Iván Petrovich (; 1 January 1894 – 18 October 1962) was a
Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map =
, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
n film actor and singer.
He was the first actor from
Yugoslavia
, common_name = Yugoslavia
, life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation
, p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia
, flag_p ...
to have a successful international movie career. Petrovich mainly worked in German cinema, but also collaborated with established directors in some 100 Hungarian, French, Spanish,
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...
n and
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywood ...
movies.
Early life
He was born Svetislav Petrović ( sr-Cyrl, Светислав Петровић) on 1 January 1894 in Újvidék,
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
, today
Novi Sad
Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; #Name, see below for other names) is the List of cities in Serbia, second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannoni ...
in the
Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map =
, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
n province of
Vojvodina
Vojvodina ( ; sr-Cyrl, Војводина, ), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an Autonomous administrative division, autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia, located in Central Europe. It lies withi ...
. His father Mladen was a tailor who made uniforms for the Serbian army. After finishing the primary education in his hometown, he moved to
Budapest
Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...
, where he graduated from the Polytechnic academy.
He was a talented singer and violinist and was an accomplished athlete, who participated as a swimmer at the
1912 Summer Olympics
The 1912 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the V Olympiad () and commonly known as Stockholm 1912, were an international multi-sport event held in Stockholm, Sweden, between 6 July and 22 July 1912. The opening ceremony was he ...
in
Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
.
During the
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
he was drafted into the Austro-Hungarian army and after the war ended, he moved to
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
to pursue a film career.
Career
Early career
In Vienna he met a film director Mihály Kertész, who fled Hungary after the war, and who will later make a major Hollywood career as
Michael Curtiz
Michael Curtiz (; born Manó Kaminer; from 1905 Mihály Kertész; ; December 24, 1886 April 10, 1962) was a Hungarian-American film director, recognized as one of the most prolific directors in history. He directed classic films from the silen ...
. Kertész directed Petrovich in three movies: '' The Sunflower Woman'' in 1918 on the play by
Ivo Vojnović
Ivo Vojnović (9 October 1857 – 30 August 1929) was a writer from Dubrovnik.
Biography
Vojnović was born in Dubrovnik as the first son of Count Konstantin Vojnović (1832–1903) and Maria de Serragli (1836–1922) on 9 October 1857 in D ...
, '' The Lady with the Black Gloves'' in 1919 and, the most successful, '' The Star of Damascus'' in 1920. Kertész thought that Petrovich's name Svetislav is too hard to remember, so he chose Iván for him. He later worked with a prominent Hungarian directors
Paul Czinner
Paul Czinner (30 May 1890 – 22 June 1972) was a Hungarian-born British writer, film director, and producer.
Biography
Czinner was born to a Jewish family in Budapest, Austria-Hungary.
After studying literature and philosophy at the Universi ...
In the mid 1920s he became an international star with a string of French movies, styled "the most cherished lover of the French cinema". He marked the period, mostly being typecast as a latin lover, in the movies of
Léonce Perret
Léonce Joseph Perret (14 March 1880 – 12 August 1935) was a prolific and innovative French film actor, director and producer.The Museum of Modern Art(retrieved 7 June 2007) He also worked as a stage actor and director. Often described as avan ...
Germaine Dulac
Germaine Dulac (; born Charlotte Elisabeth Germaine Saisset-Schneider; 17 November 1882 – 20 July 1942)Flitterman-Lewis 1996 was a French filmmaker, film theorist, journalist and critic. She was born in Amiens and moved to Paris in early chil ...
Petrovich was noticed by Hollywood director Rex Ingram who at the time lived and worked in
Southern France
Southern France, also known as the south of France or colloquially in French as , is a geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Marais Poitevin,Louis Papy, ''Le midi atlantique'', Atlas e ...
, where he established a studio in
Nice
Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionAlice Terry: '' The Magician'' in 1926, and '' The Garden of Allah'' and '' The Three Passions'', both in 1927. At one point, Petrovich was considered as one of the potential successors of
Rudolf Valentino
Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926), known professionally as Rudolph Valentino and nicknamed The Latin Lover, was an Italian actor who starred in several well-known sile ...
, who died prematurely in 1926.
Transition to sound
With the advent of sound, Petrovich's career did not seem to be hampered. Tall, handsome and good looking, with a sonorous voice, he even prospered, expanding his acting range to the more character roles, like the aristocrats, noblemen, officers and priests, in the "Slavic charm" manner. However, even though multilingual, his bad English accent turned out to be an insurmountable obstacle, so he had to scrap his Hollywood plans.
Germany
He made some 40 films in Germany before the outbreak of the war, under the direction of the best German directors and co-starring with the most popular actors of the period. As a good singer, he was frequently cast in filmed
operetta
Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...
s.
He worked often with directorial couple
Jacob
Jacob, later known as Israel, is a Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions. He first appears in the Torah, where he is described in the Book of Genesis as a son of Isaac and Rebecca. Accordingly, alongside his older fraternal twin brother E ...
and
Luise Fleck
Luise Fleck, also known as Luise Kolm or Luise Kolm-Fleck, née Louise or Luise Veltée (1 August 1873–15 March 1950), was an Austrian film director, and has been considered the second ever female feature film director in the world, after Al ...
Richard Oswald
Richard Oswald (5 November 1880 – 11 September 1963) was an Austrian film director, producer, screenwriter, and father of German-American film director Gerd Oswald.
Early life and career
Richard Oswald, born in Vienna as Richard W. Ornstein, ...
Marta Eggerth
Marta Eggerth (17 April 1912 – 26 December 2013) was a Hungarian actress and singer from "The Silver Age of Operetta". Many of the 20th century's most famous operetta composers, including Franz Lehár, Fritz Kreisler, Robert Stolz, Oscar ...
Augusto Genina
Augusto Genina (28 January 1892 – 18 September 1957) was an Italian film pioneer. He was a movie producer and director.
Biography
Born in Rome, Genina was a drama critic and wrote comedies for the ''Il Mondo'' Magazine, under advise of Aldo ...
Max Neufeld
Max Neufeld (13 February 1887 – 2 December 1967) was an Austrian film director, actor and screenwriter. He directed 70 films between 1919 and 1957. He directed the 1934 film ''The Song of the Sun'', which starred Vittorio De Sica.
Selecte ...
Die Fledermaus
' (, ''The Bat'', sometimes called ''The Revenge of the Bat'') is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée, which premiered in 1874.
Background
The original literary source for ' was ...
Georg Jacoby
Georg Jacoby (23 July 1882 – 21 February 1964) was a German film director and screenwriter.Profile , bfi.org.uk; accessed 1 ...
, 1935 ''The Cossack and the Nightingale'' by Phil Jutzi, 1937 ''Unter Ausschluß der Öffentlichkeit'' by Paul Wegener and 1939 ''Zentrale Rio'' by
Erich Engels
Erich Engels (23 May 1889 – 25 April 1971) was a German screenwriter, film producer, producer and film director.Bock & Bergfelder p.112
Selected filmography
* ''Dear Homeland'' (1929)
* ''Rooms to Let'' (1930)
* ''The Murderer Dimitri Karamazo ...
, co-starring Ita Rina.
World War II
After the
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
began, Petrovich continued to act in mostly lightweight, fun movies. He stayed in touch with Serbian issues by visiting his friends, captured Serbian officers, in Nazi camps, which caused him problems with the Nazi Security Service. After being pressured to participate in propaganda flick '' Enemies'', directed by
Viktor Tourjansky
Victor Tourjansky ( 4 March 1891 – 13 August 1976), born Vyacheslav Konstantinovich Turzhansky (), was a Russian actor, screenwriter and film director who emigrated after the Russian Revolution (1917), Russian Revolution of 1917. He worked in F ...
, which tried to justify
German occupation of Poland
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
, Petrovich migrated to Hungary. He spent there the remainder of the war, acting in several movies along popular stars like Pál Jávor and Katalin Karády. Most notable was 1941 Géza von Radványi's antimilitary ''Europe does not respond''.
Later career
After the war ended and
Communist government
A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state in which the totality of the power belongs to a party adhering to some form of Marxism–Leninism, a branch of the communist ideology. Marxism–Leninism was ...
was set in Hungary, Petrovich moved back to Germany. In the next 15 years he continued mostly in the supporting roles, but was still sought actor in the German-speaking countries.
His notable roles from this period include films '' The Trial'' by G.W. Pabst,
Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...
Ernst Marischka
Ernst Marischka (2 January 1893 – 12 May 1963) was an Austrian screenwriter and film director. He wrote for more than 90 films between 1913 and 1962. He also directed 29 films between 1915 and 1962. He wrote and directed the Sissi trilogy ...
. Among Petrovich's last movies were
Louis Malle
Louis Marie Malle (; 30 October 1932 – 23 November 1995) was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in both French cinema and Hollywood. Described as "eclectic" and "a filmmaker difficult to pin down", Malle made document ...
's first
feature film
A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole present ...
Anatole Litvak
Anatoly Mikhailovich Litvak (10 May 1902 – 15 December 1974), commonly known as Anatole Litvak, was a Russian-American filmmaker.
Born to Jewish parents in Kiev, he began his theatrical training at age 13 in Saint Petersburg, St. Petersburg, ...
's '' The Journey'' in 1959.
Apart from acting, in this period he also worked as a radio announcer on
Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...
, which was headquartered in
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
at the time.
Serbia
Petrovich made no Yugoslav movies, but did act in German-Yugoslav coproductions, ''The Coral Princess'' in 1937 directed by
Victor Janson
Victor Arthur Eduard Janson (; 25 September 1884 – 29 June 1960) was a German stage and film actor and film director of Latvian ethnicity.
Selected filmography Actor
* '' Your Dearest Enemy'' (1916)
* '' When Four Do the Same'' (1917)
* ''Carm ...
, co-starring Ita Rina, and '' Dalmatian Wedding'' in 1953, directed by Géza von Bolváry.
That was not an obstacle for the exceptional popularity in his homeland and legions of fans, though. In 1928 he visited
Belgrade
Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
, causing unprecedented hysteria. Filmmaker Marko Babac in his 2009 book ''Boško Tokin – novinar i pisac, prvi srpski estetičar, publicista i kritičar filma'' published an excerpt from the ''Novosti'' newspapers' account on Petrovich's visit: "From all corners of Belgrade, like torrents, girls of Belgrade rushed to see Svetislav Petrović with a secret hope in their souls that at least one of his fiery glances will fall on them, their lipsticked lips and loving eyes. Journalists, waiting in a lounge, waited for Svetislav Petrović to step out of his quarters, where he spent time in the bathroom doing swimming, massaging and gymnastics. Upon seeing him, the crowd swung and stirred, the girls' hearts stroke hard and throaths turned dry because of the souls' sensations. They all commented how gorgeous and perfect he is. Delighted mass almost smothered him as they advanced towards him. It seemed as if, in an effort to show him love, they wanted to lynch him.“
In contrast to that period, Petrovich is largely forgotten in Serbia today. One of the reasons is thought to be his work in Radio Free Europe, which was strongly disliked by the post-war Communist authorities of Yugoslavia. In an effort to change that, Serbian national film library, Jugoslovenska kinoteka, dedicated year 2017 to him, with prepared programs for showing his movies throughout the whole year.
Even though he spoke fluent Hungarian, German, French and English language, he signed autographs only in
Serbian Cyrillic alphabet
The Serbian Cyrillic alphabet (, ), also known as the Serbian script, (, ), is a standardized variation of the Cyrillic script used to write the Serbian language. It originated in medieval Serbia and was significantly reformed in the 19th cen ...
.
Personal life
Petrovich married German singer and actress Friedel Schuster.
He died of stomach cancer on 18 October 1962 in Munich,
West Germany
West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
Secrets of the Orient
Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret.
Secrecy is often controver ...
There Is a Woman Who Never Forgets You
''There Is a Woman Who Never Forgets You'' (German: ''Es gibt eine Frau, die dich niemals vergißt'') is a 1930 German drama film directed by Leo Mittler and starring Iván Petrovich, Lil Dagover and Helene Fehdmer.Canziani p.306 Its shooting ...
'' (1930) - Georg Moeller - der Sohn
* '' Love and Champagne'' (1930) - Fritz von Hornthal
* '' The King of Paris'' (1930, German) - Don Pedro d'Alvarez
* '' The King of Paris'' (1930, French) - Pedro Gil
* ''Boudoir diplomatique'' (1931)
* '' The Opera Ball'' (1931) - Dr. Peter v. Bodo
* '' Victoria and Her Hussar'' (1931) - Stefan Koltay, Husaren-Rittmeister
* ''
Die Fledermaus
' (, ''The Bat'', sometimes called ''The Revenge of the Bat'') is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée, which premiered in 1874.
Background
The original literary source for ' was ...
Woman's Love—Woman's Suffering
''Woman's Love—Woman's Suffering'' (German: ''Frauenliebe - Frauenleid'') is a 1937 German drama film directed by Augusto Genina and starring Magda Schneider, Iván Petrovich and Oskar Sima.Hake p.125
Cast
References
Bibliography
* Hake ...
'' (1937) - Hans Martenrood
*'' The Chief Witness'' (1937) - Stefan Laurin
* ''Unter Ausschluß der Öffentlichkeit'' (1937) - Baron Gaffris
* '' The Coral Princess'' (1937) - Marko Vukowitsch, Fliegeroffizier
* '' Monika'' (1938) - Dr. Michael Holt
* ''Stronger Than Love'' (1938)
* '' The Night of Decision'' (1938) - Fernando Alvarez
* ''Parkstrasse 13'' (1939) - Arno Molander
* '' Central Rio'' (1939) - Ricardo Perez
* ''Dein Leben gehört mir'' (1939)
* '' Enemies'' (1940) - Jan
* '' Europe Doesn't Answer'' (1941) - Vincent Gordon
* ''Életre ítéltek!'' (1941) - Csaba, ügyvéd
* '' Magdolna'' (1942) - Detky, Pál
* ''Einmal der liebe Herrgott sein'' (1942) - Professor Freiburg
* ''Ópiumkeringö'' (1943) - Zongoramûvész,házigazda
* ''Kalotaszegi Madonna'' (1943) - Karsady Géza
* '' Machita'' (1944) - Szávody György, gyárigazgató
* ''II. magyar kívánsághangverseny'' (1944)
* '' The Trial'' (1948) - Egressy, Staatsanwalt
* '' Arlberg Express'' (1948) - Barna
* ''Verlorenes Rennen'' (1948)
* '' Eroica'' (1949) - Fürst Lichnovsky
* '' Bonus on Death'' (1950)
* '' Who Is This That I Love?'' (1950) - Andreas Ostenhof
* ' (1950) - Der Maharadscha von Hatschipur
* '' Czardas of Hearts'' (1951) - Tornay senior
* '' Vienna as It Was'' (1951)
* ''
Desires
Desires are states of mind that are expressed by terms like "wanting", " wishing", "longing" or "craving". A great variety of features is commonly associated with desires. They are seen as propositional attitudes towards conceivable states of a ...