Gojko Mitic, Yugoslav actor, director and stuntman (9 photos)

Gojko Mitic (Serbian: Goјko Mitiћ) was born on June 13, 1940 in the Yugoslav city of Leskovac, into a farmer’s family.

Since childhood, Goiko was fond of sports, played football, and participated in athletics. I dreamed of becoming a sports coach, so I graduated from the Belgrade Academy of Physical Culture. And he was even a member of the Yugoslav national rowing team.

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Since 1960, he has worked as a stuntman in films. His film debut took place as a stuntman in the English film Lancelot and the Queen. Then there was a small role in the Italian film “Venice Catacombs”.

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In the early 1960s, the popularity of making films about Indians came to Europe. In 1963-1965, Mitich starred in his first Indian roles in West German westerns based on the novels of Karl May, including: “Apache Gold”, “Winnetou - Son of Inchu-chun” and others. He moved to live in East Berlin, where he became an actor at the DEFA film studio.

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In 1965, he played the main role in the film “Sons of the Big Dipper.” The director of the film, Josef Mach, chose Gojko Mitic for the main role - the role of the Indian chief. After the enormous success of such a film, it was decided to make the next movie about Indians. It was the film "Chingachgook - the Big Snake" - an adaptation of Fenimore Cooper's novel "Deerslayer", which was released in 1967. After the crazy success of this film, the film was brought to the USSR.

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Mitich's clear profile, beautiful figure, fearlessness and nobility, proud look, remarkable body control and undoubted acting talent made him the idol of millions of moviegoers. After that, the actor starred in such films about Indians as: “White Wolves”, “Trail of the Falcon”, “Deadly Mistake”, “Osceola”, “Apache”, “Tecumze”, “Ulzana”. In the process of working on the films “Apache” and “Ulzana”, Gojko Mitic was already invited as an expert screenwriter, and the film “Ulzana” was filmed near Samarkand.

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In 1988, the last thirteenth film in the series of westerns about Indians, Hunters on the Prairie of Mexico, directed by Hans Knötschtz, was released. In the 1980s and 90s, individual films starring Gojko Mitic were purchased for distribution in the United States.

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Gradually, interest in films about Indians faded away. But Gojko Mitic remained in demand in the heroic role. He moved to Germany, where he began acting in television series and playing in the theater of Bad Segeberg. On the theater stage he performed the roles of Robin Hood, Spartacus, d'Artagnan, Truffaldino...

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In addition, Mitich participated in the filming of the film adaptation of Victor Hugo’s play “Mary Tudor” in the mid-1970s, starred in the television series “Death Archive” and the television production “The Servant of Two Masters.” In the 1980s he was the host of a sports program on GDR television.

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He also tried himself as a director, making several children's films in 1985-1989 about the adventures of two dolls “Jan and Tini”. In 1996, the actor’s memoirs, Gojko Mitic: Memoirs, were published.

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But he never managed to completely move away from the role of an Indian - in 2016, another film was released where he plays an old leader: “Winnetou & Old Shatterhand”. Also in Berlin, he played an Indian in a theatrical production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Currently, Gojko Mitic lives in Berlin, continuing his creative career.