I don't make too much fuss about the acting profession, especially on film. To me it isn't a profession and it isn't a job. It's a life mission. You have to master your craft, your »metier«. Apart from talent, hard work is key. Michelangelo was a genius, but he was also a craftsman, in a positive way of course, and he knew his work inside out. And that's the way it is with acting.
Over the course of his career, which spanned seven decades, he had acted in more than 230 stage and film roles. For the first installment of Winnetou, he joined Old Shatterhand in the saddle, but later became better known for portraying villains.
Demeter Bitenc was born in 1922 in Ljubljana and would have turned 96 in July. He was known for being one of Slovenia’s best-known actors. He remained active despite his advanced age and was commonly seen at social gatherings and events.
He acted alongside Yul Brinner and Orson Welles in Battle of Neretva and met Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor in Battle of Sutjeska. He also acted alongside Peter Finch, Klaus Kinski, Franco Nero, and Christopher Plummer; he kissed Duša Počkaj, the British beauty Margaret Lee, “The Venus in Fur,” and Karin Dor.
He even had a small role in the recently released Miha Kniflic feature Perseverance; the movie had its premiere at last year’s Slovenian Film Festival and opened in Ljubljana a week ago.
Slovenia’s first feature film, On Our Own Land, directed by France Štiglic in 1948, gave Bitenc his first minor movie role. However, his true film debut came in 1959 with a supporting role playing a German officer in the film The Good Old Piano. Over the decade that followed, Bitenc would go on to appear in more than 40 coproductions filmed by foreign producers filmed in what was then Yugoslavia.
Frequent appearances in supporting roles and walk-ons
Bitenc appeared in more than 40 Slovenian films. He also had roles in movies produced in other Yugoslav republics and in coproductions. He made appearances as a supporting actor and in walk-ons, often playing villains. He only played one title role – in the 1963 historical drama Rabaneck (also known as The Saracens). Bitenc also became known for his frequent portrayal of German officers.
His work ethic was summed up by the following statement: “It’s not important whether the movie is good or bad. You must be the best you can be, to ensure that the role is an affirmation of your work. Even if it’s in a bad film. You’re always being reevaluated. I never knew which picture would be my last.”
Bitenc’s television output was also vast. It included more than 80 movies and series produced by RTV Slovenia, by other Yugoslav broadcasters, and by foreign producers that filmed in Yugoslavia.
I don't make too much fuss about the acting profession, especially on film. To me it isn't a profession and it isn't a job. It's a life mission. You have to master your craft, your »metier«. Apart from talent, hard work is key. Michelangelo was a genius, but he was also a craftsman, in a positive way of course, and he knew his work inside out. And that's the way it is with acting.
