Who Was Jelena Žigon?

Jelena Žigon (née Jovanović; Belgrade, 3 November 1933 – Belgrade, 10 April 2018) was a Serbian and Yugoslav actress. She also signed her name as Jelena Jovanović-Žigon. Audiences remember her above all as Aunt Jelena Todorović from the Žika’s Dynasty film series, but her body of work also includes classics of Yugoslav cinema from the 1960s.

According to most sources, over a career that spanned several decades she appeared in more than 50 feature films and about 15 television films. Sources differ, and some cite more than 68 film and television roles. She was the wife of actor and director Stevo Žigon, the mother of actress Ivana Žigon and of painter Nikola Žigon.

Besides acting, she was remembered as a great lover of poetry and as a co-founder of the “Kosovski božuri” (Kosovo Peonies) ensemble. Because of her beauty and elegance, she was often called “the Serbian Sophia Loren”.

Origins and Early Life

Jelena Žigon was born in Belgrade as Jelena Jovanović. According to the portal Nova.rs, she was born in a house in Senjak, where a memorial room was opened a year after her death. Her father’s family came from Bajina Bašta, while her mother was born in Cetinje.

On her mother’s side she was related to King Nicholas I of Montenegro. Her grandfather was Mitar Martinović, a Montenegrin divisional commander, later a divisional general of the Yugoslav Army and prime minister of the Kingdom of Montenegro. Her son Nikola Žigon once said in an interview that the family was related to King Nicholas, after whom he was named.

She grew up in a respected Belgrade family, and her love of art and the written word stayed with her throughout her life.

Education

She studied acting at the Academy in Belgrade. As she told it herself, it was there, at the age of 17, that she met her future husband Stevo Žigon, who was working as an assistant at the time. Whether she completed her studies has not been publicly confirmed.

She later said that from then on she had worked “under his director’s baton”, which speaks to the deep professional and personal bond with Stevo Žigon.

Early Career

According to most sources, Jelena Žigon landed her first significant role in 1953, in the comedy “Opštinsko dete” (A Child of the Community) directed by Puriša Đorđević. Sources differ: one states that she already had her first role in 1950. The film premiered on 25 February 1953, produced by Avala Film, and also starred Viktor Starčić and Aleksandar Stojković.

In the early years of her career she was often credited as Jelena Jovanović. Under that name she appeared, among others, in the film “Ljubav i moda” (1960). Even then she stood out for her elegance, her striking voice and her natural stage presence.

Rise to Fame

The 1960s: The First Citizen of a Small Town and Other Classics

She took a significant step forward with “Prvi građanin male varoši” (The First Citizen of a Small Town, 1961) by Puriša Đorđević, in which she played Katarina Ilić. The film also starred Ljuba Tadić, Mija Aleksić, Ljubinka Bobić and Dragomir Bojanić Gidra. Actor and writer Saša Erdeljanović noted that her declaration of love in that film is among the most beautiful in Serbian cinema.

That same year she also appeared in “Sudar na paralelama” and “Pustolov pred vratima”. Roles followed in “Obračun” (1962), where she played Azira, and “Zvižduk u osam” (1962), where she played a famous actress. A year later she appeared in “Dve noći u jednom danu” and “Muškarci”, in which she played Vesna.

Her notable titles also include “Divlje seme” by Kokan Rakonjac, “Moja strana sveta” by Vlatko Filipović, “Jutro” and “Kapetan Leši”. Thanking her colleagues, she singled out the directors who left behind landmark films, among them Puriša Đorđević, Kokan Rakonjac and Vlatko Filipović.

Aunt Jelena from Žika’s Dynasty

Her greatest popularity came from the role of Jelena Todorović in the ten-part Žika’s Dynasty film series. She starred alongside Dragomir Bojanić Gidra and Marko Todorović. The series consists of “Lude godine” (1977), “Došlo doba da se ljubav proba” (1980), “Ljubi, ljubi, al’ glavu ne gubi” (1981), “Idi mi, dođi mi” (1983), “Kakav deda, takav unuk” (1983), “Šta se zgodi kad se ljubav rodi” (1984), “Žikina dinastija” (1985), “Druga Žikina dinastija” (1986), “Sulude godine” (1988) and “Žikina ženidba” (1992).

Her husband Stevo Žigon also appeared in “Došlo doba da se ljubav proba”, as a school principal. Audiences grew so fond of Jelena Todorović that, as Jelena Žigon herself recalled, many people long believed it was her real surname and addressed her that way.

Greatest Achievements

A long list of film and television roles marked Jelena Žigon’s career. Her best-known works include:

• Opštinsko dete (1953), her first significant film role;
• Prvi građanin male varoši (1961), as Katarina Ilić;
• Obračun (1962) and Zvižduk u osam (1962);
• Muškarci (1963) and Dve noći u jednom danu (1963);
• Moja strana sveta, Divlje seme, Jutro and Kapetan Leši;
• the Žika’s Dynasty series (1977–1992), as Jelena Todorović;
• Poslednji krug u Monci (1989) and Paket aranžman (1995);
• the television series Seljaci and the film Ravna gora (2013);
• Za kralja i otadžbinu (2015), as Luiza Mišić.

She also performed beyond Yugoslavia. She appeared in “Old Surehand” (1965), part of the Winnetou film series, playing Delia, with Hollywood actor Stewart Granger among her co-stars. In Australia she made two films, “Promised Woman” (1975) and “The Picture Show Man” (1977), in which she played Madame Cavalli.

For her contribution to national cinema she received the Yugoslav Film Archive Plaque in 2006, and near the end of her life a lifetime achievement award named after Sergei Bondarchuk.

Poetry, Kosovski božuri and Humanitarian Work

Jelena Žigon was not only a film actress. She dramatized poetry by Desanka Maksimović, Dušan Kostić and Dragan Kolundžija, and she wrote the script for a stage-and-music poem about Simonida, performed in March 2018 at the National Theatre in Belgrade. She loved poetry and recited it from memory until the end of her life.

In 2004, together with her daughter Ivana Žigon and Gavrilo Kujundžić, she founded the ensemble “Kosovski božuri”. The ensemble cultivates songs and recitals dedicated to Kosovo and Metohija, and Ivana Žigon serves as its artistic director. According to Nova.rs, after the 1999 bombing Jelena Žigon founded a library in Kosovska Mitrovica and took books there.

For her humanitarian work she received the Order of Njegoš, First Class, in Republika Srpska, for caring for the wounded, as well as the Njegoš Medal from Metropolitan Amfilohije Radović of Montenegro and the Littoral, for the nobility of her artistic and charitable work.

Personal Life

Marriage to Stevo Žigon

Jelena Jovanović met Stevo Žigon in 1950 at the Academy, when she was 17 and he was 24. Stevo Žigon (Ljubljana, 8 December 1926 – Belgrade, 28 December 2005) was an assistant at the time. According to Kurir, he did not court her openly because of the assistant–student relationship, so for almost a year he sent her anonymous letters.

They married in 1958, and the marriage lasted until his death in 2005. Stevo joked that some people read her signature “Jelena Jovanović-Žigon” as “Jelena Jovanović minus Žigon”.

Children

Jelena had two children with Stevo Žigon. Her son Nikola Žigon, born in 1958, is a graduate painter who has exhibited his work in several European cities. Her daughter Ivana Žigon (born 2 February 1968) is an actress, director and artistic director of the “Kosovski božuri” ensemble.

The 2015 Home Attack

In 2015 an unknown person broke into Jelena Žigon’s house in Belgrade and attacked her. According to media reports, the intruder took money and personal belongings. The actress was 82 at the time, and the incident drew considerable public attention.

Death and Funeral

Jelena Žigon died on 10 April 2018 in Belgrade, in her 85th year (she was 84), after a sudden and brief illness. The specific cause of death was not made public.

She was buried on 13 April 2018 at the Belgrade New Cemetery. The funeral service was held at the Church of Saint Nicholas, and Father Radomir bade her farewell. Actor Tihomir Arsić read a eulogy written by Saša Erdeljanović, and the “Kosovski božuri” choir sang “Lepe moje crne oči”. Her daughter Ivana placed in the grave the book “Tražim pomilovanje” by Desanka Maksimović. Colleagues present included Rada Đuričin, Tanasije Uzunović, Aleksandar Dunić and Lula Živojinović.

Trivia

• She was credited as Jelena Jovanović in the credits of many films, and later signed her name as Jelena Jovanović-Žigon.
• She was compared to Sophia Loren, and Erdeljanović called her “the Balkan Audrey Hepburn for some, the Serbian Sophia Loren for others”.
• Velimir Bata Živojinović noted her sensual voice and her grace, which directors often used in long takes.
• A year after her death, Ivana Žigon opened a memorial room in the Senjak house where Jelena was born.
• After her death, the National Theatre in Belgrade staged a stage-and-music poem dedicated to Desanka Maksimović and Jelena Jovanović Žigon.

Awards and Honors

• Audience award “Zlatni prsten” (Golden Ring) for Best Actress (1961);
• Yugoslav Film Archive Plaque for outstanding contribution to national film (2006);
• “Zlatni beočug” (the year of the award has not been confirmed);
• Order of Njegoš, First Class, in Republika Srpska, for caring for the wounded;
• Njegoš Medal, awarded by Metropolitan Amfilohije Radović;
• Honorary Citizen of Aleksandrovac (2017);
• “Sergei Bondarchuk” Lifetime Achievement Award at the “Golden Knight” international forum in Russia (March 2018), previously received from Serbia by Velimir Bata Živojinović and Lazar Ristovski.

Legacy and Influence

Jelena Žigon left her mark as one of the most elegant actresses of Yugoslav cinema. Her roles in the works of Puriša Đorđević, Kokan Rakonjac and Vlatko Filipović are today counted among the notable achievements of national cinema. As Aunt Jelena in Žika’s Dynasty, she became a character that generations of viewers still enjoy watching.

Her legacy is carried on by her family. Her daughter Ivana Žigon leads “Kosovski božuri” and keeps her mother’s memory alive, while her son Nikola Žigon is an acclaimed painter. The memorial room in Senjak preserves photographs, awards and personal belongings of the actress.