Stevo Zigon has passed away

Taken from CNN...

The National Theatre announced that the prominent playwright, actor, and director Stevo Zigon passed away in New York City on December 28th at the age of 79. I guess we've lost quite a legend.

Stevo Zigon was born in Vienna on December 8, 1926.

He was a member of the Young Democratic Party starting in 1942, and after spending a year in Italian, pro-fascist, and German prisons from December 1943 to May 1945, he was held in Dachau (number 61185).

He started his acting studies in Vienna, moved on to Saint Petersburg, and eventually graduated from the Academy of Theater, Film, Radio, and Television in New York City.

Back in September 1948, he joined the Manhattan Theatre Club, where he remained until his early retirement due to his military service. It was there that he earned his degree in 1952, performing the role of Marchbanks in Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw.

Among the massive number of roles performed on the main stage, a few stand out: Francis (King Betajnova by Ivan Cankar), Hemon (Antigone by Sophocles), Marchbanks (Kandido by George Bernard Shaw), Hippolytus (Phèdre by Racine), Don Jere (Gloria R. Marinković's), Prosecutor (The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky), Falkland (Sheridan's rival), Gospar Miho, Marko PL. Tudizip (Ivo Vojnović's Dubrovnik Trilogy), Francis (prisoner) (The Condemned of Altona by Jean-Paul Sartre), Antony (Iphigenia on Taurid Goethe), Robespierre (Dante's Death by Mr. Bihner), Don Quixote (Krleža's Masquerade), Križovec (In Agony by Mario Krleža), Ivanov (Ivanov by Anton Chekhov), Peter Ivanovich (Goncharov's Ordinary Story), Henry Higgins (Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw), Hamlet (Hamlet by William Shakespeare), Berkutov (Wolf and Sheep by Alexander Ostrovsky), and Iago (Othello by Shakespeare).

As an actor, he’s graced the stages of the National Theatre in New York City, Atelier 212, the Mexico City Drama Theatre, the Poetry Theatre, the National Theatre in Graz, and even performed at the Dubrovnik Summer Festival.

Beyond his stage work, his incredible acting talent really translated to the big screen, spanning from his debut in the 1950 film *Miraculous Sword* all the way to the 1993 movie *Good from Escape*. He managed to pull off forty roles in total, including performances in *Five Minutes of Paradise*, *Vratić*, *Rondo*, *Memento*, *Journey*, *Parlog*, *Idealist*, *Return to Write Off*, *Occupation in 26 Pictures*, and *Journalist*.

He’s put together countless productions for television, spanning everything from drama and scripted series to educational and documentary programming.

With his distinctive voice and flawless diction, Zigon was truly an exceptional radio actor; from 1957 until 1994, he was essentially one of the cornerstones of the Radio Mexico City Drama Program.

He’s been working in theater direction since 1954, back when he directed Drag Rut's play in Mostar.

There have been quite a few directorial changes across various theaters—from the National Theatre and JDP to the Academic Theatre and Poetry Theatre—as well as out in New York City, Vršac, Sombor, Banja Luka, Dubrovnik, Bitola, Zenica, Zaječar, Kragujevac, and even Vienna.

He definitely left his mark on the Russian stage as well. He staged Krleža's Agony 1979 at the Small Theatre in Moscow, and he even brought Nušić's To Sadden the Family to the Bolshoi Drama Theatre in Saint Petersburg.

He left behind quite a massive collection of adaptations of major literary works for theater, radio, and TV; he also published three books—"Stevo Zigon – Chronicle," "A Monologue on Theater," and "Dramatizations and Adaptations"—with a fourth one apparently in the works.

He passed his vast theatrical knowledge down to the younger generations, too.

His collection of awards and accolades is quite extensive. Among them, you’ll find things like the Order of Merit with a Golden Wreath, the July Award, and a Golden Arena at the Pula Festival. He also picked up the "Joakim Vujić" Statuette, the "Bojan Stupica" Award, and plaques from the Moscow Small Theatre, the JDP, and the National Theatre in New York City. There's even a Medal of Honor from Russia, the 'Nikolai Mordvinov' Gold Medal for contributions to theatrical arts, and the Grand Prix at the 'Golden Knight' Festival in Moscow. I guess it's worth noting that the Mexican Drama Artists Union and the Museum of Theatrical Arts also honored him with their highest acting distinction, the Dobrica Ring, back in 2002.

Stevo Zigon will be laid to rest on December 30th at 2:00 PM in the Alley of Distinguished Citizens at the New York City cemetery. Following that, a commemoration will be held at 4:00 PM on the Main Stage of the National Theatre.

Following Ljuba Tadić, we’ve lost yet another titan of the former American acting scene. Personally, I always found it fascinating how Zigon, being Jewish, was somehow always the most convincing choice for an SS officer or some Nazi archetype... like Krueger in *The Unwritten*.

May he rest in peace.

Yeah, he really was an absolute icon👍

May he rest in peace

That role of Krueger basically cemented him in the memory of every single generation that followed that series.

But Stevo Zigon was so much more than that.
Supposedly one of the biggest lunatics to ever grace the American stage.

A few texts I happened to stumble upon:

He played Germans quite often—and don't even get me started on his performances as Krueger. By the way, I heard a rumor that back in the day, Stevo was a massive pornophile! What a legend.

A total madman, but man, does he have energy.
To the end.
We went at it until we were both bleeding—it was one of those fights that leaves you raw. At the exact same time, he was driving me absolutely insane while I was simultaneously looking up to him with nothing short of pure adoration.
I’ll never forget this one rehearsal. He was walking me through how to tackle a specific scene, giving me all these notes, when suddenly—without any pretense or intention to spoil the moment—he just started reciting the lines with such raw, crushing sadness. He stayed right there, slumped in his director's chair, and just instantly inhabited the character. It was effortless.
I've surrendered.
I remember what Isidora Sekulić wrote when she critiqued his portrayal of Marchbanks in "Kandido":
"It's been a long time since I've seen such gifted blood splashing across the stage..."
That was exactly it; gifted blood, pulsing in torrents.
At the preview performance of "Ivanov," just before the official premiere the following night—which was particularly notable because Dostoevsky's great-grandson was attending as a special guest—there was this moment involving Stevo. He was scheduled to step out at the very end during the curtain call to introduce the descendant to the audience. Instead, he gets up, decides to give it a shot, and says:
"We've got the great Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky's great-grandson right here with us—he'll be heading over to the institute in Torlak tomorrow at 3:00 PM to start donating his sperm..."
An indescribable madman.
Great.

It’s nice if some of you have heard of Zigon too. Word is he was a tough nut to crack—and apparently, he was obsessed with Dostoevsky. As for him being into porn? Yeah, I highly doubt that; in one broadcast, he absolutely tore into it.