SFRJ ZA POČETNIKE - Predrag Preža Milinković

Certainly our most famous "eternal episodist," Milinković is also known among older connoisseurs of Serbian acting by the nickname Desmond – the reason is his astonishing physical resemblance to the eponymous butler from the classic crime comic "Rip Kirby" by Alex Raymond. Milinković also portrayed the mentioned Desmond in a humorous TV series filmed in the early 1980s, produced by TV Belgrade.
Whether due to his gentle facial expression, convincing interpretations, or something else, film producers and directors simply "flooded" Preža with offers to play butlers, servants, waiters, receptionists... However, in a career spanning nearly 40 years, Milinković played more than 200 various film roles and collaborated with about a hundred directors!!
It should also be added that he played more than 100 roles in TV series, dramas, and amateur films. A native of Belgrade neighborhood Dorćol, quiet and unobtrusive, he spoke four languages and was a great film enthusiast.
Preža cultivated a passion for dancing and was an excellent flamenco dancer. On the big screen, he is remembered, among other things, as a shoemaker, confectioner, psychologist, butcher, gravedigger, cine-operator, company director, gambler, musician, hairdresser, farmer, photojournalist, and even as an acrobat, horse thief, taxi driver, groom, falsifier, gunslinger, Indian (!), and he also wore uniforms of officers, doctors, conductors, postmen, chauffeurs, police officers, football referees, waiters, monks, coachmen...
Once, when asked if he ever refused a role in his career, Milinković replied:
“I haven't; that's not in my nature. I love films and acting, and I don't believe I will ever refuse a role.”
When thinking about Yugoslav cinema, the first associations are usually connected to the names of eminent directors and actors. And at the same time, Predrag Milinković, in a certain way, became a symbol of Yugoslav cinema, an inseparable part of South Slavic cultural heritage of the 20th century. Rightfully so.