In Loving Memory of Ljerka Belak

Recipient of the Borštnik Ring Award 2015

Theater and film actress Ljerka Belak died at the age of 73. In her rich career, she portrayed strong women from both the Slovenian and world drama classics as well as comic characters. She was also a well know figure in the history of Slovenian film.

She was born in 1948 in Ljubljana, where she attended primary school, and continued her education at Šubičeva gimnazija and Gimnazija Poljane. Even before her studies, she attended the theatre school with Balbina Baranovič in Ljubljana and the ballet school with her teacher Pino Mlakar.

Between 1965 and 1970, she studied drama at the Academy of Theater, Radio, Film and Television (AGRFT) with Janez Jerman.

In 1970 she began working at the The Celje City Theatre. In 1993 she joined the ensemble of the Ljubljana City Theater (MGL) at the invitation of Zvone Šedlbauer, where she worked until her retirement in 2009.

Ljerka Belak received the Prešeren Student Academic Award for her role as Amanda Wingfield in her graduation play Steklena menežarija (The Glass Menagerie) (1971).

She received several awards: 

• The Prešeren Fund Award for her roles in The Celje City Theatre (1981), 
• The Prešeren Award of the City of Celje (1982), 
•  The National Sever Award (1987), 
•  The Borštnik Award for the role of Mrs. Peachum in the Opera za tri groše (The Threepenny Opera) (1989),
• the honorary title of a Noble Comedian at the Days of Comedy in Celje for the role of Maid Berta in the performance Stevardese pristajajo (Boeing-Boeing) (2002),
• The Dnevnik Award for her role in the play Vedno se kdo izgubi (Aina Joku Eksyy) (2003).

In 2015, she received the Borštnik ring, and a year later the Ježek Award.