Mirjana Joković ( sr-cyr, Мирјана Јоковић; born 24 November 1967) is a Serbian film and stage actress, best known for her role as Natalija Zovkov in

Emir Kusturica Emir Kusturica ( sr-cyrl, Емир Кустурица; born 24 November 1954) is a Serbian film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and musician. He also has French citizenship.http://www.serbia.com/emir-kusturica-artist-builder-and-anti-glo ...

's ''Underground'' (1995). She currently is Director of Performance for Acting and an acting teacher in the Theater Faculty of the

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both ...

near

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Early Career in Yugoslavia

Mirjana Jokovic was born in

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

, SFR Yugoslavia. She spent her early years in

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...

, where her father was an industrial engineer. She graduated from the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade and began to perform at the National Theater and the Yugoslav Drama Theater in Belgrade and in films and television. She made her acting debut in the drama series ''Put na jug'' (''Southbound''). She was a regular character in the popular Yugoslav television series ''"Grey Home"'', and in 1988 she was named Best Leading Actress at the Rio de Janeiro Film Festival and Best International Actress at the San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain. In 1989, she starred with

Daniel Day Lewis Sir Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis (born 29 April 1957) is an English retired actor. Often described as one of the preeminent actors of his generation, he received numerous accolades throughout his career which spanned over four decades, incl ...

in the Argentine-British film "

Eversmile, New Jersey ''Eversmile, New Jersey'' ( es, Eterna sonrisa de New Jersey) is a 1989 Argentine-British comedy-drama film directed by Carlos Sorín and starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Mirjana Joković and Gabriela Acher. It was written by Sorín, Jorge Goldenberg a ...

" directed by

Carlos Sorin Carlos may refer to: Places ;Canada * Carlos, Alberta, a locality ;United States * Carlos, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Carlos, Maryland, a place in Allegany County * Carlos, Minnesota, a small city * Carlos, West Virginia ;Elsewher ...

and won best actress for the role at the

San Sebastián International Film Festival The San Sebastián International Film Festival ( SSIFF; es, Festival Internacional de San Sebastián, eu, Donostia Zinemaldia) is an annual FIAPF A category film festival held in the Spanish city of Donostia-San Sebastián in September, in th ...

. in 1991 she played the lead in the German film ', then she moved to the United States, though she continued to make films in Europe. She starred in ''"

Vukovar Vukovar () ( sr-Cyrl, Вуковар, hu, Vukovár, german: Wukowar) is a city in Croatia, in the eastern region of Slavonia. It contains Croatia's largest river port, located at the confluence of the Vuka and the Danube. Vukovar is the seat of ...

"'' (1994) which earned her the Yugoslav Best Actress Award. In 1995 she played the female lead in the film ''"Underground"'', directed by

, which won the Palme d'Or for best film at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

in 1995 and the New York Critics Circle Award for best foreign film. She also made ''

Three Summer Days ''Three Summer Days'' ( sr, Tri letnja dana, Три летња дана) is a 1997 Serbian drama film directed by Mirjana Vukomanović. The film deals with everyday life of Bosnian Serb refugees living and working in Serbia. The film was select ...

'' (1997), for which she received another Yugoslav Best Actress Award, and ''

Cabaret Balkan ''Cabaret Balkan'' is a 1998 Serbian film directed by Goran Paskaljević starring Miki Manojlović and Nebojša Glogovac. Its original Serbian language title is ''Буре барута'' (''Bure baruta'') which means ''Powder Keg''. It was release ...

,'' which won a Special Venice Film Festival Award in 1999.

Career in the American theater and film

Her career in the United States began in theater, as she appeared in the

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

production of ''"Mud, River Stone"'' by

Lynn Nottage Lynn Nottage (born November 2, 1964) is an American playwright whose work often focuses on the experience of working-class people, particularly working-class people who are Black. She has received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama twice: in 2009 for he ...

at the Playwrights Horizon Theater. She also appeared in the chorus and as

Chrysothemis In Greek mythology, Chrysothemis or Khrysothemis (; grc, Χρυσόθεμις, "golden law") is a name ascribed to several characters. ''Female:'' * Chrysothemis, may refer to known as the attributes of the golden harvest as an agricultural demi ...

in the Broadway production of ''

Electra Electra (; grc, Ήλέκτρα) is one of the most popular mythological characters in tragedies.Evans (1970), p. 79 She is the main character in two Greek tragedies, '' Electra'' by Sophocles and '' Electra'' by Euripides. She is also the centra ...

'' directed by

David Leveaux David Leveaux (born 13 December 1957)this source shows 195filmreference.com. Retrieved 9 May 2009 is a British theatre director who has been nominated for five Tony Awards as director of both plays and musicals. He directs in the UK, working at ...

. From 1999 through 2001 she worked at the

American Repertory Theater The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) is a professional not-for-profit theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1979 by Robert Brustein, the A.R.T. is known for its commitment to new American plays and music–theater explorations; to ne ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

. Her roles at ART included Dulle Griet in ''"Full Circle"'' by

Chuck Mee Charles L. Mee (born September 15, 1938) is an American playwright, historian and author known for his collage-like style of playwriting, which makes use of radical reconstructions of found texts. He is also a Special Lecturer of theater at Colu ...

, Hermione in

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''"

The Winter's Tale ''The Winter's Tale'' is a play by William Shakespeare originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, many modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some criti ...

"'',

Desdemona Desdemona () is a character in William Shakespeare's play ''Othello'' (c. 1601–1604). Shakespeare's Desdemona is a Venetian beauty who enrages and disappoints her father, a Venetian senator, when she elopes with Othello, a Moorish Venetian ...

in ''"

Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cypru ...

"'', the part of Natasha/Olga Knipper in ''"Three Farces and a Funeral"'' by

Robert Brustein Robert Sanford Brustein (born April 21, 1927) is an American theatrical critic, producer, playwright, writer, and educator. He founded both the Yale Repertory Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut, and the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, Ma ...

, and ''"

Mother Courage and Her Children ''Mother Courage and Her Children'' (german: Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder, links=no) is a play written in 1939 by the German dramatist and poet Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956), with significant contributions from Margarete Steffin. Four theatrical ...

"'' by

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a pl ...

. In 2003 she played in ''"

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

"'', directed by Emily Mann, at the

McCarter Theater McCarter Theatre Center is a not-for-profit, professional company on the campus of Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. The institution is currently led by Artistic Director Sarah Rasmussen and Managing Director Michael S. Rosenberg. ...

and made the film ''"A Better Way to Die"'' directed by

Scott Wiper Scott Wiper (born July 22, 1970) is an American writer, film director, and actor. He grew up in northeast Ohio and graduated from Wesleyan University in 1992, then moved to Los Angeles to start his first movie. He wrote, directed, and starred i ...

for

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

. She also starred Off-Broadway in ''"Necessary Targets"'' by

Eve Ensler V, formerly Eve Ensler (; born May 25, 1953), is an American playwright, performer, feminist, and activist. V is best known for her play ''The Vagina Monologues''.

, ''

'' by

Sophocles Sophocles (; grc, Σοφοκλῆς, , Sophoklễs; 497/6 – winter 406/5 BC)Sommerstein (2002), p. 41. is one of three ancient Greek tragedians, at least one of whose plays has survived in full. His first plays were written later than, or co ...

at the Hartford Stage, and '' Three Sisters'' by

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

at the

American Conservatory Theater The American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) is a nonprofit theater company in San Francisco, California, United States, that offers both classical and contemporary theater productions. It also has an attached acting school. History The Ameri ...

in San Francisco. After her starring role in ''"Underground"'', she appeared in several European and American films. She played the part of Elena Iscovescu in ''" Side Streets"'', in 1998; the part of Adrijana, in ''"Strsljen"'' (also known as ''The Hornet'', ''Le frelon'', and ''Grenxa'') in 1998; the part of Ana in ''Bure baruta'' (also known as ''Cabaret Balkan'', ''The Powder Keg'', and ''Baril de poudre'') in 1998; the part of a hotel maid in "

Maid in Manhattan ''Maid in Manhattan'' is a 2002 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Wayne Wang and based on a story by John Hughes, who is credited using a pseudonym. It stars Jennifer Lopez, Ralph Fiennes, and Natasha Richardson. In the film, a ho ...

" in 2002; and as Tess in ''"Private Property"'' in 2002. In 2005 she began to teach in the Theater Faculty at the

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...

. In April 2010 she helped to organize the first theater workshop via Internet between CalArts and the

Moscow Art Theater The Moscow Art Theatre (or MAT; russian: Московский Художественный академический театр (МХАТ), ''Moskovskiy Hudojestvenny Akademicheskiy Teatr'' (МHАТ)) was a theatre company in Moscow. It was f ...

School in Moscow, under the auspices of the Binational Presidential Commission created by President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

and Russian President

Dmitri Medvedev Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev ( rus, links=no, Дмитрий Анатольевич Медведев, p=ˈdmʲitrʲɪj ɐnɐˈtolʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mʲɪdˈvʲedʲɪf; born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician who has been serving as the dep ...

. In June 2010 she was invited to come to Moscow by the U.S. Embassy as the first Binational Presidential Commission cultural envoy to stimulate new exchanges with Moscow theaters and theater schools. In 2019 she starred in the Canadian film ''

Easy Land ''Easy Land'' is a 2019 Canadian drama film, written and directed by Sanja Zivkovic. The film stars Mirjana Joković and Nina Kiri as Jasna and Nina, a mother (a trained Architect) and daughter from Serbia who are struggling to adapt to their new ...

''.Emerald Bensadoun
"Calling all cinephiles: Seven Canadian films to look out for at TIFF this year"
''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'', September 3, 2019.

References

External links

Home page of the California Institute of the Arts, faculty biographies

1999 interview with Mirjana Joković in ''Combustible Celluloid''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jokovic, Mirjana 1967 births Living people Actresses from Belgrade 21st-century Serbian actresses Golden Arena winners University of Belgrade Faculty of Dramatic Arts alumni Serbian film actresses Serbian stage actresses Serbian child actresses Yugoslav child actresses