STA, 22 February 2021 - Film and theatre actor Danilo Benedičič has died, aged 87, the Ljubljana SNG Drama theatre has said. Benedičič, a winner of Borštnik Ring, Slovenia's top accolade for lifetime achievement in theatre acting, was a member of the SNG Drama ensemble for almost 40 years.
Benedičič performed almost 150 roles in his career, spanning five decades, and was known and celebrated for his "extraordinary artistic heritage and kind, mindful personality", the theatre said in a press release issued on Friday.
He was born in the village of Pristava near the northern town of Tržič in 1933 and graduated from the Ljubljana Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television (AGRFT) in 1970.
Benedičič won many awards, including the 1980 Prešeren Fund Prize for his SNG Drama performances, the 1989 Borštnik Ring, and the 1997 Župančič Award for lifetime achievements, bestowed by the city of Ljubljana.
He was described by theatre critic Jernej Novak as "a character, precise and cultivated actor, a great master of detail with a wide range of expression, who based his without fail original stage performances on in-depth research". The Borštnik Ring jury lauded him as an actor with distinctive features and one-of-a-kind artistic expression.
Benedičič was famous for his interpretations of Shakespeare's characters as well as takes on grotesque or comical roles. At the beginning of his career, he made a name for himself as a participant of the experimental Oder 57 student theatre movement.
