Relja Bašić, a great Croatian film and theater actor, passed away in Zagreb on Friday evening at the age of 87, media reported. In his rich artistic career, he performed in over 3,700 theater plays, acted in 56 domestic films, and numerous foreign ones. He founded and led the traveling theater Teatar u gostima for thirty years, and he will be remembered in Croatian cinematography as ‘Mr. Fulir’ from the legendary film by Krešo Golik, ‘Tko pjeva zlo ne misli’.
Relja Bašić was born in Zagreb in 1930, and his mother, Elly Bašić, was a well-known Croatian music educator and pianist. Bašić was of Jewish descent on his mother’s side.
He graduated in acting from the Academy of Dramatic Arts (ADU) in Dr. Gavella’s class. In 1955, towards the end of his studies, director Bojan Stupica included him in the drama ensemble of HNK in Zagreb, where, having achieved a series of roles with prominent directors (Stupica, Radojević, Gavella, Paro, Habunek, Violić, Juvančić, Spaić) and having performed 498 plays, he remained in permanent engagement until 1967.
In 1968, Bašić transitioned to the status of an independent artist, acting and directing at Teatar ITD, Kazalište Komedija, Zagrebačko kazalište mladih, as well as at the Dubrovnik Summer Games. In these theaters, he performed 797 plays and realized his first six directorial works (Ljubaf, Crna komedija, Jedan dan u smrti Joe Egg, Stara vremena, Obećanja, and Hotel Plaza).
In 1974, together with a group of prominent actors of his generation, he founded the first Croatian traveling private theater, Teatar u gostima, where he remained as artistic director, actor, and director until its cessation of activity in 2004. During its thirty-year existence, Teatar u gostima performed 4,213 plays in 340 locations and cities across Croatia, former Yugoslavia, and abroad.
On film, Relja Bašić made his debut during his studies in the anthology Concert by Branko Belan (1954). For the film Rondo by Zvonimir Berković, he won the Golden Arena in Pula in 1966.
