Branislav Lečić ( sr-Cyrl, Бранислав Лечић; born 25 August 1955) is a Serbian actor, director, academic, writer, politician. Known for his versatile portrayals of emotionally vulnerable characters with strong senses of moral justice, Lečić rose to prominence for his role as the rebellious Crni in twelve-episode mini-series ''
Sivi dom'' (1986).
Since his initial rise to fame, he has established himself as one of the most prolific Serbian actors of all time. He is further known for his role as
Royal Army officer Radekić in ''
Silent Gunpowder'' (1990), poet
Aleksa Šantić
Aleksa Šantić ( sr-Cyrl, Алекса Шантић, (); 27 May 1868 – 2 February 1924) was a poet from Bosnia and Herzegovina. His poetry reflecting both the urban culture of the region. The most common themes of his poems are social inju ...
in biopic television film ''
Moj brat Aleksa'' (1991), literature professor Teodor Kraj in ''
The Professional'' (2003) and eccentric captain Tasić in ''
St. George Shoots the Dragon
''St. George Slays the Dragon'' ( sr, Свети Георгије убива аждаху, ) is a Serbian war drama film directed by Srđan Dragojević and written by Dušan Kovačević. The movie premiered on March 11, 2009.
With a budget of ar ...
'' (2008). For his role in ''Silent Gunpowder'', Lečić was awarded a
Golden Arena for Best Actor
Golden means made of, or relating to gold.
Golden may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
*Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall
*Golden Cap, Dorset
*Golden Square, Soho, London
*Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershir ...
and the Silver St. George Award for Best Actor at the
17th Moscow International Film Festival
The 17th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 8 to 19 July 1991. The Golden St. George was awarded to the Soviet-German film '' Spotted Dog Running at the Edge of the Sea'' directed by Karen Gevorkian.
Jury
* Oleg Yankovsky (Soviet ...
. His other notable starring film credits include ''
My Uncle's Legacy'' (1988), ''
Charuga'' (1991) and ''
Labyrinth
In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (, ) was an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by ...
'' (2002).
Lečić has also done extensive stage work, winning many accolades and critical acclaim. He has been employed in the
Yugoslav Drama Theatre
Yugoslav Drama Theatre ( sr-cyrl, Југословенско драмско позориште, Jugoslovensko dramsko pozorište; abbr. JDP or ''Jugodrp'') is a theatre located in Belgrade, Serbia.
It was founded in 1947 as the representative th ...
ensemble as a drama champion, in which he achieved roles as
Uncle Vanya
''Uncle Vanya'' ( rus, Дя́дя Ва́ня, r=Dyádya Ványa, p=ˈdʲædʲə ˈvanʲə) is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1898, and was first produced in 1899 by the Moscow Art Theatre under the di ...
and
Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
.
He also directs plays at his own LekArt Theatre and teaches
diction
Diction ( la, dictionem (nom. ), "a saying, expression, word"), in its original meaning, is a writer's or speaker's distinctive vocabulary choices and style of expression in a poem or story.Crannell (1997) ''Glossary'', p. 406 In its common meanin ...
and acting at the
Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade.
Politically active, he served as the
Minister of Culture and Media from 2001 to 2004.
Acting career
He graduated from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts of the University of Belgrade as an actor in 1978. He made his lead role as the rebel Vanya in 1977's ''Specijalno vaspitanje''. His portrayal was praised by critics, including Slaven Ivanović, Gavrilo Milivojević, Savo Milosavljević, Dragan Bajetić and Goran Jovanović, the latter expressing concern that Lečić would be typecast as a young and liberal rebel. Supporting roles in ''Hajduk'' (1980) and ''Dečko koji obećava'' (1981), with the lead role in ''Direktan prenos'' (1982) showed Lečić's emotional and acting range in a mature, sensible light.
The zenith of his understanding the everyman's delinquent came with the iconic role of Crni in ''
Sivi dom''. Starring with acting titans
Bata Živojinović
Velimir "Bata" Živojinović ( sr-Cyrl, Велимир "Бата" Живојиновић; 5 June 1933 – 22 May 2016) was a Yugoslav and Serbian actor and politician. He appeared in more than 340 films and TV series, and is regarded as one of ...
and
Dragan Nikolić
Dragoslav "Dragan" Nikolić ( sr-cyr, Драгослав Драган Николић, ; 20 August 1943 – 11 March 2016) was a Yugoslav and later, Serbian actor.
Nikolić studied at Dramatic Arts Academy in Belgrade. In 1967 he starred in the ...
, Lečić became a household name and the role is now considered legendary in the Balkans.
After starring in the series and the film ''
My Uncle's Legacy'' alongside
Fabijan and
Filip Šovagović
Filip Šovagović (born 13 September 1966) is a Croatian actor, film director, comedian, playwright and journalist. At first known simply as the son of renowned actor Fabijan Šovagović, he has established himself as one of the most prolific Cr ...
, he then rose to continental fame as Royal Army officer Rade Radekić in ''
Silent Gunpowder'', winning him the
Golden Arena for Best Actor
Golden means made of, or relating to gold.
Golden may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
*Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall
*Golden Cap, Dorset
*Golden Square, Soho, London
*Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershir ...
and the Silver St. George Award for Best Actor at the
17th Moscow International Film Festival
The 17th Moscow International Film Festival was held from 8 to 19 July 1991. The Golden St. George was awarded to the Soviet-German film '' Spotted Dog Running at the Edge of the Sea'' directed by Karen Gevorkian.
Jury
* Oleg Yankovsky (Soviet ...
. In 1991, he also played poet
Aleksa Šantić
Aleksa Šantić ( sr-Cyrl, Алекса Шантић, (); 27 May 1868 – 2 February 1924) was a poet from Bosnia and Herzegovina. His poetry reflecting both the urban culture of the region. The most common themes of his poems are social inju ...
in biographical television drama ''
Moj brat Aleksa'' (1991), showing a great sense of empathy for the
romantism movement in Europe and later in Bosnia.
In 2002, he starred in ''
Labyrinth
In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (, ) was an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by ...
'', which gained him an Apollo Award at the Novi Sad Culture and Theatre Festival for Outstanding Achievement in a Motion Picture. In 2003, he amassed a leading role as Serbian-language and literature professor Teodor "Teda" Kraj in ''
The Professional'' (2003), which gained universal critical plaudits, including praise from Jasmina Ahmetagić and Muharem Pervić. He also portrayed captain Tasić in ''
St. George Shoots the Dragon
''St. George Slays the Dragon'' ( sr, Свети Георгије убива аждаху, ) is a Serbian war drama film directed by Srđan Dragojević and written by Dušan Kovačević. The movie premiered on March 11, 2009.
With a budget of ar ...
'' (2008), starring with
Lazar Ristovski
Lazar "Laza" Ristovski ( sr-Cyrl, Лазар Ристовски, born 26 October 1952) is a Serbian retired actor, director, producer and writer. He has appeared on stage about 4,000 times, and starred in over 40 films, TV series and TV dramas, ...
,
Zoran Cvijanović
Zoran "Zoki" Cvijanović ( sr-cyr, Зоран "Зоки" Цвијановић; born 25 January 1958) is a Serbian actor and producer. He has starred in over 70 films and television series with his most notable role coming in the drama series '' Si ...
and
Bora Todorović
Borivoje "Bora" Todorović ( sr-Cyrl, Боривоје "Бора" Тодоровић; 5 November 1929 – 7 July 2014) was a Serbian actor. He was the younger brother of the actress, Mira Stupica, and father of Srđan Todorović.
Biography
He h ...
.
Lečić appears in
Boris Malagurski
Boris Malagurski ( sr-Cyrl, Борис Малагурски; born 11 August 1988) is a Serbian-Canadian film director, producer, writer, political commentator, television host, and activist. 's documentary film ''
The Weight of Chains
''The Weight of Chains'' is a 2010 Canadian documentary film directed by Boris Malagurski.[dramas
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been c ...](_blank)
for radio. He has also provided voice-work for numerous Serbian-language dubs for animated feature films, including Anger in ''
Inside Out
Inside Out may refer to:
*Backwards (disambiguation) or inverse
Books
* '' Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd'', by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason
* ''Inside Out'', Christian book by Larry Crabb
* ''Inside Out'', novel by Barry Eisler ...
'' and
Spider-Man Noir
Spider-Man Noir (Peter Parker) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Part of the Marvel Noir universe (Earth-90214), this alternate version of Spider-Man is a noir-themed take on the character ...
in ''
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse''.
Lečić also provided his vocals and dramatic interpretation for ''Bubamara'', a Serbian-language ballad recorded with Montenegrin singer-songwriter
Knez.
He has been very successful in theater, where he received several awards. Lečić one of the founders of several of the most important theater groups that influenced theater of the former
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label= Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavij ...
. As a drama champion in both the Belgrade National Theatre and the Yugoslav Drama Theatre, he has performed in the
Atelje 212
Atelje 212 ( sr-Cyrl, Атеље 212) is a theatre located in Belgrade, Serbia.
Established in 1956 on the premises of the '' Borba'' building in front of 212 chairs, its opening play was the staging of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's ''Faust'' dire ...
Theatre, the
Croatian National Theatre in Split and the
Rector's Palace in Dubrovnik
The Rector's Palace ( hr, Knežev dvor; it, Palazzo dei Rettori) is a palace in the city of Dubrovnik that used to serve as the seat of the Rector of the Republic of Ragusa between the 14th century and 1808. It was also the seat of the Minor Co ...
in a wide spectre of comedic and dramatic roles.
Politics and humanitarianism
Besides acting, he also took part in political life, being the leader of "Plišana revolucija" (Plush Revolution), during the reign of
Slobodan Milošević
Slobodan Milošević (, ; 20 August 1941 – 11 March 2006) was a Yugoslav and Serbian politician who was the president of Serbia within Yugoslavia from 1989 to 1997 (originally the Socialist Republic of Serbia, a constituent republic of ...
. After the victory of the
DOS
DOS is shorthand for the MS-DOS and IBM PC DOS family of operating systems.
DOS may also refer to:
Computing
* Data over signalling (DoS), multiplexing data onto a signalling channel
* Denial-of-service attack (DoS), an attack on a communicat ...
in the 2000 presidential elections, he was named the Minister of culture in the government of the late
Zoran Đinđić
Zoran Đinđić ( sr-Cyrl, Зоран Ђинђић, ; 1 August 1952 – 12 March 2003) was a Serbian politician who served as the prime minister of Serbia from 2001 until his assassination in 2003. He was the mayor of Belgrade in 1997. Đinđi� ...
. After
Čedomir Jovanović
Čedomir "Čeda" Jovanović ( sr-cyr, Чедомир "Чеда" Јовановић, ; born 13 April 1971) is a Serbian politician and businessman.
During the presidency of Slobodan Milošević in Serbia and Montenegro, Yugoslavia, Jovanović beca ...
left
Democratic Party (Serbia), Lečić followed, and became one of the founders of
LDP. Soon afterwards, he left LDP, and founded the "Moja Srbija" (
My Serbia) Movement, taking part in Serbian elections in 2008. In early 2010 he and his party merged into the
Christian Democratic Party of Serbia
The Christian Democratic Party of Serbia ( sr, Демохришћанска Странка Србије, Demohrišćanska Stranka Srbije; abbr. ДХСС, DHSS) was a political party in Serbia.
History
The party was founded in 1997 by Vladan Ba ...
. After the death of its founder and long-term leader
Vladan Batić due to prolonged and progressive cancerous illness, Lecic was elected DHSS party president.
An active and liberal humanitarian, he has worked with various charities, including with colleague and friend
Marko Živić
Marko Živić (4 April 1972 – 14 October 2021) was a Serbian actor and comedian. Dubbed as a great "showman" by media, Živić started his theatre career in 2002 at the Belgrade Drama Theatre. He initially rose to prominence for his role as Le ...
.
Personal life
He has a son Ivan and daughter Ana from his first marriage to Ivana Vujadinovic, older sister of
Bojana Vujadinovic. Later he was married to
Nina Radulović, a television presenter with whom he has a son named Lav. They separated in 2016 and officially divorced in 2017.
Rape accusation
On 22 March 2021, it was revealed that actress
Danijela Stajnfeld accused Lečić of raping her in 2012, while on the same day an audio recording of their phone call was leaked to the public of what appears to be a conversation between Lečić and Štajnfeld about the alleged rape. On 13 July 2021, the Public Prosecutor's Office dismissed Štajnfeld's criminal report.
Selected filmography
Film
Television
Serbian dubs
See also
*
Cinema of Serbia
The Cinema of Serbia refers to the film industry and films made in Serbia or by Serbian filmmakers.
Serbia (both as an independent state and as part of Yugoslavia) has been home to many internationally acclaimed films and directors. Many of the ...
References
External links
*
"Make Up" The Latest Branislav Lecic Film
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lecic, Branislav
1955 births
Living people
21st-century Serbian writers
20th-century Serbian writers
20th-century Serbian male actors
21st-century Serbian male actors
Writers from Šabac
Democratic Party (Serbia) politicians
Liberal Democratic Party (Serbia 2005) politicians
Serbian male actors
Serbian male film actors
Serbian male television actors
Serbian male stage actors
Serbian male voice actors
Serbian theatre directors
Serbian television directors
Serbian film directors
Serbian dramatists and playwrights
Serbian actor-politicians
Golden Arena winners
Ljubinka Bobić Award winners
Miloš Žutić Award winners
University of Belgrade Faculty of Dramatic Arts alumni
Zoran Radmilović Award winners
Dr. Branivoj Đorđević Award winners
Croatian Theatre Award winners
Politicians from Šabac