Besedka Johnson (October 5, 1925 – April 4, 2013) was an American woman notable for gaining critical praise at the age of 85 in her first and only film, '' Starlet'' (2012).

Biography

Born in Detroit in 1925 as Beatrice Vivian Divic, she moved with her family as a teenager to Southern California. She worked briefly as a model and married a painter whose surname was Johnson. They had three sons together: James (Jim), Marc and Lloyd, before getting divorced. She later married and divorced a second time. In the 1960s, Johnson took the first name Besedka, after a dress shop that she owned and operated in the San Fernando Valley. Later in life she managed a condo in San Francisco for a time before returning to the Los Angeles area. In 2011 she had knee surgery and swam at a Hollywood

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams (philanthropist), Georg ...

as part of her rehabilitation. There she was 'discovered' at the age of 85 by an executive film producer seeking an older woman for a role in a movie. Johnson prepared for an audition and was cast in a lead role in the independent film '' Starlet'' (2012), her only movie. In it she forms a relationship with a much younger woman, played by Dree Hemingway. Johnson garnered critical praise and multiple awards for her performance. Johnson died in 2013. She was survived by her three sons and two grandchildren.

Early years

Johnson was born Beatrice Vivian Divic in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

, on October 5, 1925, one of two children of Milan and Frances Divic. When she was around 17, she moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

to pursue a modeling career. She began using the first name "Besedka" during the 1960s, which came from the name of a dress shop she owned on

Ventura Boulevard Ventura Boulevard is one of the primary east–west thoroughfares in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles, California. Ventura Boulevard is one of the oldest routes in the San Fernando Valley as it was originally a part o ...

Woodland Hills, California Woodland Hills is a neighborhood bordering the Santa Monica Mountains in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Geography Woodland Hills is in the southwestern region of the San Fernando Valley, which is located east of Ca ...

, at the time. She took the surname "Johnson" from her first husband. She later opened another Besedka dress store on Riverside Drive in

North Hollywood North Hollywood is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, the El Portal Theatre, several art galleries, and the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. The North ...

, which she closed in 1981.

Death

Johnson died from complications following surgery for a bacterial infection on April 4, 2013, at Glendale Memorial Hospital in Glendale, California, at the age of 87. Twice divorced, she was survived by her three sons from her first marriage and two grandchildren.

Filmography

Accolades

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Besedka 1925 births 2013 deaths American film actresses Actresses from Detroit Businesspeople from Los Angeles Infectious disease deaths in California 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American women