Natasha Pavlovich is a Serbian-American actress, business woman, former model and beauty pageant titleholder.[2] Pavlovich represented Yugoslavia in the Miss Universe 1991 competition where she reached the semi-finals.[3] She also appeared in various films and national prime time television shows. Recently, Pavlovich was featured in the HBO Max docuseries, The Way Down: God, Greed, and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin.[4][5]

Natasha Pavlovich
Born
Nataša Pavlović

(1968-03-14) March 14, 1968 (age 56)
Occupation(s)Actress, model
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
PartnerJoe Lara (1984–2015)[a][1]
Children1
Beauty pageant titleholder
Hair colorBrown
Eye colorBrown
Major
competition(s)
Websitewww.natashapavlovich.com
External image
image icon Pavlovich at the 66th Golden Globe Awards in 2009.

Background

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Pavlovich was born in Yugoslavia and raised in Popovi, a village in the Bijeljina municipality of Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina.[6][2] She is a descendant of the Pavlovic noble family.[6] and the Pavlovac (fortress) During her childhood, her family relocated to Chicago, USA. She subsequently moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue an acting career.[2][6] Pavlovich completed her studies in the English Language at the University of California, Los Angeles.[2][7][8]

She serves as a spokesperson for the city of Slobomir, a town in Republika Srpska, which was founded by her aunt and uncle.[2]

Career

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Beauty pageants

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In 1989, Pavlovich won the title of Miss Beverly Hills. She was crowned Miss Yugoslavia in 1991, later representing the country in the Miss Universe 1991 pageant held in Las Vegas, progressing to the semi-finals.[9][6][8]

Film and television

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Starting in 1987, Pavlovich pursued professional acting in Hollywood, taking on roles in television dramas, sitcoms, and films. She has appeared in over 60 episodes of various television series, where her roles have included characters of Russian, Romanian, Iraqi, and Czech backgrounds. Noteworthy television roles include her portrayal of Marina Oswald Porter on a two-part special of Quantum Leap,[10] as well as roles on Judging Amy,[10] Nip/Tuck,[9][11] Cybill,[10] JAG (TV series),[6] and The Agency (2001 TV series). After her work on the Paramount Studios showWings (TV series) Disney/NBC Studios cast her in a regular role in the series Pride and Joy[10][11] Pavlovich also worked with director Blake Edwards on the feature film Son of the Pink Panther, and appeared in the films The Naked Truth and Space Warriors.[10] She had a regular role in the Serbian drama series Gorki Plodovi (Bitter Fruit in Serbian), playing an ophthalmologist.[12][13]

In a documentary series entitled The Way Down[14][15] helmed by acclaimed director Marina Zenovich and produced by Campfire Films, Nile Cappello,[16] with Co-Executive production by Chrissy Teigan, Pavlovich provides her account of her relationship with Joe Lara[17], his marriage to Gwen Shamblin Lara[18], and the subsequent legal dispute between Pavlovich and Lara over the custody of their daughter.[4][14]

Books

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Pavlovich stated in September 2021 that she is currently in the process of writing a memoir.[19][20]

Personal life

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Pavlovich met actor Joe Lara in 1984 and dated on an off for several years until 2015 and were briefly engaged.[21] Together they have one child, a daughter (b. 2010).[1][22]

Pavlovich holds a pilot's license and has notably co-piloted a MIG-25 to an altitude of 87,000 feet, making her the first Serbian woman to do so.[23][8]

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In 2015, Lara petitioned the court for sole custody of their daughter.[24] The custody trial began in 2016 and Pavlovich represented herself beginning in 2019. [4][24] In 2020, the court granted both parties equal custody of their daughter but named Pavlovich primary parent with all sole decision making rights. Following Lara's death in 2021, Pavlovich became primary parent.[24]

The 2021 Percy Priest Lake Cessna Citation crash, which resulted in the deaths of Pavlovich's ex-fiancé Joe Lara Joe Lara his wife Gwen Shamblin Lara and five other passengers all members of the Remnant Fellowship church, drew significant media attention to Pavlovich.[14][4][5][15] In the crash's aftermath, Pavlovich was concerned that her daughter may have been on the plane with Lara.[4] A 911 call recorded during this period reveals Pavlovich urgently seeking information about the plane's passengers and trying to establish contact with the child's father. Despite managing to contact Lara's mother, Pavlovich was unable to get information regarding her daughter's location. She was eventually reunited with her daughter only after the Brentwood Police threatened to press kidnapping charges against a Remnant Fellowship member if her daughter was not produced.[5]

Filmography

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1987. Epitaph
1987. What a Country Sonia
1988. Martin Mull Live from North Ridgeville, Ohio Natasha
1988. The Munsters Today Svetlana
1989. Going Overboard
1990. Grand
1991. CBS Schoolbreak Special
1991. Growing Pains (TV series)
1991. Drexell's Class
1992 Quantum Leap Marina Oswald Porter TV series (season 5) [25]
1992. Dream On (TV series) "Joy Aplenty"
1992 The Naked Truth Miss Bolivia Comedy
1992–1993 Down the Shore Marishka Sitcom TV Series
1993 Son of the Pink Panther Rima Comedy [26]
1993 Martial Outlaw Mia Antonova Martial arts film
1993. Dark Justice
1993. Delta Paulina
1994. Cobra
1994. Good Advice
1995. Wirehead
1995. Wings
1995. Pride and Joy Katya TV Series
1995 Cybill (TV series) Marina TV Series
1995–1998 JAG (TV series) Lieutenant Dumai/Rusza TV Series
1997–1999 Night Man (TV series) Petra TV Series


1995. Partners
1996. Mr. & Mrs. Smith Natasha Pavlovich
1997. Spy Game
1997. Hawaii Five-O
1997. Jenny
1997. Mike Hammer, Private Eye
1998. Players Renata
1998. LateLine Yelena
1998. Rounders
1998. V.I.P. Аlex
1998. Silk Stalkings
1999. The Darwin Conspiracy
1999. Viper
1999. Martial Law
2001. Thieves
2001–2002 The Agency (2001 TV series) Tanja / Tanja (segment "Deadline") TV Series
2004 Judging Amy Claire Swaime TV Series
2004 Nip/Tuck Hannah TV Series
2002. Alias
2003. Port Charles
2004. Judging Amy
2004. Nip/Tuck
2006. I Did Not Know That
2006. Monk Monk
2006. Drive Irina
2007. Atlanta
2008. Las Vegas (TV series) Senator Greenberg


2008–2009 ''Горки плодови'' [sr] Dr. Pavlovic TV Series
2013 Space Warriors Russian Tech No. 1 Science fiction
2021 The Way Down (TV series) Herself Documentary [27]

References

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  1. ^ a b Sauber, Elaina (April 3, 2018). "Williamson parents allege judicial misconduct, say access to juvenile court recordings needed". Tennessean.
  2. ^ a b c d e "A Serbian woman in space (Original in Bosnian: "Srpkinja u svemiru"". RTS. 2009-12-11.
  3. ^ "Media". Press links.
  4. ^ a b c d e Burnett, Kadin (2022-04-28). "Joe Lara's Ex From The Way Down Recalled Her Fears After The Plane Crash". Bustle.
  5. ^ a b c Finley, Jeremy (2021-11-05). "911 call reveals frantic search to determine if pilot's daughter was on board before crash". News 3 Channel.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Who Is Natasha Pavlovich From The Way Down On HBO MAX?". HITS. 30 September 2021.
  7. ^ "Srpska Lepotica Vozi " MIG-25 "". Serbian Diaspora Magazine. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
  8. ^ a b c Vujanić, Dejan (2009-12-14). "Nataša Pavlović, prva Srpkinja u svemiru". Glas Srpske.
  9. ^ a b "Od manekenke do astronauta". vesti.
  10. ^ a b c d e "Natasha Pavlovich". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
  11. ^ a b Holden, Henry M. (2009-05-01). "Natasha Pavlovich: Future Astronaut". Airport Journals. Retrieved 2018-01-26.
  12. ^ Čule, M. (29 January 2008). "Nataša u seriji "Gorki plodovi"". Blic (in Serbian). Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  13. ^ Čule, Milica (16 March 2008). "Švarceneger mi pomaže". Blic (in Serbian). Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  14. ^ a b c Mitchell, Molli (2022-04-29). "Who Was Gwen Shamblin's husband Joe Lara? Meet the 'Tarzan' Actor". Newsweek.
  15. ^ a b Horton, Adrian (2021-09-29). "This is a cult: inside the shocking story of a religious weight-loss group". The Guardian.
  16. ^ "The choppy cult docuseries The Way Down can't keep up with a story that's still in progress". AV Club. 4 October 2021.
  17. ^ Pasquini, Maria (2021-10-01). "Everything to Know About Gwen Shamblin, the Late Diet Guru Chronicled in HBO Max's The Way Down". People.
  18. ^ Fetters, Ashley (2022-04-29). "4 takeaways from the new season of church scandal series 'The Way Down'". The Washington Post.
  19. ^ "Plan on publishing a book next year after season 2 of HBOmax #Thewaydown airs. #remnantfellowship #gwenshamblinlara". facebook.com.
  20. ^ "Grateful for all the good things surrounding me. It is true that what you sow is what you reap. I'm feeling the rewards of new connections, offers, and opportunities. My upcoming book release and much more is becoming a reality. I'm ready. I have green lights and I'm stepping on the accelerator! Soon my patient friends…. Soon you'll be along on this ride! 💚💚💚 #Thewaydown #gwenshamblinlara #joelara #remnantfellowship #weighdown #Tennessee #nashville #author #actress #producer #writer". facebook.com.
  21. ^ "Joe Lara's Ex From The Way Down Recalled Her Fears After The Plane Crash". www.bustle.com.
  22. ^ Ferrier, Dennis (2018-05-01). "Ferrier Files:Williamson Country Juvenile Court judge under fire". FOX 17.
  23. ^ "Srpska Lepotica Vozi " MIG-25 "". Serbian Diaspora Magazine. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
  24. ^ a b c Prajwal (2022-07-17). "Joe Lara and Natasha Pavlovich Fought in Court for Their Daughter". hollywoodmask.
  25. ^ "A Quantum Leap into JFK's History". STAR. 8 September 1992. p. 39.
  26. ^ "#ᴛʙᴛ Co-starring with the mega talented #robertobenigni in the Blake Edwards directed, "Son of the Pink Panther" film will always be a memory I will cherish. The studio was Pinewood Studios in Ivers, England and I was on the very stage where Elizabeth Taylor filmed Cleopatra. Everyday I had lunch with Blake Edwards and Julie Andrews. I was living out my dream and really feeling like I had made it. 💕💗💖🎥🎬 #sonofthepinkpanther #pinkpanther #robertobenigni #blakeedwards #julieandrews #livingthedream #actress #bellydancer #pinewoodstudios". instagram.com.
  27. ^ "Tracing Diet Guru Gwen Shamblin's Rise and Fall as Told By HBO Max's The Way Down". www.eonline.com.

Notes

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  1. ^ They dated on an off between these years and were temporarily at one point engaged.
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