Biography

Irena Ristich, an actress and an activist, was born and raised in Ohrid, Macedonia. She is known for her roles in "Three Days in September" (2015), "Bal-Can-Can" (2005) and "Goodbye, 20th Century" (1998). She attended the Faculty of Dramatic Arts at the University St. Cyril and Methodius in Skopje where she graduated with the role of Yasuko Rokujo from Yukio Mishima's "Five Modern Noh Plays". She is a lead actress at the Drama Theatre in Skopje (Dramski Teatar) where she has worked since 1999.

Her most recent roles include Eva in "Strangers" for the Drama Theatre in Skopje in 2018, Paolina Salas in Dorfman's "Death and the Maiden" for the Wonderland Theatre Skopje in 2017, Cate in "Old Times" by Harold Pinter for the Ohrid Theatre (2016) and the remake of Eve Ensler's "The Vagina Monologues". She has also appeared in the TV series "Insajder" (2017) and "Prespav" (2018). In "Insajder" (Insider), she weaves the character of Natalia, a newspaper editor burdened by personal and professional conflicts and consequences of exposing corruption, injustice and violence. As a guest actress in the comedy serial "Prespav", she stole the show in the role of Lenka (Lenche Burence), a sanitary inspector and former fiancee of the lead character.

Irena is native Serbian and Macedonian speaker experienced in a myriad of accents and dialects. She is fluent in English, has appeared in a Russian-speaking role in the Russian TV series "The Godfather" and in a supporting role in Italian for the movie "Bal-Can-Can". She has also appeared in Dutch and German-speaking roles.

Throughout her career, Irena has been heralded for her activism and humanitarian work, especially animal well fare. She was one of the artists and activists featured in Avon's campaign Against Domestic Violence in 2016, as well as campaigns in support of ecology, legalization of marijuana, rights of sex workers, LGBT community, etc., and has organized numerous donation runs for those in need. During the period of 2015-2016 Irena was an active member of the Macedonian Sharena (Colored) Revolution, nation-wide protests against corruption and injustice. She lives in Skopje.