With her extraordinary talent and magnificent, timeless roles—roles that only she could play—Radmila Savićević left an indelible mark on the artistic history of this region. Through her spontaneity, wit, warmth, kindness, energy, and natural charm, she won the hearts of an entire nation and became one of the most beloved actresses of all time.
Radmila completed a women’s vocational school because her mother could not afford to send her to a гимназија (academic high school), which was attended by children from wealthier families. Her mother wanted her to become a seamstress, to inherit a sewing machine as part of her dowry, and eventually get married. However, Radmila had different plans for herself.
She had her first public performance in elementary school, playing Baba Sara in a recitation of the same name. During World War II, she took part in charity performances for prisoners held in German camps.
After finishing school, she became a member of the Kruševac Theatre, touring throughout Yugoslavia. She joined the National Theatre in Niš in 1947, where she performed in Kola mudrosti – dvoja ludosti by Alexander Ostrovsky. She later returned to Kruševac, and in 1956 became a permanent member of the National Theatre in Niš, where she appeared in around forty productions. In 1970, she joined the Belgrade Drama Theatre, from which she retired in 1986. She also performed at the Yugoslav Drama Theatre and Atelje 212.
After moving to Belgrade, she conquered not only the stage but also television, film, radio, and entertainment. She landed her first leading television role in 1969 as Živka Štrba in the series Samci, written by Gordan Mihić. She quickly became a favorite TV personality and achieved immense popularity. She delivered a series of iconic roles, including Majka Vuka in Pozorište u kući, Violeta Kruška in Kamiondžije, Savka (Šurda’s grandmother) in Vruć vetar, Baba Tomanija in Babino unuče, Živadinka Žarka Šijaković in Bolji život, and Ristana Riska Golubović in Srećni ljudi.
Her famous lines—“Gde ste, Beograđani!” (“Where are you, Belgraders!”), “babino šugavo,” “zdravo, čovečuljak!” (“hello, little man!”), and “liči” from a commercial—became part of everyday speech across the nation.
She appeared in numerous films, including Saša, Dr, Buba šinter, Prozvan je V-3, Višnja na Tašmajdanu, Tigar, Džangrizalo, Vreme čuda, Obračun u Kazino kabareu, and Video jela, zelen bor, among many others.
Her favorite project was the children’s TV show Dobro veče, deco (“Good evening, children”), which aired on Television Belgrade in 1996.
She was married to actor Božidar Savićević. They did not have children. She passed away on November 8, 2001.
