Jelena Jovanova was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, raised in Macedonia, living in Croatia. Having graduated from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Skopje, Macedonia, she became a member of The Macedonian National Theater in Skopje. She played more than 25 leading roles there. Her powerful big screen debut was in Juanita Wilson's As If I Am Not There (2010), which has been selected as the Irish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 84th Academy Awards.

In 2010, she was cast in Angelina Jolie's directorial debut In the Land of Blood and Honey (2011), nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 69th Golden Globe Awards. This film made her the first Macedonian actress ever to appear in a Hollywood production.

She is four times Best Macedonian Actress Award winner.