular significance in her filmography is Special Treatment (1980), directed by Goran Paskaljević and written by Dušan Kovačević. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe in the category of Best Foreign Language Film, while Milena Dravić won the award for Best Supporting Actress at the Cannes Film Festival for her role, as well as the Niš Film Meetings' Charter for Best Female Role.Through the 1980s, she continued to build her popularity through comedies such as Laf u srcu, Moj tata na određeno vreme, and Razvod na određeno vreme, as well as through supporting roles in the films Šećerna vodica, Boj na Kosovu, and Čavka. She delivered a particularly notable and long-remembered role as Gordana Diklić in the comedy Nije lako sa muškarcima, which remains among the most-watched domestic films on television to this day.In the 1990s, a period that was extremely difficult for Yugoslav cinema, Milena Dravić was, by her own account, grateful to director Goran Paskaljević for offering her a role in the film Bure baruta, a work made during a time of social and political upheaval in the country. In the later years of her career, she also appeared in the film Zona Zamfirova, one of the most-watched Serbian films after 2000.On television, Milena Dravić is remembered for her role as a teacher in the series Priče iz Nepričave, as Vera in the series Policajac sa Petlovog brda, and for her roles as Vukosava Petrović and Spomenka in the popular comedy series Pozorište u kući and Lud, zbunjen, normalan.

Private Life

Given her fame, Milena Dravić's private life was often the focus of public attention. The actress was married three times. Her first marriage was to director Mladomir Puriša Đorđević, from whom she divorced after several years together. Her second husband was director Vojislav "Kokan" Rakonjac, who died in 1969.Milena Dravić's third marriage, to actor Dragan Nikolić, lasted more than four decades and was one of the best-known and longest-lasting marriages in the domestic art world. The couple had no children, and according to media reports, they decided to leave their estate to the Yugoslav Film Archive, an institution to which both of their careers had been devoted throughout their lives. Dragan Nikolić died somewhat before Milena Dravić, and his loss, according to media reports, weighed heavily on her in her final years.Milena Dravić died on October 14, 2018, in Belgrade, at the age of 79, after a long illness she had suffered from in her final years. She was buried in the Alley of Distinguished Citizens in Belgrade, the resting place of notable figures from Serbian culture and public life. News of her death was confirmed at the time by the Association of Dramatic Artists of Serbia.

Trivia

Milena Dravić was discovered entirely by chance, while vacationing with relatives in Sarajevo, when she was noticed by director František Čap. In 2009, exactly half a century after making her first film, she returned to Sarajevo in the company of fellow actress and close friend Seka Sabljić, and on that occasion had her photo taken in front of the building of the former "Bosna Film" studio. For her role in the film Kros kontri, she prepared specially by training in running with a personal coach, which was unusual for actresses of the period. In The Battle of Neretva, she shared the set with internationally renowned actors, including Yul Brynner and Orson Welles. She was one of the rare Yugoslav actresses to win an award at the Cannes Film Festival.

Awards and Recognition

Over the course of her career, Milena Dravić won a great number of domestic and international awards. According to sources, she is a multiple winner of the Golden Arena award at the Pula Film Festival, though the exact number of these awards varies across sources — some cite seven, others ten. She also won several "Zlatni ćuran" statuettes at the Days of Comedy in Jagodina, though the number here also varies across sources.Among Milena Dravić's most significant honors are:Best Supporting Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival (for Special Treatment, 1980) "Golden Rose" award at the Venice Film Festival (for Jutro, 1967) European "Golden David" award for Best European Actress (1978, for Voda nešto nosi) The Dobrica Ring, one of the most prestigious lifetime achievement honors in Serbian theatre The "Žanka Stokić" Award for her overall contribution to Yugoslav and Serbian cinema The Nušić Award for lifetime achievement The "Pavle Vujisić" Award at the Niš Film Meetings The "Joakim Vujić" statuette The Niš Film Meetings' Charter for Best Female RoleThe film Special Treatment, in which she played one of the lead roles, was also nominated for a Golden Globe in the category of Best Foreign Language Film.

Legacy and Influence

Milena Dravić is regarded as one of the most important actresses in the history of Yugoslav and Serbian cinema. Her filmography, which includes more than a hundred works, stands as a testament to the development of domestic film through the second half of the twentieth and the beginning of the twenty-first century. Through roles in dramas, comedies, and war films, she showed remarkable versatility, which is why she is remembered as one of the rare actresses equally successful in portraying both serious and comic characters.Her presence in popular television series such as Lud, zbunjen, normalan further cemented her popularity with younger generations of viewers, who came to know her outside the context of classic Yugoslav film. Milena Dravić, together with her husband Dragan Nikolić, is also remembered as a symbol of dedication to the acting profession, as both devoted their entire working lives to theatre and film.

Biography — Frequently Asked Questions

When was Milena Dravić born? Milena Dravić was born on October 5, 1940, in Belgrade.When and where did Milena Dravić die? Milena Dravić died on October 14, 2018, in Belgrade, after a long illness.What was Milena Dravić's first film? Milena Dravić's first film was Vrata ostaju otvorena, directed by František Čap, made in 1959.For which film did Milena Dravić win an award in Cannes? Milena Dravić won the award for Best Supporting Actress at the Cannes Film Festival for her role in the 1980 film Special Treatment.Who was Milena Dravić's husband? Milena Dravić's third and longest marriage was to actor Dragan Nikolić, to whom she was married for more than four decades. Before that, she was married to directors Mladomir Puriša Đorđević and Vojislav "Kokan" Rakonjac.Did Milena Dravić have children? According to available sources, Milena Dravić did not have children.What are Milena Dravić's best-known roles? Milena Dravić is best known for her roles in the films Prekobrojna, The Battle of Neretva, Special Treatment, Nije lako sa muškarcima, and Zona Zamfirova, as well as for the television series Pozorište u kući and Lud, zbunjen, normalan.Did Milena Dravić study acting? Milena Dravić enrolled at the Academy of Theatre, Film, Radio and Television in Belgrade, but did not complete her studies, as she was expelled in 1970 for missing lectures due to her filming commitments.How many films did Milena Dravić make over the course of her career? According to sources, Milena Dravić appeared in more than a hundred film roles over the course of her career, with some sources estimating her total film and television output at more than a hundred and sixty.Where is Milena Dravić buried? Milena Dravić is buried in the Alley of Distinguished Citizens in Belgrade.

Conclusion

Milena Dravić is remembered as one of the greatest actresses of Yugoslav and Serbian film, whose career, launched by a chance discovery in Sarajevo, spanned nearly six decades. Through numerous roles in film, television, and theatre, as well as through honors won at the most significant European festivals, Milena Dravić built a body of work that left a profound mark on domestic cinema in the second half of the twentieth century. Her legacy lives on today through the films and series in which she left an indelible mark.