Ena Begović (8 July 1960 – 15 August 2000) was a Croatian film actress. She is regarded as one of the best and most beautiful actresses in former Yugoslavia.[1][2]

Ena Begović
Ena and her sister Mia Begović, Pula, early 1980s
Born(1960-07-08)8 July 1960
Died15 August 2000(2000-08-15) (aged 40)
Postira, Croatia
Years active1978–2000
Spouse
Josip Radeljak
(m. 2000)
Children1
RelativesMia Begović (sister)
Awards

Early life and career

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Begović was the older daughter of Terezija and Nikola Begović.[3] She was born in Trpanj[4][5][6] (although numerous sources list Split as the place of birth[7][8]). Three years later, in January 1963, her sister Mia, who is also an actress, was born. Her father was originally from the municipality of Trpanj, on the Pelješac peninsula.

Begović began acting early, making her first screen appearance at the age of 18 through a small part in Occupation in 26 Pictures, a 1978 film directed by Lordan Zafranović.[3] She made her breakthrough role in Zafranović's next film, The Fall of Italy (1981),[3] where she played Veronika, the daughter of a wealthy local from the Dalmatian coast who sided with the occupying Italian Fascists. This debut established Begović as one of the sex symbols of 1980s Yugoslav cinema, a status that she later successfully maintained despite appearing in relatively few films as her acting career shifted toward theater.[3]

In the 1990s, the public focused more of its attention on her personal life than on her acting. In 1996, while driving her car in Zagreb, she was involved in a traffic accident resulting in the death of a motorcyclist.[9]

Death

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On 15 August 2000, in the village of Splitska on the island of Brač, a few months after marrying the Croatian businessman Josip Radeljak Dikan, and a month and a half after giving birth to their daughter, Lana, she was involved as a passenger in a traffic accident, a rollover, which claimed her life.[10][3] She was buried at Mirogoj Cemetery in Zagreb, on 19 August.[11]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1978 Occupation in 26 Pictures Skojevka Uncredited
1980 A Mess in the House Maja Benic
1981 The Fall of Italy Veronika
1981 Piknik u Topoli Jelena
1982 Idemo dalje Milica
1982 I Want to Live Tereza Peric
1987 King's Endgame Visnja Kralj
1988 The Glembays Barunica Castelli
1989 Balkan ekspres 2 Danka
1990 Carnival, Angel and Dust Frida (segment "Andjeo")
1990 Fatal Sky Mrs. Sumner
1991 Charuga Svilena
1997 The Third Woman Hela Martinic
1998 The Three Men of Melita Žganjer Maria
1998 Agonija Laura Lenbach
1999 Četverored Mirta Mesog (final film role)

References

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  1. ^ "Prošlo je 19 godina bez Ene Begović: Stradala je baš kada je pronašla svoju životnu sreću, a iza sebe je ostavila neizbrisiv trag". www.tportal.hr (in Croatian). 15 August 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
  2. ^ "Begović Ena". www.enciklopedija.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Ena Begović". Večernji list (in Croatian). Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  4. ^ "Ena Begović". www.biografija.com (in Croatian). Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  5. ^ "Ena Begović". www.vecernji.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  6. ^ "The place of birth of Ena Begović - Simia". simia.net. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  7. ^ "Begović, Ena | Hrvatska enciklopedija". www.enciklopedija.hr. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  8. ^ "Gloria - Ena Begović: Dva desetljeća bez glumačke dive koja se najviše od svega bojala baš vožnje". www.gloria.hr (in Croatian). 2020-08-15. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  9. ^ "Đorđe Kukuljica: Tri tjedna ležao sam u komi". Gloria (in Croatian). 5 October 2011. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
  10. ^ "Poginula Ena Begović". Net.hr (in Croatian). 15 August 2000. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  11. ^ "Sahranjena Ena Begović". Net.hr (in Croatian). 19 August 2000. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
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