Velimir "Bata" Živojinović Велимир "Бата" Живојиновић |
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Živojinović at a China trade signing in Belgrade on 14 June 2008.
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Born |
Velimir Živojinović 5 June 1933 Koraćica, Danube Banovina, Kingdom of Yugoslavia |
Died | 22 May 2016 Belgrade, Serbia |
(aged 82)
Years active | 1955–2013 |
Spouse(s) | Lula Živojinović (m. 1960–2016) |
Awards |
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Velimir "Bata" Živojinović (Serbian Cyrillic: Велимир "Бата" Живојиновић; 5 June 1933–22 May 2016) was a Serbian actor and politician. He acted in more than 340 films and TV series and is regarded one of the best actors in former Yugoslavia.
Velimir Živojinović (nicknamed Bata) was born in the village of Koraćica under the Kosmaj mountain near Mladenovac, at the time Kingdom of Yugoslavia (now Serbia). His father Dragoljub was an official and his mother Tiosava was a housewife. He had two sisters, Stanka and Nada, and grew up in a patriarchal household. A conflict between Dragoljub and the Chetniks during World War II forced the family to move to Belgrade. The family lived in the urban neighbourhood of Crveni Krst. Young Bata often went with his friends to the cinema, which sparked his interest in acting. Loitering around the "20th October" cinema, he watched AKUD Branko Krsmanović, a Belgrade troupe, through the window for several days until he was welcomed inside. There he befriended Soja Jovanović, instrumental in the developing of Bata's love for acting, Radoš Novaković, through whom he received his first film gig, Rade Marković, Olivera Marković, Đuza Stojiljković, Mića Tomić, and Bata Paskaljević. After graduating from acting schools in Niš and Novi Sad, he enrolled at the Drama Academy in Belgrade.