Serbian actor Velimir Bata Živojinović, bard of the Yugoslav film scene, passed away at the age of 83. Bata Živojinović will be remembered after numerous film roles which marked the Yugoslav cinematography, as a symbol of one time.
Bata Živojinović was born in Jagodina on June 5, 1933. His father worked as a court executive at the time. Bata discovered his talent for acting when he was 15 years old, working as a scene worker and sometimes as an extra in the Academic Theatre in Belgrade.
After graduating from High Acting School in Niš and Novi Sad, Živojinović tried to enroll in the Theatre Academy in Belgrade. He succeeded from third attempt. He played in the Belgrade drama theatre for several years, with approximately 300 engagements annually.
Živojinović embarked on the continuous film career with episodes in “Vlak bez voznog reda” from 1959 and in “War” from 1960. Both mentioned works were directed by Veljko Bulajić, and Bata Živojinović played main roles in almost all of his later films.
Roles that Bata Živojinović played were not just great, but varied as well. He was often called “the partisan actor”. He played heroes and villains and transformed from the main to the cameo role with ease. During the 1960s, thanks to the films such as “Kozara” (for which he received an award in Pula) and “Battle of the Neretva” he was enthroned as one of the greatest stars of the cinematography of the former Yugoslavia. His popularity was on the peak during the 1970s, thanks to films based on Second World War topics.
One of the most famous Živojinović’s films from this period is “Walther defends Sarajevo”, which achieved great success in China and Živojinović is still a great star in China.
During the 1980s, Živojinović made parodies of his image of an action hero with roles in a series of light comedies. He won numerous awards. In August 1993, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award “Slavica” for his roles in the Yugoslav cinematography. In the 45 year long career, Živojinović acted in over 250 films and a dozen of TV series.
(Source: klix.ba/photo: pulsonline.rs)
