Bekim Fehmiu (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.
Fehmiu was born in Sarajevo, Kingdom of Yugoslavia to Albanian parents. His family descends from merchant family of Imer Halili from the town of Gjakove in Kosovo ; his father Ibrahim took his high-school nickname Fehmiu as a surname. In 1941, his family permanently moved to Prizren in Kosovo, where Bekim spent his childhood. He was part of the acting club at his high school in Prizren, and after graduation he became a member of County popular theatre in Pristina, the only professional Albanian language theatre in Yugoslavia. He graduated from the Faculty of Drama Arts (FDU) in Belgrade in 1960.
In 1960, Fehmiu became a member of the Yugoslav Drama Theatre in Belgrade, which he left in 1967, citing bad treatment, to became 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.
Bekim Fehmiu (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.
Fehmiu was born in Sarajevo, Kingdom of Yugoslavia to Albanian parents. His family descends from merchant family of Imer Halili from the town of Gjakove in Kosovo ; his father Ibrahim took his high-school nickname Fehmiu as a surname. In 1941, his family permanently moved to Prizren in Kosovo, where Bekim spent his childhood. He was part of the acting club at his high school in Prizren, and after graduation he became a member of County popular theatre in Pristina, the only professional Albanian language theatre in Yugoslavia. He graduated from the Faculty of Drama Arts (FDU) in Belgrade in 1960.
In 1960, Fehmiu became a member of the Yugoslav Drama Theatre in Belgrade, which he left in 1967, citing bad treatment, to became 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.