Antun Nalis
Encyclopedia
Antun Nalis aka Tonči Nalis, was a Croatian actor.
Antun Nalis was born in Zadar
, which was part of Austria-Hungary
at the time. After World War I
Zadar became part of Italy
, which later helped Nalis to play in Italian movies and portray Italian characters.
Nalis began to build his film career after World War Two
. His first screen appearance in 1949 film Zastava almost became his last. In the film he played an Ustasha
colonel and in the break between shooting he went to the store to buy groceries, forgetting to change his clothes. He was arrested by UDBA
and it took some time to convince authorities that he was an actor playing Ustasha rather than actual Ustasha hiding in the woods after the war.
Not discouraged by the incident, Nalis continued with his career, appearing in many classics of 1950s and 1960s Croatian and Yugoslav cinema. Gradually he built a reputation as one of the most recognisable and dependable character actors.
Antun Nalis was born in Zadar
Zadar
Zadar is a city in Croatia on the Adriatic Sea. It is the centre of Zadar county and the wider northern Dalmatian region. Population of the city is 75,082 citizens...
, which was part of Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
at the time. After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Zadar became part of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, which later helped Nalis to play in Italian movies and portray Italian characters.
Nalis began to build his film career after World War Two
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. His first screen appearance in 1949 film Zastava almost became his last. In the film he played an Ustasha
Ustaše
The Ustaša - Croatian Revolutionary Movement was a Croatian fascist anti-Yugoslav separatist movement. The ideology of the movement was a blend of fascism, Nazism, and Croatian nationalism. The Ustaše supported the creation of a Greater Croatia that would span to the River Drina and to the border...
colonel and in the break between shooting he went to the store to buy groceries, forgetting to change his clothes. He was arrested by UDBA
UDBA
The Department of State Security was the secret police organization of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.Although it operated with more restraint than other secret...
and it took some time to convince authorities that he was an actor playing Ustasha rather than actual Ustasha hiding in the woods after the war.
Not discouraged by the incident, Nalis continued with his career, appearing in many classics of 1950s and 1960s Croatian and Yugoslav cinema. Gradually he built a reputation as one of the most recognisable and dependable character actors.