Mirjana Karanović Biography: Husband, Ethnicity, Awards, Movies, Net Worth, Height, Age

Mirjana Karanović, is an acclaimed Serbian actress, film director, screenwriter, and activist.

She burst forth with her 1980 debut in Petrijin venac (Petria’s Wreath), earning instant praise for embodying a resilient illiterate woman amid wartime scars, a role that won her the Best Actress award at the Pula Film Festival.

A frequent muse to masters like Emir Kusturica in When Father Was Away on Business (1985, another Pula win) and Underground (1995), she layered quiet intensity over Yugoslavia’s unraveling dreams.

Jasmila Žbanić’s Grbavica (2006) sealed global acclaim, her portrayal of a rape survivor mother clinching the Golden Bear at Berlinale and a European Film Award nod, bridging personal trauma with universal grit.

Profile

• Full Name: Mirjana Karanović
• Stage Name: Mirjana Karanović
• Born: 28 January, 1957
• Age: 69 years old
• Birthplace: Belgrade, Serbia
• Nationality: Serbian
• Occupation: Actress, film director, screenwriter, and activist
• Height: 1.66m
• Parents: Miloje Karanović and Radmila Karanović
• Siblings: Unknown
• Spouse: None
• Children: None
• Relationship: Single
• Net Worth: $1.5 million

Early Life and Education

Mirjana Karanović was born on 28 January 1957, in Belgrade, PR Serbia, Yugoslavia, to Miloje Karanović, a soldier, and Radmila Karanović, a tailor who died in 2023. She grew up with limited public details about siblings.

Belgrade’s vibrant arts scene draws her young, fueling dreams beyond tailoring needles and military tales.

Karanović enrolls at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, University of Arts in Belgrade, graduating with rigorous training in acting that hones her commanding presence.

She balances studies with stage auditions, channeling personal grit into character depth early on. She is of Serbian roots, while her religion is unknown.

Career

Mirjana Karanović launches with Petrijin venac (1980), her lead as a fierce widow in Srđan Karanović’s wartime drama snagging the Pula Golden Arena for Best Actress and marking her as Yugoslavia’s bold new voice at 23.

She dives into theatre at Belgrade’s Yugoslav Drama Theatre, tackling classics from Chekhov to contemporary Serbian plays that build vocal command and emotional range.

Emir Kusturica casts her as the stoic mother in When Father Was Away on Business (1985), a Palme d’Or winner where her subtle fury amid political exile earns another Pula Best Actress trophy.

Underground (1995) follows, her layered role in the epic satire cementing Cannes buzz and international festival circuits. TV arcs in Yugoslav series sharpen her TV presence, while Svjedoci (2003) breaks post-war taboos as the first Serbian actress in a Croatian film, playing a war widow.

Karanović peaks with Grbavica (2006), channeling a Bosnian mother’s hidden rape trauma into a Berlin Golden Bear triumph and Brussels Best Actress win, her raw vulnerability sparking European Film Award contention.

She expanded to Das Fräulein (2006) and Greek-Serbian The Tree and the Swing (2013), nabbing Hellenic Academy nods for supporting turns that bridge cultures.

Directorial leap arrives with A Good Wife (2016), her Sundance-premiered script-directorial debut on a woman’s post-war entrapment earning FEST Best Actress (self-cast), Cairo Golden Pyramid noms, and Motovun FIPRESCI praise.

Theatre endures at Atelje 212, voicing Antigone-level defiance in modern stagings. Requiem for Mrs. J. (2017) adds another FEST win, while activism weaves in—LGBT advocacy panels and human rights speeches amplify her off-screen clout.

Mirjana Karanović directs and stars in Mother Mara (2024), her sophomore feature probing maternal bonds with writer credits that echo A Good Wife’s feminist punch.

Theatre retrospectives honor her with Dobričin Prsten lifetime nod (2019) and Žanka Stokić awards, packing Belgrade halls with archival screenings.

Festival juries seek her insight, from Art Film Fest honors to SOFEST wins like The Whirl (2013). Voice work and TV like Ubice mog oca (2016-2025) keep her ubiquitous, while Paviljon (2025) promises fresh drama.

Mentorship shapes Belgrade Drama grads, her FDU journey inspiring scripts on women’s voices. Archives preserve Grbavica clips in Berlinale vaults, influencing next-gen directors across ex-Yugo. Legacy radiates through barrier-shattering roles and helms that demand reckoning with history’s ghosts.

Social Media

• Instagram Handle: @mirjanakaranovic
• Facebook Handle: Unknown
• Twitter Handle: Unknown

Personal Life

Mirjana Karanović maintains a private personal life, and has never been married and does not have children. Her current relationship status is single.

Advocacy drives charity screenings and panels, her voice steady for the marginalized.

Filmography

• Petrijin venac (1980)
• When Father Was Away on Business (1985)
• Underground (1995)
• Grbavica (2006)
• A Good Wife (2016)
• Requiem for Mrs. J. (2017)
• Mother Mara (2024)

Net Worth

Mirjana Karanović has an estimated $1.5 million net worth. Festival awards and Grbavica residuals form core earnings, bolstered by Underground international runs and Sundance acclaim for A Good Wife