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Rade Šerbedžija

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Rade Šerbedžija
Раде Шербеџија
Šerbedžija at the 12th Satellite Awards in December 2007
Born (1946-07-27) 27 July 1946 (age 80)
Other nameRade Sherbedgia
Citizenship
  • Croatia
  • North Macedonia
  • Slovenia
OccupationActor
Years active1967–present
Spouses
Ivanka Cerovac
(m. 1969; div. 1987)
(m. 1991)
Children5, including Danilo and Lucija

Rade Šerbedžija[a] (born 27 July 1946) is a Yugoslav and Croatian actor, director and musician. He started in theatre, and became one of the best known Yugoslav actors in the 1970s and 1980s, for his stage and film portrayals of imposing figures on both sides of the law.

Of Serbian descent, during the breakup of Yugoslavia he moved abroad, where he became internationally known for his role as Boris the Blade in Snatch (2000) and his supporting roles in such Hollywood films as The Saint (1997), Eyes Wide Shut (1999), Mission: Impossible 2 (2000), Batman Begins (2005), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010), etc. He also had a recurring role in season 6 of TV action series 24.

Šerbedžija is a four-time recipient of the Golden Arena for Best Actor, Croatia's highest filmmaking honors. He won the Critics Award for Best Actor at the 51st Venice International Film Festival for his performance in Before the Rain (1994). He also received the International Press Academy’s Mary Pickford Award, an honorary recognition “for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to the Entertainment Industry” in 2019.

Early life

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Rade Šerbedžija was born on 27 July 1946 in the village of Bunić in the Lika region of Croatia, then part of Yugoslavia.[1] His parents were ethnic Serbs[2] who fought in the Second World War as Partisans. Šerbedžija was raised as an atheist.[3]

Career

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In Yugoslavia

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In 1969, he graduated from the Academy of Dramatic Arts of the University of Zagreb, and then worked as a theatre actor in the City Drama Theatre Gavella and at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb.[4] While still a student, Šerbedžija started to play leading roles in films and theatre productions.[5] His stage roles included Oedipus and Richard III.[6] His performance as Hamlet in 1974 in Dubrovnik catapulted him into stardom.[5]

Šerbedžija landed his first major film role in 1968 in the Branko Ivanda-directed Gravitation.[7][8] He had various notable roles in Yugoslav films, among others in Bravo maestro (1978), Journalist (1979), Banović Strahinja (1981), Kiklop (1982) and San o ruži (1986).[7] He was also among the leading actors in several TV series, such as in Prosjaci i sinovi (1971), U registraturi (1976), and Putovanje u Vučjak (1986).[7]

Šerbedžija taught as a professor at the University of Zagreb from 1979 to 1981 and at the University of Novi Sad from 1987 to 1991.[7]

Šerbedžija was one of the most well-known actors in Yugoslavia,[9][10] in addition to being one of the most beloved.[11] Prior to leaving his home country, Šerbedžija had starred in over 40 films.[5] He was also one of the main supporters of the KPGT Yugoslav theater,[10] a project initiated to unite the different Yugoslav state theaters into a single troupe.[12]

Šerbedžija is a four-time recipient of the Golden Arena for Best Actor at the Pula Film Festival; in 1978 for Bravo maestro,[13] in 1986 for Evening Bells (Večernja zvona),[14] in 2010 for 72 Days (Sedamdeset i dva dana),[14] and Fishing and Fishermen's Conversations (2020).[15]

In 2000, Šerbedžija founded the Ulysses Theater with Borislav Vujčić on the Brijuni islands.[10][16] In a co-production between the Ulysses Theatre and the National Theatre in Belgrade, for his role in the 2019 adaptation of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Šerbedžija received the Zoran Radmilović Award,[17] the Croatian Theatre Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role,[18] and the Orlando Award.[19] The same year, he won his second Vladimir Nazor Award for “Lifetime Achievement - Film Art”.[20]

International career

[edit]
Šerbedžija at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival.

In 1988, Šerbedžija appeared in two films that were released in the West; Hanna's War and Manifesto.[5]

As war broke out in Yugoslavia, Šerbedžija initially moved to Serbia in 1992, then Slovenia before eventually spending some time in London, England at the invitation of actor and friend Anthony Andrews.[5] While in London, Šerbedžija met with Macedonian-American director Milcho Manchevski who cast him in his 1994 film Before the Rain.[10] The performance earned him a Critics Award for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival.[21]

Šerbedžija has had supporting roles in Hollywood films such as Mission: Impossible 2, Mighty Joe Young, The Saint, Eyes Wide Shut, Snatch, and Space Cowboys among others.[22] He is usually known for playing villains.[8][23]

He had a cameo in Batman Begins; he was asked to reprise his cameo role in The Dark Knight, but declined.[citation needed]

In 2001, he starred in a television production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical South Pacific as French plantation owner Emile de Becque.[24] He also appeared in the BBC spy-thriller show Spooks for one episode as a villain. In 2005 he played Captain Blake in Rupert Wainwright's remake of The Fog,[25] and had a supporting role in the NBC science fiction series Surface.[26] In 2007 he played Athos Roussos in Jeremy Podeswa's feature film adaptation of Anne Michaels' novel Fugitive Pieces.[27]

His performance in the Canadian film Fugitive Pieces (2007) was nominated for a Genie Award[28] and Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor.[29]

He portrayed Dmitri Gredenko, a former Russian Army General, on the sixth season of the hit Fox show 24, first aired in 2007.[30]

He had a role in Shooter (2007).

In 2009 Šerbedžija was cast in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 as the famous foreign wandmaker Gregorovitch.[31] In 2014, Šerbedžija appeared in six episodes of Downton Abbey as Prince Kuragin,[32] a Russian exile and long-ago lover of the Dowager Countess Violet Crawley, portrayed by Dame Maggie Smith.

He had a role in X-Men: First Class released in 2011, and in the 2012 film Taken 2.

In 2019, Šerbedžija was awarded the International Press Academy’s Mary Pickford Award, an honorary award “for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to the Entertainment Industry”.[33]

Other work

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Šerbedžija is also known for his poetry readings and music. He has released four poetry books and four music albums.[34] He recorded the award-winning ballad "Ni u tvome srcu" with Bosnian vocalist Kemal Monteno.[35] While in London, Šerbedžija stayed at actress Vanessa Redgrave's residence and the two became friends.[5] With Redgrave, Šerbedžija founded the Moving Theatre Company.[11]

In 2017, Šerbedžija signed the Declaration on the Common Language of the Croats, Serbs, Bosniaks and Montenegrins.[36]

Personal life

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Šerbedžija married Ivanka Cerovac in 1969.[37] They have a son, film director Danilo (b. 1971), and a daughter, actress Lucija (b. 1973).[37] The couple divorced in 1987.[37]

Šerbedžija met his second wife, Lenka Udovički, the sister of Serbian politician Kori Udovički, in Subotica in 1990 and they married in 1991.[38] With his second wife, he has three daughters: Nina, Vanja, and Mimi. The girls grew up in London during their early years, then moved to California due to their father's acting career.[10]

Šerbedžija's parents left Vinkovci as Serb refugees for Belgrade in 1991, due to the Croatian War of Independence.[39]

In 1992, while at a club in Belgrade, an intoxicated youth swore at Šerbedžija, calling him "Serb traitor", then shot his gun in the air.[40] The youth himself was from Lika, as was Šerbedžija.[40] Šerbedžija took his wife and at the time, only daughter Nina, and left Zagreb and Belgrade, and settled in Ljubljana, Slovenia.[41][39] Šerbedžija has called himself "Yugo-nostalgic",[42] and in 2011, said that times were better in Socialist Yugoslavia than now.[40] Šerbedžija owns property in London, Hollywood, California, Rijeka, and Zagreb. As of January 2011, he reportedly spends most of his time in Rijeka together with his wife Lenka.[39]

Šerbedžija is a citizen of Croatia, North Macedonia, and Slovenia.[43]

Filmography

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Film

[edit]
YearTitleRoleNotes
1967IluzijaMladic koji ubija Branka
Black Birds
1968OsvetaShort film
Seansa
GravitationBoris Horvat
1969Dio è con noi
Sedmina - Pozdravi MarijoNiko
1970PapagajMladić
Passing Days
Red WheatJužek Hedl
Kainov znakMilan
1971Putovanje na mjesto nesrećeVlatko
Beggars and the sons Matan Špalatrin
The Pine Tree in the MountainDomobran kicoš
1972Poslijepodne jednog fazanaObijesni mladić
Rođendan male Mire
Zvezde su oči ratnikaUčitelj Rade
1973Pelikani
Živjeti od ljubaviDavor
BegunecIvan
1974 In the registrature Ivica Kičmanović
A Performance of Hamlet in the Village of Mrduša DonjaJoco / Hamlet
Tojota Korola 1000
Obešenjak
NocturnoLucio
The Republic of UžiceČetnički oficir Kosta Barac
1977Noćna skela
HajkaLado
1978Bombaški procesJosip Broz Tito
Bravo maestroVitomir Bezjak
1979JournalistVlado Kovač
Živi bili pa vidjeli
The ReturnKomandir milicije
UsijanjeTomo
1980The Woman from Sarajevo [sr]Vlado Ratko
1981Tuga
Duvanski putTomo
Banović StrahinjaAbdulah
1982Variola VeraDoktor Grujić
CyclopsUgo
13. julKapetan Mitrović
Tamburaši
Život i priča
1983Zadah telaPančo Vila
Kvit posaoJozo
Noć poslije smrtiLucio Klarić
1984In the Jaws of LifeIntelektualac
Pejzaži u magliLelin otac
UnaProfessor Mišel Babić
1985Life Is BeautifulHarmonikaš
Horvatov izborKrešimir Horvat
1986San o ružiValent
Večernja zvonaTomislav K. Burbonski
1987Die VerliebtenDušan
HudodelciRaka
1988Zagrljaj
Tartif
ManifestoEmile
Hanna's WarCaptain Ivan
1989Čovjek koji je volio sprovodeHinko
Seobe IIDe Ronkali
1990Karneval, anđeo i prah
Majstori mraka
1992DezerterPavle Trušić
1993Kontesa DoraKarlo Armano
1994Magareće godineNarrator
Before the RainAleksandar
1995Urnebesna tragedijaKosta
Two DeathsColonel George Lapadus
BelmaJosip Papac
1996MementoThe Officer
Broken EnglishIvan
1997Nečista krvGazda Marko
Balkan Island: The Last Story of the CenturyRusty
The SaintIvan Tretiak
The TruceMardenou the Greek
1998Mighty Joe YoungAndrei Strasser
Polish WeddingRoman
Prague DuetJiri Kolmar
1999Eyes Wide ShutMr. Milich
The Sweet Sounds of LifeBruno Maier
StigmataFather Marion Petrocelli
2000Space CowboysGeneral Vostow
Mission: Impossible 2Dr. Vladimir Nekhorvich
SnatchBoris 'The Blade' Yurinov
Je li jasno prijatelju?Milan Rajić
2002The Quiet AmericanInspector Vigot
2003QuicksandOleg Butraskaya
The Cruelest DayMiran Hrovatin
2004EuroTripTibor
Golemata vodaOld Lem
Rade Šerbedžija Live in BudvaHimself
The FeverDiplomat
2005The Keeper: The Legend of Omar KhayyamImam Muaffak
Batman BeginsHomeless Man
The FogCaptain William Blake
Short OrderPaulo
Go WestLjubo
2006Moscow ZeroSergei
The Elder SonMaxim Sarafanov
2007Balkanski sindromOld Alen
HermanoCarlos Avileda
TeslaNarrator
ShooterMikhayo Sczerbiak / Michael Sandor
Fugitive PiecesAthos Roussos
Battle in SeattleDr. Marić
Say It in RussianRaf Larin
Pravo čudoToma
L... Kot ljubezenBig Daddy
Love LifeArie
2008QuarantineYuri Ivanov
The EyeSimon McCullough
2009Middle MenNikita Sokoloff
Thick as ThievesNicky Petrovich/Victor Korolenko
2010Lonesdale
Kao Rani MrazStari Vasa Ladački
72 DaysMane Paripović
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1Gregorovitch
20115 Days of WarCol. Demidov
TatankaVinko
X-Men: First ClassRussian General
Shun Li and the PoetBepi
In the Land of Blood and HoneyGen. Nebojsa Vukojevich
2012The Fourth StateOnjegin
Taken 2Murad Krasniqi
The Third HalfDon Rafael Cohen
Ustanicka ulicaVraneš
2013Cry of the ButterflyRay
The DoubleFrightening Old Man
2014The Legend of HerculesChiron
Tekken 2: Kazuya's RevengeThe Minister
2015Tesla: Iznad masteMilutin Tesla
SparrowsTomislav
2016The PorcupineStoyo Petkanov
TeslaProfessor Petrov
The PromiseStepan
The Liberation of SkopjeGjorgjijaAlso director and writer
2017AnkaBiljeznik
Hedgehog's HomeNarrator (voice)Short film; Serbo-Croatian version
The ExecutrixArthur
The Last ProseccoDesiderio Ancillotto
2018Proud MaryLuka
Murderous TranceDr. Dabrowski
What's This Country Called Now?Ismet TabakovicShort film
2019CaviarPappy
2020Fishing and Fishermen's ConversationsPetar Hektorović
2024Air Force One DownRodinov
2025 The Pavilion Anjelo [44]

Television

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YearTitleRoleNotes
1966Prikupljanje hrabostiSkalperTV film
Sedam sati i petnaest minutaTomicaTV film
1968Maratonci1 episode
1969MeteorTV film
Čamac za kron-princaTV film
1970Sam čovjekMiniseries; 3 episodes
1971Prosjaci i sinoviMatan Špalatrin
1974Obraz uz obrazHimself1 episode
U registraturiIvica Kicmanović7 episodes
1975PesmaMića Ranović6 episodes
1976The Republic of UžiceKosta Barac1 episode
1977Nikola TeslaNikola Tesla9 episodes
1979Ivan Goran KovačićIvan Goran KovačićTV film
1980Sedam plus sedamHimself1 episode
1982Nepokoreni grad1 episode
1983KiklopUgo4 episodes
1986Putovanje u VučjakKrešimir Horvat14 episodes
2001South PacificEmile De BecqueTV film
2003SpooksViktor Schvitkoy1 episode
2005SurfaceDr. Aleksander Cirko6 episodes
200724Dmitri Gredenko8 episodes
FallenDr. Lukas GrasicMiniseries
2008My Own Worst EnemyYuri Volkalov2 episodes
2009CSI: MiamiAlexander Sharova2 episodes
2014Downton AbbeyPrince Kuragin6 episodes
2016The FiveJâkob MarosiMiniseries; 6 episodes
2017Mata HariEmil Guimet2 episodes
The BlacklistDr. Bogdan Krilov2 episodes
Better ThingsArnold Hall1 episode
2018–19Strange AngelProfessor Filip Mesulam12 episodes
2020Strike BackKalmedi1 episode
2022Slow HorsesNikolai Katinsky
The Old ManOld Suleyman Pavlovic

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Institution YearCategoryWorkResult
Genie Awards 2009Best Supporting Actor Fugitive PiecesNominated
Monaco International Film Festival 2006Best ActorShort OrderWon
New Zealand Film and TV Awards 1996Best Foreign PerformerBroken EnglishWon
Pula Film Festival 1979Best ActorBravo maestroWon
1986Evening BellsWon
Rome Film Fest 2007Best ActorFugitive PiecesWon
Satellite Awards 2008Best Actor in a Supporting Role Fugitive PiecesNominated
Tetouan International Mediterranean Film Festival 2012Best ActorIo sono Li Won
Vancouver Film Critics Circle 2008Best Supporting Actor in a Canadian Film Fugitive PiecesNominated
Venice Film Festival 1994Pasinetti Award for Best ActorBefore the RainWon

Notes

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  1. Serbian Cyrillic: Раде Шербеџија, pronounced [rǎːde ʃerbědʒija]

References

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  1. "Rade Serbedzija Biography". Film Reference. Retrieved 3 March 2021. Surname is sometimes transliterated "Serbedgia" or "Serbedjija"; born July 27, 1946, in Bunic kraj Korenice
  2. Nikolić, Bratislav (19 July 2022). "Šerbedžija: Kao Tesla, ja se ponosim svojim srpskim rodom i hrvatskom domovinom". NOVA portal (in Serbian). Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  3. Petrov, Sergej (27 December 2013). "Rade Šerbedžija". vino.rs.
  4. Gogler, Maggie (27 September 2017). "In Conversation With Rade and Danilo Serbedzija". View of the Arts. Retrieved 3 March 2021. He also performed at the Gavella Drama Theater and at the Croatian National Theater in Zagreb
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 McKenna, Kristine (26 February 1995). "MOVIES : From the Ashes of a Ravaged Land : Actor Rade Serbedzija left his native Yugoslavia to continue his career in the acclaimed 'Before the Rain.' It's a story that mirrors his life". Los Angeles Times.
  6. Rainer, Peter (24 February 1995). "MOVIE REVIEW : Shining a Harsh Light on Balkans War : 'Before the Rain,' an Oscar nominee for best foreign film, is a slick though ultimately uneven tale of fratricidal horror". Los Angeles Times.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Serbedzija, Rade". enciklopedija.hr. Miroslav Krleža Institute of Lexicography.
  8. 1 2 Pavlic, Vedran (1 July 2018). "World-Famous Croatian Actor Rade Šerbedžija Arrested for Drunk Driving". total-croatia-news.com. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  9. Gorup, Radmila (2013). After Yugoslavia: The Cultural Spaces of a Vanished Land. Stanford University Press. p. 124. ISBN 978-0-80478-734-5.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Crnkovich, Gordana P. (2012). Post-Yugoslav Literature and Film: Fires, Foundations, Flourishes. A&C Black (Bloomsbury). pp. 32–33. ISBN 978-1-44117-177-1.
  11. 1 2 Stanković, Radmila (31 January 2018). "Rade Šerbedžija: People Who Hate Are Unhappy". Cord Magazine.
  12. "Meet the man who built Belgrade's theatre of broken dreams, where the Yugoslav ideal lived and died". The Calvert Journal. 27 June 2019.
  13. "68th Pula Film Festival: Bravo Maestro". pulafilmfestival.hr. Pula Film Festival.[permanent dead link]
  14. 1 2 "Rade Šerbedžija". pulafilmfestival.hr. Pula Film Festival.
  15. "Danilo Šerbedžija briljirao u Puli. Njegova Tereza37 proglašena je najboljim filmom, ima 6 Zlatnih Arena". telegram.hr. HINA. 4 September 2020.
  16. "Ulysses - nezaobilazna kulturna činjenica". Radio Free Europe (in Serbo-Croatian). 28 June 2010.
  17. "ZAVRŠEN POZORIŠNI FESTIVAL U ZAJEČARU: Šerbedžiji nagrada Zoran Radmilović". Kurir.rs (in Serbian). 26 October 2019.
  18. "Rade Šerbedžija dobitnik Nagrade hrvatskog glumišta 2019". hrvatskodrustvopisaca.hr. Croatian Writers Society.
  19. "Rade Šerbedžija i skladatelj Petar Obradović dobili nagradu Orlando". novilist.hr. Novi List. 25 August 2020.
  20. "Rade Šerbedžija i Nebojša Slijepčević dobitnici Nagrade Vladimir Nazor". havc.hr. Croatian Audiovisual Centre. 29 May 2019.
  21. "Broken English Cast/Crew". sonyclassics.com. Sony Pictures Classics.
  22. "Ulysses Theater: Founders". ulysses.hr.
  23. Elliott, Stuart (19 February 2014). "For Super Bowl, Familiar Ads and Star Endorsements". The New York Times.
  24. Shales, Tom (26 March 2001). "'South Pacific': Becalmed but Benign". The Washington Post.
  25. Holston, Kim R.; Winchester, Tom (2018). Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Film Sequels, Series and Remakes: An Illustrated Filmography, Volume II (1996-2016). McFarland. pp. 90–91. ISBN 978-1-47662-985-8.
  26. Tucker, Brian (1 August 2005). "NBC's 'Surface' begins shooting in Wilmington". Avenue Magazine.
  27. Hunter, Stephen (5 June 2008). "A boy's tragedy, love and luck". Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
  28. "Rade Serbedzija nominated for Canadian film award ´Genie´". culture.net.hr. Croatian Times. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  29. "Ribanje i ribarsko prigovaranje" (PDF). pulafilmfestival.hr. Pula Film Festival. p. 4.[permanent dead link]
  30. Adams, Bradley. "24 Season Six Revisited - "A source of constant frustration"". spoilertv.com.
  31. "'Glumci iz Pottera su me odmah prepoznali'". tportal/Jutarnji list. 19 November 2009.
  32. Dosani, Rishma (30 June 2018). "Downton Abbey's Rade Serbedzija 'arrested for drink-driving' amid claims he 'nearly took out several cars". metro.co.uk.
  33. Van Blaricom, Mirjana (1 February 2019). "The International Press Academy Honors Rade Serbedzija With its Prestigious Mary Pickford Award". pressacademy.com.
  34. "Tribute: Rade Šerbedžija". Bratislava International Film Festival.
  35. "Kemal Monteno pesmu "Nije htela" posvetio supruzi poznatog pevača". Blic. 21 February 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  36. Derk, Denis (28 March 2017). "Donosi se Deklaracija o zajedničkom jeziku Hrvata, Srba, Bošnjaka i Crnogoraca" [A Declaration on the Common Language of Croats, Serbs, Bosniaks and Montenegrins is About to Appear]. Večernji list (in Serbo-Croatian). Zagreb. pp. 6–7. ISSN 0350-5006. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  37. 1 2 3 Bobanović, Paula (20 December 2013). "Već od prvog trenutka znali su da su suđeni jedno drugome". 24sata.hr (in Croatian).
  38. "Lenka Udovički: Da bi Rade uspio u Hollywoodu, žrtvovala sam vlastitu karijeru" (in Croatian). 18 August 2006. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  39. 1 2 3 Jovanka Simic (4 January 2011). "Rade Šerbedžija: Sve mi naše tamo nedostaje" (in Croatian). Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  40. 1 2 3 "Vreme 1064 - Intervju – Rade Serbedzija: Oprostio sam svima". Nedeljnik Vreme. 25 May 2011.
  41. "B.Katić: Ko je pucao na Šerbedžiju?". B92. 3 August 2013.
  42. "SAM arhiva broj 1 - : SAM 17/12/95 - Intervju: Rade Serbedzija, glumac u emigraciji". yurope.com.
  43. "Rade Šerbedžija dobio makedonsko državljanstvo". blic.rs. 25 May 2014.
  44. Michael Rosser (25 June 2025). "Dino Mustafic's 'The Pavilion' to open Sarajevo Film Festival 2025". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
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