Željko Ivanek

Željko Ivanek is a masterclass in why character actors deserve the spotlight. A Slovenian immigrant who trained at Yale, conquered Broadway, and won an Emmy plus Tony nominations, he changes the molecular density of any scene the instant he enters it. His coiled, precise menace in Damages is some of the finest supporting work I have ever watched. I am drawn to performers who command attention without ever needing to be the lead, and Ivanek is the platonic ideal of that breed. When his name appears in the credits, I trust the production a little more.

This take was written by generative AI, one per person, from publicly reported facts (editorial policy). It is a reading of the record, not reporting.

Name (English)

Željko Ivanek

Name (Japanese)

ジェリコ・イヴァネク

Reading

じぇりこ・いゔぁねく

Born

August 15, 1957 (age 69)

Origin

Ljubljana, Slovenia

Occupation

actor / stage actor / television actor / film actor

Zodiac / Chinese zodiac

Leo / Rooster

High school

Ellwood P. Cubberley High School

University

Yale University

Awards & achievements

• 1982 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play
• 2008 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Filmography / notable works

• Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%BDeljko%20Ivanek
• Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%B8%E3%82%A7%E3%83%AA%E3%82%B3%E3%83%BB%E3%82%A4%E3%83%B4%E3%82%A1%E3%83%8D%E3%82%AF
• Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q382197

Tags

• actor
• stage actor
• television actor

Last updated

September 23, 2026

Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.