Fabijan Šovagovic
Encyclopedia
Fabijan Šovagović was a Croatia
n actor.
Fabijan Šovagović was born in the village of Ladimirevci
, in the Slavonia
region of Croatia
. He began acting in his youth and from late 1950s he appeared in many films, becoming one of the most recognisable faces of Croatian (and former Yugoslav) cinema. He never became a star, but he built a reputation as one of the greatest character actors with memorable roles in many classic films and popular TV series. Matija Gubec
, whom he played in 1975 film Seljačka buna is one of his rare starring roles.
In 1979 he played the role of a Dervish in Meetings with Remarkable Men
, directed by Peter Brook
.
Fabijan Šovagović was also active in theatre and those experiences led him to begin writing plays of his own. The best known of them all is Sokol ga nije volio (Sokol Did Not Love Him), later adapted in 1988 film. It was his movie about his birthplace Ladimirevci
Through the last years of his life Fabijan Šovagović struggled with the consequences of heart strokes. He died in Zagreb
January 1, 2001.
His most unforgettable last role (if not the best in his career) was of a Slavonian refugee man in the 1994 movie Vukovar se vraca kuci (English
: Vukovar shall return home). A man lost everything in war except his loving companion dog, and shares destiny of many of his fellow citizens who are exiled from Vukovar
, a Slavonian city completely destroyed by Serbian militants. He together with entire families of those who survived one of the most unforgettable horrors of Croatian (and modern European) history, are temporarily housed inside old train wagons. Not only struggling with heavy conditions to survive, but every new day, the return to their home also starts looking less possible... a dream in which they all once lived is slowly turning into a bitter-sweet memories of happiness that may be stolen forever, yet hope always dies last...
Many believe his brilliant reflection of this tragic Slavonian character was due to a fact that Šovagović being a native Slavonian Croat, have known this feeling firsthand himself.
Šovagović played brilliant role of policeman ( Žandar )in TV series " Kuda idu divlje svinje ? ",
when he is singing : Mene mala moli da spavamo goli a ja neću, plašim se ozebću .
was a leading character in No Man's Land
, a 2001 Oscar winning Bosnian movie and his daughter Anja Šovagović-Despot, both followed his footsteps and became well accredited movie and theater actors.
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n actor.
Fabijan Šovagović was born in the village of Ladimirevci
Ladimirevci
Ladimirevci the suburb of Valpovo on the right bank of the river Karašica where is borned and raised Fabijan Šovagović the great Croatian actor. Ladimirevci belong to the post office Valpovo, 31550...
, in the Slavonia
Slavonia
Slavonia is a geographical and historical region in eastern Croatia...
region of Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
. He began acting in his youth and from late 1950s he appeared in many films, becoming one of the most recognisable faces of Croatian (and former Yugoslav) cinema. He never became a star, but he built a reputation as one of the greatest character actors with memorable roles in many classic films and popular TV series. Matija Gubec
Matija Gubec
Ambroz "Matija" Gubec was a Croatian peasant and a revolutionary, best known as the leader of the Croatian-Slovenian peasant revolt...
, whom he played in 1975 film Seljačka buna is one of his rare starring roles.
In 1979 he played the role of a Dervish in Meetings with Remarkable Men
Meetings with Remarkable Men
Meetings with Remarkable Men is the second volume of the All and Everything trilogy written by the Greek-Armenian mystic G. I. Gurdjieff...
, directed by Peter Brook
Peter Brook
Peter Stephen Paul Brook CH, CBE is an English theatre and film director and innovator, who has been based in France since the early 1970s.-Life:...
.
Fabijan Šovagović was also active in theatre and those experiences led him to begin writing plays of his own. The best known of them all is Sokol ga nije volio (Sokol Did Not Love Him), later adapted in 1988 film. It was his movie about his birthplace Ladimirevci
Ladimirevci
Ladimirevci the suburb of Valpovo on the right bank of the river Karašica where is borned and raised Fabijan Šovagović the great Croatian actor. Ladimirevci belong to the post office Valpovo, 31550...
Through the last years of his life Fabijan Šovagović struggled with the consequences of heart strokes. He died in Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
January 1, 2001.
His most unforgettable last role (if not the best in his career) was of a Slavonian refugee man in the 1994 movie Vukovar se vraca kuci (English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: Vukovar shall return home). A man lost everything in war except his loving companion dog, and shares destiny of many of his fellow citizens who are exiled from Vukovar
Vukovar
Vukovar is a city in eastern Croatia, and the biggest river port in Croatia located at the confluence of the Vuka river and the Danube. Vukovar is the center of the Vukovar-Syrmia County...
, a Slavonian city completely destroyed by Serbian militants. He together with entire families of those who survived one of the most unforgettable horrors of Croatian (and modern European) history, are temporarily housed inside old train wagons. Not only struggling with heavy conditions to survive, but every new day, the return to their home also starts looking less possible... a dream in which they all once lived is slowly turning into a bitter-sweet memories of happiness that may be stolen forever, yet hope always dies last...
Many believe his brilliant reflection of this tragic Slavonian character was due to a fact that Šovagović being a native Slavonian Croat, have known this feeling firsthand himself.
Šovagović played brilliant role of policeman ( Žandar )in TV series " Kuda idu divlje svinje ? ",
when he is singing : Mene mala moli da spavamo goli a ja neću, plašim se ozebću .
Personal life
He had a wife and two children - his son Filip ŠovagovićFilip Šovagovic
Filip Šovagović is a Croatian actor, playwright and journalist.At first known simply as the son of renowned Croatian actor Fabijan Šovagović borned in Ladimirevci, Filip Šovagović has appeared in many films and TV shows in the last decade and a half, gradually building a reputation of his own.His...
was a leading character in No Man's Land
No Man's Land (2001 film)
No Man's Land is a 2001 tragic war drama that is set in the midst of the Bosnian war. The film is a parable and marked the debut of Bosnian writer and director Danis Tanović...
, a 2001 Oscar winning Bosnian movie and his daughter Anja Šovagović-Despot, both followed his footsteps and became well accredited movie and theater actors.