Milena Zupančič Biography: Children, Occupation, Age, Net Worth, Spouse, Parents, Movies, TV Shows

Milena Zupančič stands as a legendary Slovenian actress and one of the most recognisable faces in Yugoslav and Slovenian cinema and theatre.

With a career spanning seven decades, she has portrayed unforgettable women of strength, vulnerability, and quiet rebellion, earning her the title of “First Lady of Slovenian Acting” and a permanent place in the national cultural canon.

Profile

• Full Name: Milena Zupančič
• Stage Name: Milena Zupančič
• Born: December 18, 1946
• Age: 79 years old
• Birthplace: Jesenice, Slovenia
• Nationality: Slovenian
• Occupation: Actress
• Height: Unknown
• Parents: Mr and Mrs Zupančič
• Siblings: Unknown
• Spouse: Dušan Jovanović (divorced), Boštjan Hladnik (divorced), Radko Polič
• Children: Jure Zupančič
• Relationship: Widowed
• Net Worth: $3 million USD

Early Life and Education

Milena Zupančič is a legendary Slovenian actress. She was born on December 18, 1946, in Jesenice, Slovenia.

Raised by her parents, Mr and Mrs Zupančič, in a working-class family, she discovered theatre early through school plays and local amateur groups.

After finishing secondary school in Jesenice, she enrolled at the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television in Ljubljana, graduating in 1968 alongside classmates who would shape Slovenian arts for generations. Her ethnicity is Slovenian, and her religion remains private.

Career

Milena Zupančič made her screen debut while still a student in the 1966 film Amandus and never looked back. She became the leading actress of the “Slovenian New Wave” in the 1970s and 1980s, starring in classics such as Cvetje v jeseni (1973), Vdovstvo Karoline Žašler (1978), and P.S. – Post Scriptum (1988). Her collaboration with directors Matjaž Klopčič, Jože Pogačnik, and Karpo Godina produced some of the most enduring images in Slovenian cinema.

On stage she was a pillar of the Ljubljana Drama Theatre for over fifty years, delivering landmark performances in Brecht, Shakespeare, Chekhov, and contemporary Slovenian plays. Even in her seventies she continued to appear in new productions, most recently in Molière’s Tartuffe (2022) and the television series V imenu ljudstva (2017–2020).

Internationally she is best known for the cult Yugoslav films Doživljaj na morju (1972) and Praznovanje pomladi (1978). In 2019 she received the Prešeren Award for Lifetime Achievement, Slovenia’s highest cultural honour.

Awards and Nominations

• Prešeren Award for Lifetime Achievement (2019)
• Borštnik Ring – highest Slovenian theatre award (2005)
• Multiple Vesna Awards for Best Actress (Slovenian Film Festival)
• Golden Arena for Best Actress, Pula Film Festival (1973, 1978)
• Župančič Award, City of Ljubljana (1996)

Social Media

• Facebook Handle: Milena Zupančič

Personal Life

Milena Zupančič, 78, is a legendary Slovenian actress. She has one son, Jure Zupančič, from her first marriage to theatre director Dušan Jovanović. Later relationships with director Boštjan Hladnik and actor Radko Polič were widely followed by the public; she shared the last 28 years of her life with Polič until his death in 2022.

Since then she has lived quietly in Ljubljana, surrounded by books, memories, and occasional visits from her son and grandchildren. Known for her sharp wit and uncompromising honesty in interviews, she remains an active voice on cultural matters while cherishing the privacy she fought hard to protect during her stardom.

Filmography (selected)

• Cvetje v jeseni (1973)
• Vdovstvo Karoline Žašler (1978)
• Praznovanje pomladi (1978)
• P.S. – Post Scriptum (1988)
• Doživljaj na morju (1972)
• V imenu ljudstva (TV series, 2017–2020)

Net Worth

Milena Zupančič, is a legendary Slovenian actress. Her net worth is estimated at $3 million USD, accumulated through decades of leading roles in film and theatre, state honours, royalties from classic Yugoslav films, and real-estate holdings in Ljubljana.