Tatjana Šimić (born 9 June 1963), also known by the

mononym A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. In some cases, a mononym selected by an individual may have originally been from a polynym, a word which refers to one o ...

Tatjana, is a Croatian-

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

model, actress and singer.

Biography

Šimić was born in

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

PR Croatia The Socialist Republic of Croatia ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Hrvatska, Социјалистичка Република Хрватска), or SR Croatia, was a constituent republic and federated state of the Sociali ...

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

on 9 June 1963, but moved with her mother and sister to

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

in 1979 at the age of 16. In the 1980s, having won a national modeling contest, she commenced work as an actress and model. In the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, she remains known for her portrayal of the character Kees Flodder, a daughter in the dysfunctional and anti-social

Flodder ''Flodder'' is a 1986 Dutch comedy film written and directed by Dick Maas, and distributed by First Floor Features. It is the first film in the Flodder franchise and is followed by two more films and a spin-off series. The film follows an anti- ...

family, which featured in several Dutch comedy

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

s and a television series in the 1980s and 1990s. The original movie was popular in the Netherlands, reaching two and a half million viewers. Šimić, a

sex symbol A sex symbol or icon is a person or character widely considered sexually attractive.Pam Cook, "The trouble with sex: Diana Dors and the Blonde bombshell phenomenon", In: Bruce Babinigton (ed.), ''British Stars and Stardom: From Alma Taylor to ...

, has appeared on the cover of ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...

'' seventeen times between 1988 and 1996; thirteen times on the Dutch edition and four times on the German edition. In December 2012, she made her last appearance in the Dutch Playboy's Christmas special. Šimić started a recording career in 1987 with her first

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

, "Baby Love". Her song "Chica Cubana" became a hit in Europe, followed a year later by "Awaka Boy" in 1989. In 1992, she recorded a version of "

Can't Take My Eyes Off You "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" is a 1967 song written by Bob Crewe and Bob Gaudio. It was recorded as a single by Frankie Valli. The song was among his biggest hits, earning a gold record and reaching No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for a week ...

" with Dutch singer

Gerard Joling Gerard Jan Joling (born 29 April 1960) is a Dutch singer and television presenter. Known for his high tenor voice, he rose to fame in the late 1980s and released a string of singles including "Ticket to the Tropics" and "Love Is in Your Eyes". H ...

. Her first album was released in 1993 and included the hit "Feel Good" which reached #25 in the Netherlands Top 40. Her best known song "Santa Maria" was recorded and produced by Mike Stock and

Matt Aitken Matthew James Aitken (born 25 August 1956) is an English songwriter and record producer, brought up in Astley, Greater Manchester, best known as the creative force behind the 1980s and early 1990s songwriting/production trio Stock Aitken Waterman ...

Stock Aitken Waterman Stock Aitken Waterman (abbreviated as SAW) are an English songwriting and record production trio consisting of Mike Stock, Matt Aitken, and Pete Waterman. The trio had great success from the mid-1980s through the early 1990s. SAW is considered ...

becoming an international dance hit.">cafe80s: Tatjana "Santa Maria" press release
/ref> It peaked at #40 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in September 1996. A follow up single "Calendar Girl" (1996) failed to attract the same success. A full album produced by Stock & Aitken's in-house producers Dave Ford, Julian Gingell and Peter Day called ''New Look'' was released in Japan (titled ''Santa Maria'') and the Netherlands. It included the singles, "Santa Maria", "Calendar Girl" and new singles "First Time" and "Sweet Sweet Smile". Since then she has released a number of dance singles, with "Baila Baila" reaching the Dutch Top 40 at #24 in 2001. In 2008, Tatjana made a comeback to the music scene with the Dutch language song ''Ik Laat Je Gaan'', a cover of Croatian artist

Tony Cetinski Anthony Cetinski (born 31 May 1969), known professionally as Tony Cetinski, is a Croatian pop singer. Today, he is one of the most popular male singers in Croatia and countries of former Yugoslavia. Biography Born into a family of musicians in P ...

's ''Blago Onom Tko Te Ima'', which left her signature disco sound behind for a more rock pop style. The track was Tatjana's biggest Dutch hit to date reaching #11 in the Dutch Singles Chart.

Discography

Albums

* 1991: ''Tatjana'' * 1993: ''Feel Good'' * 1996: ''Santa Maria'' * 1997: '' New Look'' NL #70

Singles

* 1987: "Baby Love" * 1988: "Chica Cubana" NL #11 * 1988: "Awaka Boy" NL #40 * 1990: "A Letter To Your Heart" * 1991: " You and Me" NL #81 * 1992: "

" NL #6 * 1993: "Feel Good" NL #21 * 1993: "Never Never" * 1994: "

Don't You Want Me "Don't You Want Me" is a song by British synthpop group the Human League (credited on the cover as The Human League 100). It was released on 27 November 1981 as the fourth single from their third studio album, '' Dare'' (1981). The band's best ...

Baby" * 1995: " Santa Maria" NL #37, AUS #50, UK #40 * 1996: "Calendar Girl" NL #73 * 1997: "The First Time" NL #41 * 1997: "O Baby I" * 1999: "Crazy Way About You" * 1999: "Be There In Time" * 1999: "Wait And Wonder" * 2000: "Baila Baila" NL #24 * 2008: "Ik laat je gaan" NL #11

Filmography

Film

* ''

'' (1986) - Kees Flodder * ''Appointment with Yesterday'' (TV film, 1988) * ''Starke Zeiten'' (1988) * ''My Blue Heaven'' (1990) - Suzy * ''Zlatne godine'' (1992) - TV Journalist * ''

Flodder in America ''Flodders in America'' ( nl, Flodder in Amerika!), released in Quebec as ''Les Lavigueur Redéménagent'', is a 1992 Dutch comedy film directed by Dick Maas. The film is the sequel of the successful film ''Flodder'' from 1986. It was filmed on l ...

'' (1992) - Kees Flodder * ''

Flodder 3 '' Flodder 3 '' (Alternative titles: ''Flodder Forever'' or ''Flodder: The Final Story'') is a 1995 Dutch comedy film directed by Dick Maas. It is the third and last movie about the anti-social family, called 'Flodder'. The movie is a continuatio ...

'' (1995) - Kees Flodder

Television

* ''Flodder de TV-serie'' (1993–1998) - Kees Flodder

References

External links

* "Tatjana"at Allmusic.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Simic, Tatjana 1963 births Living people Croatian television actresses Dutch dance musicians Dutch female models 21st-century Dutch women singers 21st-century Dutch singers Dutch film actresses Dutch television actresses 20th-century Dutch women singers Croatian emigrants to the Netherlands Eurodance musicians 1990s Playboy Playmates Models from Zagreb English-language singers from Croatia