Actor Dragan Nikolić Passes Away After Long Illness

The legend of Serbian acting, Dragan Gaga Nikolić, passed away today at the age of 72 after a long battle with a serious illness, according to Serbian media, reports the BH news agency Patria.

Nikolić was born in 1943 in Belgrade. He began his film career in 1964 with a minor role in the film “Pravo stanje stvari” (The True State of Affairs).

He achieved his first significant leading role in the film “Kad budem mrtav i beo” (When I Am Dead and White) (1967) by Živojin Pavlović. He played leading and major supporting roles in more than thirty films; notable among them are “Horoskop” (Horoscope) (B. Drašković, 1969); “Bube u glavi” (Bugs in the Head) (M. Radivojević, 1970), “Uloga moje porodice u svetskoj revoluciji” (The Role of My Family in the World Revolution) (B. Čengić, 1971), “Mlad i zdrav kao ruža” (Young and Healthy as a Rose) (J. Jovanović, 1971), “Bez reči” (Without Words) (M. Radivojević, 1972, Emperor Constantine in Niš), “Kičma” (Spine) (V. Gilić, 1975), “Nacionalna klasa” (National Class) (G. Marković, 1979, Emperor Constantine), “Ko to tamo peva” (Who's Singing Over There) (S. Šijan, 1980), “Banović Strahinja” (V. Mimica, 1981), where he was awarded the Golden Arena in Pula for his role as the Turkish robber Alija, “Sezona mira u Parizu” (A Season of Peace in Paris) (P. Golubović, 1981), „Nešto između“ (Something in Between) (S. Karanović, 1983), “Balkan ekspres” (Balkan Express) (B. Baletić, 1983), “Obećana zemlja“ (Promised Land) (V. Bulajić, 1986), “Poslednji krug u Monci” (The Last Lap in Monza) (A. Bošković, 1989), “Original falsifikata” (Original Forgery) (D. Kresoja, 1991).

He also appeared in short feature films and on television; the character of Prle from the films and television series “Otpisani” (The Written Off) (1974) and “Povratak otpisanih” (Return of the Written Off) (1976), directed by Aleksandar Đorđević, brought him great popularity with the younger audience, and he also distinguished himself in the show program series “Obraz uz obraz” (Face to Face), together with his wife Milena Dravić.