On April 21, 1972, the famous Kosovar actor Bekim Fehmiu visited Albania for the first time.

Fehmiu was born in Sarajevo on June 1, 1936, and died (committed suicide) on June 15, 2010, in Belgrade. He was an Albanian actor from Kosovo of Yugoslav cinema and theater.

He is the first actor from Eastern Europe to play a role in a Hollywood film during the Cold War.

He was born into a family of Gjakova in Sarajevo, where his family was interned. His family resided in Shkodra until 1939. After the Italian occupation and the unification of part of Kosovo with Albania, they moved to Prizren. During the years 1956-1960, Bekim Fehmiu studied at the Faculty of Dramatic Art in Belgrade.

He particularly stood out in the film “”Feather Collectors”” and immediately came into contact with many international film houses. He played a variety of roles, interpreting in Albanian, Macedonian, Serbian, Turkish, Spanish, French, English, and Italian. His masterful portrayal of characters would be prominently featured in productions such as “Special Test,” “Odyssey,” “The Adventurers,” “The Street,” “Hot Years,” and “The Deserter.”

Fehmiu collaborated with great names in the film industry, such as Ava Gardner, Robert Shaw, John Huston, Dirk Bogarde, Irene Papas, Claudia Cardinale, and others.

He visited Albania for the first time on April 21, 1972, although he never concealed his love for his country of origin.

/k.s/