Velimir "Bata" Živojinović (; 5 June 1933 – 22 May 2016) was a Yugoslav and Serbian actor and politician. He appeared in more than 340 films and TV series, and is regarded as one of the best actors in former Yugoslavia. Early life Živojinović (nicknamed Bata) was born in the village of Koraćica under the Kosmaj mountain near Mladenovac, at the time Kingdom of Yugoslavia (now Serbia). His father, Dragoljub, was an official and his mother Tiosava was a housewife. He had two sisters, Stanka and Nada, and grew up in a patriarchal household. A conflict between Dragoljub and the Chetniks during World War II forced the family to move to Belgrade. The family lived in Crveni Krst. Young Bata often went with his friends to the cinema, which sparked his interest in acting. Loitering around the "20th October" cinema, he watched AKUD Branko Krsmanović, a Belgrade troupe, through the window for several days until he was welcomed inside. There he befriended Soja Jovanović, instrumental in the developing of Bata's love for acting, Rade Marković, Olivera Marković, Mića Tomić, and Bata Paskaljević. After graduating from acting schools in Niš and Novi Sad, he enrolled at the Drama Academy in Belgrade. Career Živojinović preferred acting in theatre to acting on screen, and made his screen debut in the 1955 film Pesma sa Kumbare. He played both heroes and villains and switched between leading and supporting roles. The zenith of his popularity came with World War II-themed Partisan films in the 1970s. One of his best known films from that period was Walter Defends Sarajevo (Valter brani Sarajevo), which gained major success and cult following in China. Politics In 1990 he was elected for the Serbian Parliament, as a member of the Socialist Party of Serbia. He was a candidate in the September–October 2002 presidential election, receiving 3.27% of the popular vote. Illness and death Živojinović had a heart attack in October 2006 and suffered from gangrene in his right foot for about three years afterwards. Doctors initially wanted to amputate the limb, but he traveled to Cuba, where his daughter lives, and within the 25 days that he spent being treated there, was cured of the gangrene by Doctor Montekin, who has also treated Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. On 4 July 2012 he suffered a severe stroke and was transported to a hospital specializing in cerebrovascular diseases called Sveti Sava in