An acting diva and the most favorite guest of the Trešnevac area
About the exciting life and contagious smile of everyone's favorite actress.
Vera Zima was born Vjeročka Zimova. Her father was Slovak, and her mother grew up in the hills around Ploče. Veročka spent her childhood in Ploče, where she loved to fish. Because of her love for nature and the early life she spent in the countryside, she was called "Mala s kamena". She used to talk about how her youthful love was for her - a certain Dušan, describing her, used to say that she was very "resistant", like a stone.
She started working when she was only sixteen years old. She was a famous conductor on the bus line Drvenik - Ploče. She would get up early in the morning, and after finishing her work, she would go to school. The professor of the Croatian language supported her in her intention to become an actress. He saw talent and a desire to prove herself in her, so he encouraged her to perform and lead school quizzes.
Having decided to become an actress, she used her earnings to go to Zagreb for the entrance exam. Before going to the big city, she had never seen a theater play, and she had only seen a few movies. She wanted to be an actress because she thought acting was a glamorous and easy job.
Before traveling to Zagreb, her mother asked her which pants and bag she would take with her. As a real, caring Dalmatian, she also sewed some money into her "underpants" pockets. When the train was moving, she threw at her from the railway station: - Daughter, take care of what's in your underpants! –
The professor helped her prepare Grushenka from "The Brothers Karamazov". At the audition, she delighted the jury with her performance. More than two hundred candidates attended the audition that year, and only four of them were admitted to the Academy. Vera was the only girl accepted into the class that year.
She made her way to the big screen by acting in the film "Mećava" by Antun Vrdoljak. Then came important roles, such as the one in the film "Journalist" by Fadil Hadžić. She quickly realized that acting is not as glamorous as she imagined it to be. After becoming an established actress, she realized that the life of an artist on the small Croatian scene is difficult. Because of this, she often warned about problems in the Croatian acting industry.
Co-workers remember her for her infectious smile and eternal joy. Vera spent her Zagreb days near the market in Trešnjevac, which she loved very much. She visited her every day. There she joked with the salesmen and pensioners who were her biggest fans! She would always buy fresh fruits and vegetables at the market, and apart from her excellent acting, she was also known for her delicious winter soups, which she prepared every fall, according to her mother's recipe.
