Jelica Brestovac is a Serbian actress who studied acting in Novi Sad in the class of professor Mira Banjac. She graduated with the production of „The House of Bernarda Alba“, in which she played Poncia, directed by Mira Banjac. Her first professional engagement was at the „Dobrica Milutinović“ Theatre in Sremska Mitrovica, where she performed in the monodrama „Čavke na žici“ by Nedeljko Terzić, directed by Gordana Lukić.
She subsequently appeared in several productions for children before receiving a permanent position at the „Sterija“ Theatre in Vršac. She worked there as a resident actress for three years and later returned to the theatre for many years as a guest performer. Her stage work includes roles in productions such as „Tango“ by Sławomir Mrożek, „The Tale of the Dead Tsar’s Daughter“ by Nikolai Kolyada, „Kir Janja“, „Women’s Conversations“, „Ah, the Pleasure of That Time“, „The World“, „Don Juan Returns from the War“, „Dugonja i Trbonja“, „Crazy Day“, „The Hen“ and „The Flying Troupe“.
For many years, Brestovac has lived in Belgrade and worked as a freelance artist. She has performed productions through her own production work, including „Tražim muža“, a monodrama-cabaret based on texts by Duško Radović and directed by Brestovac herself, as well as „Pippi Longstocking“, „Papazjanija“ and „Bubamara“. For „Bubamara“ by Olivera Jelkić, she received an award for best acting achievement at a monodrama festival for children in Novi Sad. Her work has also included radio, where she edited and hosted the programmes „Ljudi među nama“, „Zabavno popodne“ and „Zrna mudrosti“ in Vršac.
Her television credits include appearances in „Seljaci“, „Da se ne pročuje“, „Zvezdara“, „Naša mala klinika“, „Zaustavi vreme“ and „Najlepše bajke“. She has also acted in the films „Čarlston za Ognjenku“, „Dok su oni leteli na mesec“ and „Kozje uši“, in which she played Bojana. For a period, she also worked as a casting manager for drama productions at TV Happy.
Brestovac has a strong interest in sport. She played handball in primary school and has always been particularly drawn to basketball. While living and working in Vršac, she regularly attended Hemofarm basketball games and enjoyed playing basketball with friends. One of the sporting events she remembers most vividly is the gold medal won by the Yugoslav basketball team at the 2002 World Championship in Indianapolis. She is a passionate supporter of Red Star Belgrade, while her personal and sporting motto is: „Every effort pays off, sooner or later.“
