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Bekim Fehmiu

Known For
Acting

Known Credits
46

Gender
Male

Birthday
June 2, 1936 (90 years old)

Place of Birth
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Bekim Fehmiu

Biography

Bekim Fehmiu (Albanian: [bɛˈkim fɛhˈmiu]; Cyrillic: Беким Фехмију; 1 June 1936 – 15 June 2010) was a Yugoslavian theater and film actor of Albanian ethnicity. He was the first Eastern European actor to star in Hollywood during the Cold War.

In 1960, Fehmiu became a member of the Yugoslav Drama Theatre in Belgrade, which he left in 1967, citing bad treatment, to become a free artist.

Fehmiu's big break was the 1967 film I Even Met Happy Gypsies, a subtle portrayal of Roma life which won two awards in Cannes and was nominated for an Oscar. Known for his macho appearance and mild manner, Fehmiu was then wooed by Western filmmakers and signed a contract with the Academy Award-winning producer Dino De Laurentiis. It was De Laurentiis who, in 1968, cast him as Odysseus in the acclaimed mini-series of The Odyssey. It was the first blockbuster of Italian television and made Fehmiu an icon in parts of Europe.

Fehmiu seemed poised for stardom in Hollywood as well, but his first American film, The Adventurers, was a critical and financial disaster which "ruined any chances for Fehmiu to achieve similar stardom in Hollywood". In 1971, Fehmiu starred in the western action drama The Deserter, directed by Burt Kennedy. In 1973 he played the role of the busy father in Raimondo Del Balzo's heartbreaking film The Last Snows of Spring, and then in 1975 played the role of ex-politician Alexander Diakim in the movie Permission to Kill, with Ava Gardner and Dirk Bogarde. In 1976, Fehmiu starred as fictional murdered Luftwaffe pilot, Hans Reiter in Tinto Brass's film, Salon Kitty alongside Helmut Berger, Ingrid Thulin and Teresa Ann Savoy. He portrayed a Palestinian terrorist in John Frankenheimer's 1977 political thriller, Black Sunday. Despite his Hollywood films achieving little success, he did well in European art house cinema as well as in the theatre, the latter being his preferred medium. He portrayed the father of Mother Teresa, Nikola Boyaxhiu, in the 1982 film La Voce (The Voice). He acted as Joseph in the Italian production A Child Called Jesus (1987). He was to have acted in the movie Genghis Khan (1992), but it was ultimately never made.

In 1987, in protest at the Yugoslavian government's treatment of Kosovar Albanians, he walked off the stage at the Yugoslav Drama Theatre in Belgrade during the play Madame Kollontai by Agneta Pleijel. He left the stage, and soon after, film.

Fehmiu was found dead on 15 June 2010 in his apartment in Belgrade. Initial reports stated he committed suicide. Interior Minister Ivica Dačić said Fehmiu was found shot in his apartment and the gun was registered in Fehmiu's name. He was 74 years old. His body was cremated and the ashes were scattered in Prizren Bistrica in Prizren, his childhood home.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Bekim Fehmiu, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known For

Acting

2023Bekim Fehmiuas Himself (archive footage)
1998Heart and Swordas Gormond
1997Balkan Island: The Last Story of the Centuryas Mentor
1989Julia Foreveras Armando Zani #2
1987A Child Called Jesusas Joseph
1987The Last Storyas
1985The Red and the Blackas Ivan Pipan
1983Predators Pavilionas Kálmán Furtek
1982The Balad of Mameloukas Ruler
1982The Voiceas Nicolay
1981Broad Are the Leavesas Baja
1979The Battle of the Eaglesas Major Dragan
1978Arrive Before Daybreakas Esad Ljumi
1977Special Educationas Žarko Munižaba
1977Black Sundayas Fasil
1977Ready for Anythingas Marco
1976Salon Kittyas Hans Reiter
1975Permission to Killas Alexander Diakim
1975Pavle Pavlovicas Pavle Pavlović
1975Libera, My Loveas Sandro Poggi
1975Cagliostroas Count Alexander Cagliostro / Giuseppe Balsamo
1974The Windas Adam Milovanović
1974Silence the Witnessas Il dottor Giorgio Sironi
1974Depsas Deps
1974Il gioco della veritàas Alberto Santoro
1973The Last Snows of Springas Roberto
1972The Reichstag Fireas Georgi Dimitrov
1972Bekim Fehmiu Visits Albaniaas Himself
1971A Trap for the Generalas Doktor, obaveštajac OZNE
1970The Deserteras Captain Victor Kaleb
1970The Adventurersas Dax Xenos
1969The Odysseyas Ulisse
1968Do Not Mention the Cause of Deathas Mihajlo
1968The Odysseyas Ulisse
1967Protestas Ivo Bajšić
1967I Even Met Happy Gypsiesas Bora
1966The Feverish Yearsas Mirko
1966The Time of Loveas Milija, trubač (segment "Put")
1966The Swarmas Halil Beg
1965Klaxonas Marko
1965The Enemyas
1965The Girlas
1965Shoot and It Shall Openas
1964Under the Same Skyas Kerim
1962Sashaas Marić, poručnik Kraljevske vojske
1961Amazons of Romeas Etruscan Soldier (uncredited)

Production