Actor Jovan Janićijević Burduš gained immense popularity in the 1960s and 1970s and became one of the most beloved faces of domestic cinema, known for numerous roles that many still remember today.
Jovan was born on May 8, 1932, as one of five children of teacher Janićija and housewife Vera. He had a very difficult childhood after the 1941 bombing, when his family was left with nothing and went days without food.
He had three older sisters and a twin brother, Andrija, and the family moved across Serbia until they finally settled in Belgrade in 1934. Poverty pushed him toward theft, which he later spoke about openly.
“We would dash, grab a piece of firewood, and run. Once they caught me, probably because I had taken a heavier piece and couldn’t run fast. They took me to the police station near the train station, beat me properly, and made me wash the building’s stairs from the sixth floor to the ground floor”, he recalled.
PRISON TIME IN “ZABELA”
A major tragedy marked his life—when he caused a traffic accident that resulted in the death of a man, he was sentenced to prison time served in Zabela in Požarevac.
“Dad had a five-year contract with the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio. When everything was set in 1972, he came to pick up Mom and me. However, the fatal accident happened in which one of his friends died. A drama and trial followed, and instead of going to Hollywood, Dad went to Zabela prison for a year,” actress Ksenija Đokić, Jovan Janićijević’s daughter, once recalled. She is known to a wider audience as part of the BB Show cast.
Janićijević passed away on February 26, 1992.
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Source: Blic, Foto: Youtube