Natasha Pavlovich is a Serbian-American actress, business woman, pilot, former model and beauty pageant titleholder. Pavlovich represented Yugoslavia in the Miss Universe 1991 competition where she reached the semi-finals. She also appeared in various films and national prime time television shows, as well as the 2021 HBO Max docuseries, The Way Down: God, Greed, and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin.

Early life and education Pavlovich was born on March 14, 1968, in Yugoslavia and raised in Popovi, a village in the Bijeljina municipality of Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She is a descendant of the Pavlovic noble family. 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. Pavlovich completed her studies in the English Language at the University of California, Los Angeles.

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

Career Beauty pageants 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.

Film and television 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, as well as roles on Judging Amy, Nip/Tuck, Cybill, JAG (TV series), and The Agency (2001 TV series). After her work on the Paramount Studios show Wings (TV series) Disney/NBC Studios cast her in a regular role in the series Pride and Joy 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. She had a regular role in the Serbian drama series Gorki Plodovi (Bitter Fruit in Serbian), playing an ophthalmologist.

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

Books Pavlovich stated in September 2021 that she is currently in the process of writing a memoir.

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

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. Legal controversy and news appearance In 2015, Lara petitioned the court for sole custody of their daughter. The custody trial began in 2016 and Pavlovich represented herself beginning in 2019. 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.

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. In the crash's aftermath, Pavlovich was concerned that her daughter may have been on the plane with Lara. 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.

Filmography

1987Epitaph1987What a CountrySonia1988Martin Mull Live from North Ridgeville, OhioNatasha1988The Munsters TodaySvetlana1989Going Overboard1990Grand1991CBS Schoolbreak Special1991Growing Pains TV series1991Drexell's Class 1992 Quantum LeapMarina Oswald PorterTV series (season 5)1992Dream On"Joy Aplenty"TV series 1992 The Naked Truth Miss Bolivia Comedy 1992–1993 Down the Shore Marishka Sitcom TV series 1993 Son of the Pink Panther Rima Comedy 1993 Martial OutlawMia AntonovaMartial arts film1993Dark Justice1993DeltaPaulina1994Cobra 1994Good Advice 1995Wirehead 1995Wings 1995Pride and Joy Katya TV series 1995 Cybill Marina TV series1995 JAGLieutenant DumaiEpisode: "Scimitar"1997–1999 Night ManPetraTV series1995Partners 1996Mr. & Mrs. SmithNatasha Pavlovich1997Spy Game 1997Hawaii Five-O 1997Jenny 1997Mike Hammer, Private Eye 1998PlayersRenata1998 JAGRuszaEpisode: "Gypsy Eyes"1998LateLineYelena1998Rounders 1998V.I.P.Аlex1998Silk Stalkings 1999The Darwin Conspiracy 1999Viper 1999Martial Law 2001Thieves 2001–2002 The Agency Tanja / Tanja (segment "Deadline") TV series 2004 Judging Amy Claire Swaime TV series 2004 Nip/Tuck Hannah TV series2002Alias 2003Port Charles 2004Judging Amy 2004Nip/Tuck 2006I Did Not Know That 2006MonkNicole WagnerTV series2006DriveIrina2007Atlanta 2008Las VegasSenator GreenbergTV series 2008–2009 Dr. Pavlovic TV series 2013 Space Warriors Russian Tech No. 1 Science fiction2021 The Way Down Herself Documentary

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