Božidarka Frajt was born Božidarka Grublješić on 11 November 1940. Born to an ethnic Bosnian Serb family, her exact birthplace is unknown due to the scarce information of her childhood.[2] It is believed she was born in Velika Žuljevica under Kozara, and that she was taken by Croatian Ustaše to a concentration camp for Serbian kids in Sisak during the Kozara Offensive in 1942 along with thousands of other orphans.[2] She was later adopted by Croatian Jews Katarina and Stjepan Frajt. At the age of 36, she found out about her Kozara heritage when a woman named Dara Grublješić identified her as her niece.[2]
Her debut as a television actress came with the 1969 Sumorna Jesen, as "The Good Fairy". The plot lines of most of the episodes Frajt starred in were inspired by the experiences of screenwriter Ivan Šibl in World War II.[6]
In 1972, Frajt starred in the directorial debut film of Tomislav RadićThe Living Truth.[7] Her dynamic and dominant interpretation in the drama provided a direct dichotomy to the depressing nature of the film.[8] Her performance instantly made her one of the most prominent film actresses of Yugoslavia, winning her a Golden Arena for Best Actress and commercial success.[9] In a 1999 poll among 44 Croatian film consumers, The Living Truth was placed 20th on the list of all-time best Croatian films.[10]
Frajt had a major role in the 1977 Krešo Golik film Pucanj, sharing the protagonist role with Serbian actor Marko Nikolić.[11] In 1978, she appeared as the middle-aged audio pedagogue protagonist Ljubica in another Golik production Ljubica.[12]
In 1981, Veljko Bulajić invited her to play the principal character in the film High Voltage, after her performance as Ljubica.[13]
Frajt was married to Croatian producer Boris Gregorić, with whom she had one child, Bojana, who is a prominent Croatian actress. Frajt currently lives in Zagreb.[15]
