Zlata Petković
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Zlata Petković ( sr-Cyrl, Злата Петковић; 11 February 1954 – 3 December 2012) was a Serbian actress, model, television host and singer. She was Miss Yugoslavia 1971 and is best known for her role as Marija in the 1970s Yugoslav television series ''Povratak otpisanih''.


Early life

Zlata Petković was the daughter of Borislav and Milica. Her parents, who lived in
Niš Niš (; sr-Cyrl, Ниш, ; names in other languages) is the third largest city in Serbia and the administrative center of the Nišava District. It is located in southern part of Serbia. , the city proper has a population of 183,164, while ...
at the time, were visiting Zlata's grandmother Nadica in the small town
Svrljig Svrljig ( sr-cyr, Сврљиг, ) is a town and municipality located in the Nišava District of the Southern and Eastern Serbia, southern Serbia. According to 2011 census, the town has a population of 7,553 inhabitants, while the municipality has ...
when Milica went into labor. It was February 1954, and the roads were closed due to a snowstorm, so her parents could not return to Niš. Petković was born in Svrljig. As a result of her fathers job as an economist, her parents moved often and young Zlata would stay with her grandmother. She recalled that during this time, her grandmother Nadica taught her how to cook. Zlata had a younger brother named Dejan (born 1957). Her parents divorced after her mother wished to settle 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 ...
, while her father wanted to stay in his hometown of Niš.


Career

In Belgrade, Petković signed on to a music competition for young singers. Director Milan Jelić noticed her and offered her a role in his film ''Bubasinter'' (''The Bug Killer''). The film was released 19 July 1971. She later recalled "''I loved music and I thought I would be a singer, then the first music competition in which I participated completely changed my life. I was offered a movie role.''" In 1969, after the music competition, journalists nominated Petković for the "Miss Bambi" competition, organized by the then-popular magazine "Chick". Petković won the first competition in 1969, and the following year a competition for "Miss Teenage Yugoslavia" was held 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 ...
. She won and competed in the world championship in
Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
, where she claimed the title of "Miss Photogenic". Petković triumphed at the Miss Yugoslavia beauty pageant in 1971. As Miss Yugoslavia, she went to
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, where she was a contestant in the 1971 Miss World pageant. In the British capital she met many people from the world of show business and gave an interview for the famous TV network
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
. Soon she started working as a TV announcer in Belgrade, where she remained until she moved to Zagreb to attend the
Academy of Dramatic Art, University of Zagreb The Academy of Dramatic Art ( hr, Akademija dramske umjetnosti or ADU) is a Croatian drama school. Since its inception in 1896, the institution grew in prominence resulting in its successful affiliation with the University of Zagreb in 1979, along ...
. During her time at the academy, she fell in love and had a son named Gvozden. She graduated in 1976 and was offered the role of Marija in the television series ''Povratak otpisanih'', which became her best-known role. She starred in multiple films during the 1970s and 1980s. Her career slowed down in her later years but she still had several roles in popular television shows such as ''
Selo gori, a baba se češlja ''Selo gori, a baba se češlja (English: The village is burning, and the grandmother is combing her hair)'' is a television series in Serbia. First aired in 2007, the show quickly gained national fame with episodes in its third season averaging a ...
''.


Personal life

Aged 19, Petković had a son named Gvozden in July 1973 with her first husband that she met while attending a dramatic arts academy in Zagreb. She later was married to
Sanja Ilić Aleksandar "Sanja" Ilić ( sr-Cyr, Александар "Сања" Илић; 27 March 1951 – 7 March 2021) was a Serbian and Yugoslav musician and composer. Ilić started composing as a teenager. In 1971 he formed the rock band San, which di ...
, composer and keyboardist, who was the front man of the 1970s Yugoslav rock band San. Together they had a son named Andrej in 1984.


Death

On 22 November 2012, Petković suffered a stroke in her apartment. She was operated on 30 November, but died three days later aged 58. She was buried 6 December 2012 in Belgrade's
Novo groblje The New Cemetery ( sr, Ново гробље, ''Novo groblje'') is a cemetery complex in Belgrade, Serbia, with a distinct history. It is located in Ruzveltova street in Zvezdara municipality. The cemetery was built in 1886 as the third Christia ...
cemetery.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Petkovic, Zlata 1954 births 2012 deaths People from Svrljig Yugoslav actresses Miss World 1971 delegates 20th-century Serbian actresses Serbian beauty pageant winners Miss Serbia winners Serbian female models 21st-century Serbian actresses Serbian film actresses Serbian television actresses Academy of Dramatic Art, University of Zagreb alumni