Although Croatia is a small country, with a little upward of 4 million people living there, it keeps producing amazing talents. The span is incredible, from sport stars all the way to naïve artists. We are covering famous people from the movie industry with Croatian heritage.
1. John Malkovich
John Gavin Malkovich (born December 9, 1953) is an American actor, producer, and fashion designer. He received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Places in the Heart (1984) and In the Line of Fire (1993). Malkovich was born in Christopher, Illinois, and grew up in Benton, Illinois. His paternal grandparents were from Ozalj in Croatia.
2. Eric Bana
Eric Banadinović, (born 9 August 1968), known professionally as Eric Bana, is an Australian actor and comedian. He began his career in the sketch comedy series Full Frontal before gaining notice in the comedy-drama The Castle (1997). His father, Ivan, was Croatian and worked as a logistics manager for Caterpillar Inc., and his German mother, Eleanor, was a hairdresser, originally from near Mannheim in Germany.
3. Joe Manganiello
Joseph Michael Manganiello is an American actor, director, and producer. His professional film career began when he played Flash Thompson in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man. His breakout role came in the form of werewolf Alcide Herveaux on five seasons of the HBO series True Blood, for which he was voted “Favorite Pop-Culture Werewolf of All Time” in 2011 by the readers of Entertainment Weekly and one of Men’s Health’s “100 Fittest Men of All Time”. His mother has Croatian roots (Bračanov) whilst his father is of Italian descent.
4. Jenna Elfman
Jennifer Mary “Jenna” Elfman ( born September 30, 1971) is an American actress, best known for her performances in television comedies. Her first leading role was in the short-lived ABC sitcom Townies in 1996, before making her film debut in the 1997 comedy Grosse Pointe Blank. She is of Croatian ancestry on her father’s side.
5. Judah Friedlander
Judah Friedlander (born March 16, 1969) is an American actor and comedian, known for playing the role of writer Frank Rossitano on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock. Friedlander is also known for his role as Toby Radloff in the film American Splendor, a role that garnered him favorable reviews and a nomination for best supporting actor at the 2004 Independent Spirit Awards. His father was of Russian Jewish descent and his mother, a native of Pittsburgh, is Croatian American.
6. Goran Višnjić
Goran Visnjic ( born September 9, 1972) is a Croatian–American actor who has appeared in American and British films and television productions. He is best known in the United States for his roles as Dr. Luka Kovač on the NBC television series ER and Garcia Flynn on Timeless. For ER, he and his cast were nominated for two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
7. Rade Šerbedžija
Rade Šerbedžija (born 27 July 1946), occasionally credited as Rade Sherbedgia in some English-language productions, is a Croatian actor, director and musician. He is known for his portrayals of imposing figures on both sides of the law. He was one of the most popular Yugoslav actors in the 1970s and 1980s.
8. Branko Lustig
Branko Lustig (born 10 June 1932) is a Croatian film producer best known for winning Academy Awards for Best Picture for Schindler’s List and Gladiator. He is the only person born in the territory of present-day Croatia to have won two Academy Awards.
9. Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog (born 5 September 1942) is a German film director, screenwriter, author, actor, and opera director. Herzog is a figure of the New German Cinema. His films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with unique talents in obscure fields, or individuals who are in conflict with nature.Herzog was born Werner Stipetić in Munich, to Elizabeth Stipetić, an Austrian of Croatian descent, and Dietrich Herzog, who was German.
10. Rick Rossovich
Rick Rossovich (born August 28, 1957) is an American actor best known as Ron “Slider” Kerner in the 1986 film Top Gun. Rossovich has Croatian and Italian ancestry; his father’s family comes from Croatia while his mother’s family originates from the Tuscany region of Italy.
Croats are spreading talents all over the world, but Croatia is also offering much more! Astonishing nature, incredible landscapes, mindblowing city legends and delicious cuisine are a perfect instroduction into exploring this beautiful country.
