On the very day the world celebrates humor, one of the greatest actors and comedians from this region was born – Miodrag Petrović Čkalja.
“I was skinny like a stick, transparent, so from ‘čaklja’ (stick) it became ‘Čkalja,'” this unparalleled comedian explained the origin of his nickname. He began his career in the Drama Studio of Radio Belgrade in 1946. Along with Guta Dobričanin and Mija Aleksić, he performed in the most popular comedy show of that time, “Veselo veče” (Cheerful Evening), when the streets would literally become deserted.
From 1951 to 1977, he was a member of the Comedy Theater in Belgrade. He also acted in the first TV series of Television Belgrade – “Servisna stanica” (Service Station), from 1959. In that series, he became famous for portraying the character of Jordan, the cook. In theater, among other roles, he performed in the play “God Died in Vain” and the anthology comedy by Dragutin Dobričanin “Shared Apartment.”
From 1976, he had the status of a freelance artist. He played numerous roles in films and TV series. His best roles were in the series “Love in the Countryside” (1970), “Truckers” (1972), “Hot Wind” (1980), and “Truckers 2” (1983), as well as in the films “Eagles Fly Early” (1966), “God Died in Vain” (1969), “Paja and Jare” (1973), “The Adventures of Borivoje Šurdilović” (1980), and “Truckers Ride Again” (1984).
He won several awards: the Sterija Award in 1974, the July 7th Award in 1977, the Nušić Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991, the RTS Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995, and the “Golden Turkey” Lifetime Achievement Award at the Comedy Days in Jagodina.
He spent the last years of his life quietly, withdrawing from public life. He passed away on October 20, 2003, in Belgrade.
