One of the most striking actresses in this region was born as Olivera Đorđević. She was only nine years old when she founded a “theater group” in Niška Banja, where she was the main actress, director, author of texts, and manager.
She enrolled in the Academy in 1948 and studied under Mate Milošević. She became a member of the Belgrade Drama Theatre in 1951. Throughout her career, she played over 150 roles in theater and starred in more than 50 films. She received the National Theatre Award twice, for her roles as Mother Courage in 1972 and Klara in 1978.
She was professional and dedicated, but also modest and headstrong, a true acting diva who famously turned down Hollywood.
Namely, when she played Lady Macbeth in the film “Siberian Lady Macbeth,” she was noticed by one of the Hollywood greats who wanted to take her there. However, she wasn’t particularly interested. After a tour in Bulgaria in 1964 with the ensemble “Frula,” she “didn’t have time” to wait for Kirk Douglas, who expressed a desire to meet her.
However, one “acknowledgment” was especially precious to her – she performed in the play “The Brothers Karamazov” at the JDP, and in the audience that evening was Laurence Olivier, who at that time, together with his wife Vivien Leigh, was visiting Belgrade with his play. After the curtain fell, he approached Olivera, kissed her hand, and said literally: “I will never forget your character and voice.” Interestingly, Olivera did not speak English at the time and could not understand the compliment from the legendary actor and director, one of the greatest in the history of theater.
