Milivoje Tomić | Origin of Street Names

Milivoje Mića Tomić (1920 - 2000) was a legendary Serbian and Yugoslav actor who, over a 45-year career, portrayed numerous iconic and unforgettable supporting roles but, interestingly, never a leading one. For this reason, he held the unofficial title of "master of supporting roles," which he perfected to perfection.

Born in Belgrade, Mića Tomić belonged to the first post-war generation of actors (Ljuba Tadić, Pavle Vuisić, Čkalja, Rade Marković, and others) who left a lasting mark on domestic film and theater art after World War II.

Originally a law student, Mića Tomić began his acting career relatively late, in his early 30s, at the Department of Theater Arts of the Music Academy, before the Faculty of Dramatic Arts was established.

He predominantly performed in theaters such as Belgrade Drama Theater, Atelje 212, and Terazije Theater (formerly known as Savremeno pozorište), and made his first appearance on the big screen in the mid-1950s with the premiere role in "Sumnjivo lice" directed by Soja Jovanović.

Over the years, Mića Tomić perfected his supporting characters in the hit films of former Yugoslavia to such an extent that often even someone's leading roles were overshadowed by his episodic appearances.

The legendary Grandpa Maks in "Maratonci," the Chinese Mandarin Vo-Ki in "Put oko sveta," Grandpa Aleksa in "Ko to tamo peva," Crazy Grandpa Đole in "Velika frka," John Dimitrijević in "Nije lako sa muškarcima," Floyd's father in "Nacionalna klasa" are just some of Mića Tomić's most memorable roles, of which he had nearly two hundred throughout his career.

In addition to the iconic lines that represent the trademark of certain films, Mića Tomić also played several masterful roles in which he didn't utter a single word (Maksimilijan Topalović in "Maratonci," Đorđe Slavković in "Velika frka").

This actor, who practically "branded" the ordinary everyday person in domestic cinema, was so striking and authentic in shaping his characters that it is almost unbelievable that he never played a single leading role in nearly five decades of his career, and yet he was perhaps more popular than most actors in the country.

He received a well-deserved lifetime achievement award in 1997, and the following year, he played his final film role as a school bellringer in the also iconic "Lajanje na zvezde."

Mića Tomić passed away at the age of 81 and was buried in Belgrade.

Like several acting legends who have had streets named after them in Belgrade and cities across Serbia, Milivoje Mića Tomić's name graces a small street in the Mirijevo neighborhood of Belgrade.