Telečki was an unusual, curious, lively, inquisitive, multifaceted, and, above all, restless personality. At the dawn of our first professional theaters, he quickly emerged in the spotlight and became our first acting star.
He was born in the Banat village of Kumane on July 23 / August 4, 1839, and died in Novi Sad on April 28 (or, according to the so-called new calendar, May 10) 1873, "at half past seven in the evening." One of six children of a poor municipal notary, he soon became a leading actor, the founder of a small acting dynasty, and one of those who, as Laza Kostić put it, lived and died for the theater. His sister Ljubica and his wife Ana Telečki (née Popova from Pančevo), an excellent singer, as well as his grandchildren Milica and Milan Bandić, were also notable and distinguished actors.
Telečki was a born actor of great caliber: equally adept as a tragedian and a comedian, and at the same time an outstanding reciter. By vocation, he was a poet, a polyglot, well-read, educated, and diligent. According to Antonije Hadžić, Telečki possessed the three rarest qualities essential to a great artist: talent, education, and diligence. He lived for barely 34 years, dedicating a little over a decade to acting. He studied at grammar schools while earning his living in Sremski Karlovci and Vinkovci, attended a preparatory school for technical studies in Budapest, and later studied engineering in Prague. He worked as a clerk for Svetozar Miletić, edited the satirical newspaper Komarac, worked as a teacher, was an active member of the United Youth, served as a clerk in Vinkovci, and was also a poet, playwright, translator, and adapter of foreign texts. Additionally, he was an actor, director, deputy manager of the Serbian National Theater in Novi Sad, and a mentor to younger generations of actors.
During his brief acting career, he was a regular member of all three then-existing permanent professional theaters in Novi Sad, Belgrade, and Zagreb. He enriched the theatrical repertoire, translating and adapting 19 plays, mostly from German, including three Molière comedies: The Imaginary Invalid, The Pretentious Young Ladies, and Scapin’s Deceits. Thus, Molière, whose 300th death anniversary is also being commemorated this year, entered our stage through the adaptations of Laza Telečki. Furthermore, he generously translated and adapted works by Goldoni, Labiche, Scribe, Legouvé, Fredro, Benedix, Planché, Vermond, Elz, Melville, and others.
He also wrote an original, somewhat Molièresque comedy, The Clever Maid, successfully performed in 1863, as well as two Shakespearean tragedies in verse: Nikola Altominović (1864, never staged) and The Last Despotess of Smederevo (published in 1866 and performed the following year). Though these original and primarily translated works were not literary masterpieces, they were a refreshing addition to the theater of the time and were highly effective on stage, remaining in the repertoire long after Telečki’s death.
In addition to all these activities—enough for three lifetimes—Telečki portrayed around a hundred different characters over ten years of acting (from 1862 until two months before his death), many of which became legendary. A master of characterization, he impressed audiences, critics, and fellow actors alike. Though a pioneer of realism in Serbian theater, he achieved an exceptional artistic level. He not only created characters but individualized them—wrote Antonije Hadžić—and with his portrayals, he captivated and satisfied with their authenticity, truthfulness, and naturalness.
His original interpretation of the "wooden philosopher" Uncle Panta from Jovan Jovanović Zmaj’s comedy Šaran was praised for photographic accuracy. Similarly, his portrayals of Uncle Arsa in Saćurica i šubara by I. O. Sremac, the drunken Grabić in Trifković’s one-act play Čestitam, and many others were vivid and unforgettable. As Maksim Crnojević, he was fierce and thoughtful; as Novko in Ban’s tragedy Mejrima, wise and reasonable; as Radoš in Đura Jakšić’s Jelisaveta, deeply moving. His performance as Despot Đurađ in Karl Obernjak’s tragedy was described as earth-shattering, while as a declaimer, he possessed intellectual strength, aesthetic refinement, a resonant voice, and crystal-clear diction. In his final role, Non Purilu (from an Italian comedy Ni brigeta, adapted by Kosta Trifković), he reached such creative perfection that a single hand movement or a glance conveyed everything.
A rare breed of actor, thoughtful and suggestive, a master of both folk characters and romantic heroes, as well as refined salon lovers, Telečki remained unparalleled in Shakespearean repertoire during his lifetime and for long after. He portrayed Richard III during the celebration of Shakespeare’s 300th anniversary in Novi Sad (1864), marking Shakespeare’s debut on the Serbian stage. As Gloucester, he demonstrated a natural affinity for the role and significantly contributed to the overall success of the performance. As Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew (1869), he created a lively, charming character. According to Laza Kostić, the audience could enjoy his performance, as the actor masterfully portrayed the psychological nuances of the role. Only ten days later, he convincingly played Shylock in The Merchant of Venice, delivering a compelling, rational, and deeply human portrayal. When Petar Brani replaced him in this role three years later, Laza Kostić noted that the new actor failed to erase the memory of the first Serbian Shakespearean performer.
At the end of 1871, Telečki played Macbeth in the Yugoslav premiere of the eponymous play at the Croatian National Theater in Zagreb. Although the production itself was not a success, Telečki delivered a remarkable performance, apart from unnecessary outbursts in the first act. In Racine’s Phèdre, also staged in Zagreb, his portrayal of Théramène stood out for its masterful delivery of verse and elegant movements, creating a unified artistic whole.
Restless and ever-curious, seemingly racing against time, Telečki even traveled to Vienna for a study visit, where he met and conversed with actor Ludwig Löwe, noting that he exhausts every nuance of Hamlet. Tragically, this rare talent was cut short by tuberculosis. Almost to this day, few actors have received such glowing compliments as Laza Telečki. According to Antonije Hadžić, he never uttered a word on stage in vain—everything he said was so natural, truthful, and characteristic, as if it sprang from his mind and heart at that very moment. He had a refined sense of measure, played continuously whether speaking or silent, could improvise, listen, and react instantly. His expressive silence astonished everyone.
In his farewell poem, Ilija Okruglić Sremac prophesied that the people will remember this artist’s name as long as Shakespeare is performed among us, while Jovan Jovanović Zmaj declared that the glorious name of actor Laza Telečki will outlast the monument at Novi Sad’s Almaš Cemetery (erected in 1879).
Despite the overwhelming force of oblivion, Laza Telečki is proof that when an acting legend is passed down through generations, the ephemeral art of theater becomes eternal—like life itself.
Published in the magazine Pozorište, issue 10, p. 9, 1973, under the title The Centenary of the Great Actor’s Death.
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