Olivera Katarina

Olivera Katarina studied at University of Belgrade Faculty of Law and University of Arts in Belgrade. The recorded working language is Serbian. The field of work recorded is poetry. Subjects and genres recorded for the work are pop and folk.

• Name — Olivera Katarina • Native Name — Оливера Катарина • Birth Name — Olivera Petrović • Alias — * Olivera Vučo • Olivera Šakić • Born — 5 March 1940 • Birthplace — Belgrade, Kingdom of Yugoslavia • Died — 21 July 2026 • Years Active — 1964–2026 • Genre — * Serbian traditional • folk • chanson • Romani music • pop • Occupation — * Actress • singer • writer • Label — * PGP-RTB • PGP-RTS • Jugoton • Supraphon • Website — http: oliverakatarina.weebly.com/

Olivera Katarina was born Olivera Petrović to father Budimir, a naval captain, and mother Katarina (née Jovančić) on 5 March 1940 in Belgrade, Kingdom of Yugoslavia. She adopted Olivera Katarina in 1969 to honor her mother, who had died on 4 January 1969. She spent her childhood in Belgrade, Dobanovci and Valjevo. As a child, Olivera Katarina attended piano and ballet lessons. In 1959, she went to Paris and enrolled the Alliance Française school in order to improve her French language skills. Olivera Katarina initially enrolled the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law before switching to the Faculty of Dramatic Arts. Among her mates at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts were Milena Dravić and Petar Kralj.

Katarina studied at the academy for theater, film, radio and television in Belgrade. Started her career as a student with a major role as Koštana in a same name play in a National Theater in Belgrade. There she met Vuk Vučo, a theater critic whom she later married. For a role in Goya or the Hard Way to Enlightenment in 1971 (as Olivera Katarina), she was awarded at festivals in Moscow and Venice. Her major success was in Aleksandar Petrović's I Even Met Happy Gypsies, where she played a gipsy singer named Lenče. Film was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 40th Academy Awards, for a Palme d'Or at the 1967 Cannes Film Festival, and for Best Foreign-Language film at the 26th Golden Globe Awards. It won the FIPRESCI Grand Prize of the Jury at the 1967 Cannes Film Festival. Olivera closed this festival with a concert together with Nana Mouskouri and Dionne Warwick. She also had a very prominent singing career. She recorded in Serbian language, as well as in Russian, Japanese, Romanian, Greek, Romani, and Indonesian. She sang traditional Serbian folk songs and Gypsy/Romani songs. In famous Paris Olympia she held 72 consecutive concerts. In 1969, she participated in the national choice to represent Yugoslavia in the Eurovision Song Contest 1969 with the song "Poigraj, poigraj, devojče". Katarina is also known as "the only woman Salvador Dalí knelt in front of", being amazed by her beauty and voice, after her concert in Paris. In 2007, Katarina contributed songs for Marina Abramović's Balkan Erotic Epic, and portrays a goddess in Uroš Stojanović's film Čarlston za Ognjenku.

In her early youth Olivera Katarina dated water polo goalkeeper Milan Muškatirović for several years during the late 1950s. During her time at the film academy she met journalist Vuk Vučo and quickly married him. The marriage lasted only a year and a half. Katarina then for seven years lived in a common-law relationship with the powerful Yugoslav Security Service (UDBA) operative and Avala Film chairman Ratko Dražević. In 1970, Olivera Katarina married Miladin Šakić, an administrator who later became the president of the Red Star Belgrade football club, with then Mayor of Belgrade Branko Pešić as Šakić's best man. The couple's only son Mane, a painter based in Madrid, was born on 1 February 1971. Later in 1971, Šakić sustained serious injuries in a car crash near Mladenovac which left him paralyzed until his death in 1987. In an interview for the Blic daily in 2011, Olivera Katarina claimed she had not been in a relationship with a man after Šakić. Katarina died on 21 July 2026, at the age of 86.

• Title — Year — Role — Notes • Dobra kob — 1964 — Keti • Belo u belom — 1964 — Unknown — Television film • One i on — 1964 — Unknown — Television film • Put oko sveta — 1964 — Rebeka • Akcija inspektora Rukavine — 1965 — Unknown — Television film • Sigurno je sigurno — 1965 — Unknown — Television film • Ponoćni gost — 1965 — Unknown — Television film • Roj — 1966 — Ljubica • Monday or Tuesday Ponedeljak ili utorak — 1966 — Marko's lover • Kiss Kiss, Kill Kill Kommissar X – Jagd auf Unbekannt — 1966 — Bobo • The Dream San — 1966 — Girl • I Even Met Happy Gypsies Skupljači perja — 1967 — Lenče • Mountain of Wrath Planina gneva — 1968 — Olivera • Ima ljubavi, nema ljubavi — 1968 — Unknown • Comandamenti per un gangster — 1968 — Unknown • Do Not Mention the Cause of Death Uzrok smrti ne pominjati — 1968 — Marija • Fräulein Doktor — 1968 — Marchioness de Haro • Wien nach Noten — 1969 — Unknown — Television film • The Soldier Vojnik — 1970 — Milanka — Filmed in 1966 • Mark of the Devil Hexen bis aufs Blut gequält — 1970 — Vanessa Benedikt • Ann och Eve – de erotiska Ann och Eve – de erotiska — 1970 — Singer • Ein großer graublauer Vogel Ein großer graublauer Vogel — 1971 — Diana • Goya or the Hard Way to Enlightenment Goya – oder Der arge Weg der Erkenntnis — 1971 — The Duchess of Alba • Devičanska svirka — 1973 — Sibila — Television film • Polen Dust Polenov prah — 1974 — Unknown • The Dervish and Death Derviš i smrt — 1974 — Kadinica • Hell River Partizani — 1974 — Mila — Also known as Tactical Guerrilla • Hell River Partizani — 1974 — Mila — TV miniseries adapted from the film • Crveni udar — 1974 — Ana • Zarudela zora na Moravi — 1978 — Woman — Television short film • Sedam plus sedam — 1979 — Olivera — Television series • Jelena Gavanski — 1982 — Lina — Television film • Vuk Karadžić — 1987 — Eustahija Radovanović — TV series • Tears for Sale Čarlston za Ognjenku — 2008 — Velika Boginja

• Olivera Katarina (1974) • Alaj mi je večeras po volji (1974) • O. K. (U ime ljubavi) (1976) • Ciganske pesme (1977) • Osvetnica (1979) • Zarudela zora na Moravi (1980) • Idu momci u vojnike (1982) • Retka zverka (1984) • Romanija/Pleme moje... (1999) • Tajna (2009)

• Alaj mi je večeras po volji – Najlepše pesme (1999)

• "Nije to, ljudi, istina" / "Šošana" / "'Ajde da igramo" / "Ne dam, ne dam" (1966) • "Ja ništa ne znam" / "Bosonoga Sendi (Marioneta)" / "Moj je ceo svet (Uno Tranquillo)" / "A Man and a Woman Theme Song" (1967) • "Neću tebe (Doksa to teo)" / "Suliram" / "Svu noć je padao sneg" / "Jer ljubav to je miris belog cveća" (1967) • "Đelem, đelem" / "Rino" / "Trajo, trajo" / "Bida" / "Niška Banja" / "Čerde Mile" (1967) • "Balade" (1968) • "Poigraj, poigraj, devojče" (1969) • "Himna čoveku" (1969) • "Šu, šu" / "Tula" / "Baš sam srećna ja (La felicidad)" / "Eri (Irene Erini)" (1969) • "Ža, ža" / "Lidu, lidu" / "Verka kaluđerka" / "Kaljina, maljina" (1969) • "To je naše more, to su naše gore..." (1971) • "Vatra" / "Ljubav" (1971) • "Budi moj" / "Imam nešto da ti dam" (1971) • "Tam deka ima" / "Dimitrijo" (1971) • "Treperi jedno veče" / "Htela bih da znam" (1972) • "Wakamono ha kaeranakatta" / "Koi ha..." (1973) • "Alba" / "Plovi lađa Dunavom" (1973) • "Ne dodiruj moje lice" / "Ne reci nikom" (1974) • "Pričaj mi o ljubavi" / "Pada noć" (1974) • "Alaj mi je večeras po volji" / "Kamerav" / "Čep, čep u slavinu" / "Verka kaluđerka" (1975) • "Žena" / "Sada i nikada više" (1975) • "Sanjam" / "Bilo je tako lepo sve" (1976) • "Crvena jabuka" / "Sijerinska banja" (1977) • "Nikad ne zaboravi dane naše ljubavi" / "Slatke male laži" (1979)

Olivera Katarina is recorded as actress, singer, poet, model and writer.