Bata Živojinovic
Encyclopedia
Velimir "Bata" Živojinović (Serbian Cyrillic: Велимир "Бата" Живојиновић) (born 5 June 1933) is a Serbian
actor
and politician.
, Mladenovac
, Serbia
(then Kingdom of Yugoslavia
), under the Kosmaj
mountain. After graduating from acting schools in Užice
and Novi Sad
, he enrolled at the Drama Academy in Belgrade.
Velimir Živojinović preferred acting in theatre to acting on screen, and made his screen debut in 1955 film Pesma sa Kumbare was the beginning of an incredibly prolific silver screen career. Živojinović arguably played more film roles than any other actor in the history of former Yugoslavia. Bata Živojinović's played both heroes and villains and switched between leading and supporting roles. The zenith of his popularity came with WW2-themed action films in the 1970s. One of his best known films from that period was Valter brani Sarajevo
(Valter defends Sarajevo), which gained major success in China
.
He was also known for his close friendship with the Croatian actor Boris Dvornik
. In 1991 Živojinović and Dvornik renounced each other in a series of open letters, which was a gesture often seen as symbolic of the breakup of Yugoslavia. In 2004 it was reported that the two men tried to reconcile. In 2006, the two men publicly reconciled on TV via a video link between Split
and Belgrade
. The actor said that "In the last few years there hasn't been hatred between us", and Dvornik completed the sentence "only a misunderstanding".
In 1990 he was elected for the Serbian Parliament, as a member of Slobodan Milošević
's Socialist Party of Serbia.
at the Pula Film Festival
three times: in 1965, 1967 and 1972.
In August 1993, he was awarded Life Achievement Award "Slavica".
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and politician.
Biography
Živojinović was born in the town of KoraćicaKoraćica
Koraćica is a village situated in Mladenovac municipality in Serbia....
, Mladenovac
Mladenovac
Mladenovac is a town and municipality located in Serbia at 44.43° North, 20.70° East. Mladenovac is one of Belgrade's 17 municipalities. In 2003 the town had total population of 22,200.-Name:...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
(then Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
), under the Kosmaj
Kosmaj
Kosmaj is a mountain south of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. With an elevation of 626 meters, it is the highest point of the entire Belgrade City area and is nicknamed one of two "Belgrade mountains" .- Location :The Kosmaj, is located 40 kilometers south-east of Belgrade...
mountain. After graduating from acting schools in Užice
Užice
Užice is a city and municipality in western Serbia, located at the banks of the Đetinja river. It is the administrative center of the Zlatibor District...
and Novi Sad
Novi Sad
Novi Sad is the capital of the northern Serbian province of Vojvodina, and the administrative centre of the South Bačka District. The city is located in the southern part of Pannonian Plain on the Danube river....
, he enrolled at the Drama Academy in Belgrade.
Velimir Živojinović preferred acting in theatre to acting on screen, and made his screen debut in 1955 film Pesma sa Kumbare was the beginning of an incredibly prolific silver screen career. Živojinović arguably played more film roles than any other actor in the history of former Yugoslavia. Bata Živojinović's played both heroes and villains and switched between leading and supporting roles. The zenith of his popularity came with WW2-themed action films in the 1970s. One of his best known films from that period was Valter brani Sarajevo
Valter Brani Sarajevo
Valter brani Sarajevo is a Yugoslav partisan drama film that takes place during World War II.-Plot:Walter Defends Sarajevo takes place in Sarajevo, Bosnia against the German withdrawal from Yugoslavia towards the end of World War II in 1944. The Nazis are desperate to have their tank divisions in...
(Valter defends Sarajevo), which gained major success in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
He was also known for his close friendship with the Croatian actor Boris Dvornik
Boris Dvornik
Boris Dvornik was a Croatian actor.Born in Split to the family of a carpenter, Boris Dvornik discovered acting talent at an early age, while performing in children's plays. After studying to become an electrician, he began to pursue a full-time acting career...
. In 1991 Živojinović and Dvornik renounced each other in a series of open letters, which was a gesture often seen as symbolic of the breakup of Yugoslavia. In 2004 it was reported that the two men tried to reconcile. In 2006, the two men publicly reconciled on TV via a video link between Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
and Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
. The actor said that "In the last few years there hasn't been hatred between us", and Dvornik completed the sentence "only a misunderstanding".
In 1990 he was elected for the Serbian Parliament, as a member of Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević was President of Serbia and Yugoslavia. He served as the President of Socialist Republic of Serbia and Republic of Serbia from 1989 until 1997 in three terms and as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from 1997 to 2000...
's Socialist Party of Serbia.
Awards
Živojinović was awarded Golden Arena for Best ActorGolden Arena for Best Actor
The Golden Arena awards were established in 1955 as the Yugoslav national film awards, presented annually at the Pula Film Festival. From 1955 to 1990 the awards were given for highest achievements in Yugoslav cinema. In 1991 the festival was cancelled due to the breakup of Yugoslavia, only to...
at the Pula Film Festival
Pula Film Festival
The Pula Film Festival is the oldest Croatian film festival which is held annually in a Roman amphitheater known as the Pula arena since 1954. The festival is usually held in the summer, in July or August....
three times: in 1965, 1967 and 1972.
In August 1993, he was awarded Life Achievement Award "Slavica".
Selected filmography
- Train Without a TimetableTrain Without a TimetableTrain Without a Timetable is a 1959 Yugoslav film directed by Veljko Bulajić. It was entered into the 1959 Cannes Film Festival. The film was also selected as the Yugoslav entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 32nd Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.-Cast:* Stole...
(1959) - The DreamThe Dream (film)The Dream is a 1966 Yugoslavian war film directed by Mladomir Puriša Đorđević. It was entered into the 17th Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Ljubiša Samardžić - Mali* Mihailo 'Misa' Janketic - Decak...
(1966) - I Even Met Happy Gypsies (Skupljači perja)I Even Met Happy GypsiesI Even Met Happy Gypsies is a 1967 Yugoslav film by Serbian director Aleksandar Petrović. Its original Serbian title is Skupljači perja, which means The Feather Gatherers. The film is centered around Roma people's life in a village in northern Vojvodina, but it also deals with subtler themes such...
(1967) - Battle of Neretva (1969)
- Walter Defends Sarajevo (1972)
- The Master and MargaretThe Master and MargaretThe Master and Margaret , is a 1972 Italian-Yugoslav film directed by Aleksandar Petrović.The film is an adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov's 1967 novel The Master and Margarita, although it mainly focuses on the parts of the novel set in 1920s Moscow....
(1972) - Traces of a Black Haired GirlTraces of a Black Haired GirlTraces of a Black Haired Girl is a 1972 Yugoslav film directed by Zdravko Randić. It was entered into the 22nd Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Pavle Vujisic - Paja* Boris Dvornik* Neda Spasojevic - Slavica* Ruzica Sokic...
(1972) - Hell RiverHell RiverHell River, also known as Partizani and The Last Guerilla is a 1974 Yugoslavian partisan film starring Rod Taylor as a Yugoslav raised in America who returns home to fight the Nazis as a partisan in World War Two. Adam West plays a Nazi officer....
(1974) - Beach Guard in WinterBeach Guard in WinterČuvar plaže u zimskom periodu is a 1976 Yugoslav film directed by Goran Paskaljević. It was entered into the 26th Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:* Irfan Mensur - Dragan Pasanovic* Gordana Kosanovic - Ljubica Miladinovic...
(1976) - The Dog Who Loved TrainsThe Dog Who Loved TrainsThe Dog Who Loved Trains , is a 1977 Yugoslav film directed by Goran Paskaljević.The film was nominated for the Golden Bear award at the 28th Berlin International Film Festival in 1978.-Cast:* Svetlana Bojković - Mika* Irfan Mensur - Mladic...
(1977) - The Tiger (1978)
- Balkan ExpressBalkan ExpressBalkan Express is a 1983 Yugoslavian film by director Branko Baletić. In this entertaining, clever satire, it is the beginning of World War II and a group of con artists and thieves decide to pose as musicians under the rubric "The Balkan Express"....
(1983) - Balkan SpyBalkan SpyBalkan Spy is a 1984 Yugoslav comedy film directed by Serbian directors Dušan Kovačević and Božidar Nikolić.-Plot summary:...
(1983) - Battle of Kosovo (1989)
- Pretty Village, Pretty FlamePretty Village, Pretty FlamePretty Village, Pretty Flame is a 1996 Yugoslavian film directed by Srđan Dragojević that gave uniquely bleak yet darkly humorous account of the Bosnian War.It is considered a modern classic of Serbian cinema...
(1996) - The White SuitThe White SuitThe White Suit is a 1999 Serbian language film directed by Lazar Ristovski. It was a co-production between the United Kingdom and Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. It was Yugoslavia's official Best Foreign Language Film submission at the 72nd Academy Awards, but did not manage to receive a nomination....
(1999)