Olivera Katarina Оливера Катарина |
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Birth name | Olivera Petrović |
Also known as | Olivera Vučo, Olivera Šakić |
Born |
Belgrade, Kingdom of Yugoslavia |
5 March 1940
Genres | Serbian traditional, folk, chanson, Gypsy, pop |
Occupation(s) | Actress, singer, writer |
Years active | 1964–present |
Labels | PGP-RTB, PGP-RTS, Jugoton, Supraphon |
Website | http://oliverakatarina.weebly.com/ |
Olivera Katarina (Serbian: Оливера Катарина; née Petrović (Петровић); born 5 March 1940), also previously known as Olivera Vučo (Оливера Вучо) and Olivera Šakić (Оливера Шакић), is a Serbian actress, singer and writer. She was one of the leading stars of Yugoslav cinema in the 1960s and the 1970s, and is probably the best known for her performance in Aleksandar Petrović's film I Even Met Happy Gypsies (1967), which won the Grand Prix at the 1967 Cannes Film Festival.
As a singer, Olivera Katarina has performed music of various genres, varying from Serbian traditional to pop music, and in numerous languages. Her version of "Đelem, đelem", which she performed in I Even Met Happy Gypsies, has been considered as one of the best rendition of that song ever recorded.
Olivera Katarina was born Olivera Petrović to father Budimir, a naval captain, and mother Katarina (née Jovančić) on 5 March 1940 in Belgrade, Kingdom of Yugoslavia. She adopted Olivera Katarina in 1969 to honour her mother, who had died on 4 January 1969. She spent her childhood in Belgrade, Dobanovci and Valjevo.
As a child, Olivera Katarina attended piano and ballet lessons. In 1959, she went to Paris and enrolled the Alliance Française school in order to improve her French language skills. Olivera Katarina initially enrolled the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law before switching to the Faculty of Dramatic Arts. Among her mates at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts were Milena Dravić and Petar Kralj.