One of the greatest actresses of former Yugoslavia, Milena Dravić, has passed away!

BELGRADE, (Patria) - One of the greatest actresses of former Yugoslavia, Milena Dravić, passed away last night at the Clinical Hospital Center Bežanijska kosa in Belgrade at the age of 79, reports Blic.

Milena was undergoing treatment there; she had been unwell in the last few days, doctors tried everything, but there was no salvation. Two and a half years ago, she lost her husband, Dragan Nikolić, and had been battling illness ever since. This summer, she visited Pula, Herceg Novi, and Palić, where a monograph about her was promoted.

Milena Dravić was born on October 5, 1940, in Belgrade. A film, theater, and television actress, she is considered the greatest diva in the former Yugoslavia.

She performed twenty theater roles in productions of various theatrical companies, many of which received multiple awards and some were performed for over fifteen years. She played more than 150 film and TV roles.

She was married for four and a half decades to actor Dragan Nikolić (1971-2016), from 1967 to 1969 to director Vojislav Kokan Rakonjac (1935-1969), and in 1960/61 in a short-lived marriage with director Mladomir Puriša Đorđević.

In this region, she is the only recipient of an acting award at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, which she received for her role in Goran Paskaljević's film "Poseban Tretman" (Special Treatment), with a screenplay by Duško Kovačević.

Her most famous roles were in the films "Kozara," "Ljubavni život Budimira Trajkovića," "Rad na određeno vreme," "Moj tata na određeno vreme," "Sekula se opet ženi," "Nije lako sa muškarcima," and "Zona Zamfirova." She is also known as the teacher from the cult series "Priče iz Nepričave," Vera from "Policajac sa Petlovog brda," and as Vukosava Petrović and Spomenka from the TV comedies "Pozorište u kući" and "Lud, zbunjen, normalan."

With her third husband and colleague, Dragan Nikolić, she hosted the popular show program "Obraz uz obraz" from 1972 to 1974.

Milena often played single mothers, peasant women, working-class women, and was also a pioneer and an eccentric heroine in the films of the Black Wave. A significant part of her career success is also due to the romantic comedies in which she starred alongside Ljubiša Samardžić.

She is the recipient of a number of the most prestigious awards, including the "Golden Rose" at the Venice Film Festival, the "Golden Haridba" at the Taormina Film Fest, the "Golden Laceno" in Avellino, multiple Golden and Silver Arenas at the Pula Film Festival, the "Dobričin prsten," "Pavle Vujisić," "Statueta Joakim Vujić," the "Golden Seal" of the Yugoslav Cinematheque, the "Belgrade Victor," and others.

Among the awards presented by the media, the recognition "Actress of the Century" by "Večernje Novosti" (alongside Mira Stupica) stands out.