Milena Dravić | Origin of Street Names

Milena Dravić (1940 - 2018) was arguably the most popular Serbian and Yugoslav actress of all time, recipient of prestigious film and theater awards, and an artist who, through her professional achievements and dignified public demeanor, earned the status of a true film diva.

Born in Belgrade, Milena Dravić grew up in Dorćol, where she completed elementary school and the First (then all-boys) Gymnasium. Her talent for the stage and public performance was first noticed by her aunt, who advised her parents to enroll her in a ballet school.

Thanks to ballet classes, she was noticed in 1958 when, during a summer vacation in Sarajevo, she unexpectedly landed a role in the film "The Doors Are Left Open" by Slovenian director František Čap.

This short film caught the attention of other filmmakers of that era, and the young natural talent appeared in five more films before enrolling in the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in 1962.

In the same year, she landed a role in the film "The Unwanted Woman" for which she received the Golden Arena at Pula - a prestigious award at the most significant film festival in the country. From that moment, at only 22 years old, Milena Dravić became a new star in the Yugoslav film industry.

The rest is history... With over 150 television and dozens of theater roles, many of which are considered iconic, Milena Dravić has established herself as an immortal dramatic artist in Serbia and the former Yugoslavia over the course of six decades.

From roles in partisan war films, where she acted alongside Hollywood stars such as Richard Burton, Orson Welles, and Yul Brynner (in the late 80s and with Brad Pitt), to roles in banned "Black Wave" films, to legendary roles in romantic comedies alongside Ljubiša Samardžić, Milena Dravić covered the widest range of characters and personalities that earned her numerous film and theater awards.

Playing lead roles in over 120 films, more than 30 television series, and around 20 theater performances, Milena Dravić became one of the most beloved TV personalities in the country and enjoyed that status for decades.

Her long-lasting marriage with another acting legend, Dragan Nikolić, which lasted for 45 years, contributed to making this couple a synonym for a harmonious relationship and enduring love despite the extreme popularity of both actors and all the temptations that fame brings.

The most popular acting couple in the region lived for years like any normal person, unaffected by fame, in the Čubura neighborhood of Belgrade. As one of the symbols of this area, the entrance of the building they lived in is now adorned with magnificent murals of the two actors.

Milena Dravić passed away at the age of 79, two years after her husband, and she was buried next to him in the Alley of Greats at the New Cemetery.

Symbolically, in honor of the most famous Serbian actress, streets in several settlements in Serbia bear the name Milena Dravić, and it is expected that there will be even more in the future.