Milena Zupančič, a Slovenian stage, film and television actress known for playing Meta in Cvetje v jeseni, died Aug. 15, 2026, at 79, Blic reported.
Zupančič enrolled in acting studies in Ljubljana in 1965 and graduated in 1969 after playing Claire in Jean Genet’s The Maids. In 1970, she played Caetana in Hieng’s The Conqueror at Ljubljana City Theatre and received a Borštnik Award, a Slovenian theatre honor.
In 1973, Zupančič played Meta in the film Cvetje v jeseni. The role brought her broad popular recognition. She later played Tončka Pretnar in Idealist in 1976 and Karolina Žašler in The Widowhood of Karolina Žašler in 1977.
She continued her stage work through the 1980s, playing Lenka in Rudi Šeligo’s The Marriage at Prešeren Theatre Kranj in 1981 and Lidija in Dušan Jovanović’s Wall, Lake in 1989.
In December 2024, Zupančič appeared in the second act of the stage production Cement Beograd, directed by Sebastijan Horvat. Over more than five decades, she performed more than 120 theatre roles and more than 80 roles in film and television.
