Goran Višnjić (/ˈvɪʃnjɪtʃ/ vish-nyich; Croatian: [ˈʋiʃɲitɕ]; born September 9, 1972 in Sibenik, Croatia) is a Croatian actor who has appeared in American and British films and television productions. . He is an actor and producer, is best known for his role as Dr. Luka Kovač in the television series ER(1994), Ice Age (2002) and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) and is currently starring extant:
Extant is an American science fiction television drama series executive produced by Steven Spielberg. The story revolves around astronaut Molly Woods (Halle Berry) who returns home to her family inexplicably pregnant after 13 months in outer space on a solo mission.
Goran Visnjic co-stars as Dr. John Woods, Molly’s husband, who is a robotics engineer heading the Humanichs Project.
Premise: Molly Woods, an astronaut with International Space-Exploration Agency (ISEA) is assigned a 13-month solo mission aboard space station Seraphim. She returns home to her husband John, a robotics engineer who created their son Ethan, a prototype android called a “humanich”. When Molly mysteriously becomes pregnant, she begins a search for answers.
Opening introduction: (voice-over by Halle Berry):
| “ | I went to space on a 13-month solo mission. I didn’t come home alone. My husband created a life-like android called a “Humanich”. His name is Ethan: he’s the prototype. This is a story about Earth, a story about family, a story about surviving. |
Early life
Visnjic was born in the Dalmatian coastal city of Šibenik, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia. He has one older brother, Joško. His father, Željko Višnjić, was a bus driver, and his mother, Milka, worked in a food market. He appeared in plays throughout his childhood and made his screen debut at age 16 in the controversial Yugoslav film Braća po materi (1988), playing a young Ustaša.
As Yugoslavia began to dissolve, Višnjić was serving a year-long tour of duty with the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA). He left the JNA and returned to Šibenik, where he joined the nascent Croatian Army in defending his hometown against the Army of the Republic of Serbian Krajina.
After leaving the Croatian Army, he moved to Zagreb to study at the University of Zagreb Academy of Dramatic Art.
Career
Visnjic was the youngest actor to be chosen for the title role in Shakespeare’s Hamlet at the Dubrovnik Summer Theatre Festival in Croatia. Originally cast as Laertes and understudy to Hamlet, he took over the role when the star dropped out of the production shortly before the first performance. He portrayed the doomed prince for seven years from 1994 to 2000, winning several Orlando Awards (the equivalent of the Tony Award). During an episode of ER, he demonstrated his expertise in the part of Hamlet, by reciting an excerpt from the “To be or not to be” soliloquy in Croatian. In the same episode, he demonstrated his skill in another Shakespeare-related hobby by fencing with Noah Wyle’s character, Dr. John Carter.
Prior to ER, Visnjic had small speaking roles in films such as The Peacemaker, Committed and Practical Magic. In 1998 he also appeared in Madonna’s music video “The Power of Goodbye”, and had a cameo in the movie Rounders. But it was Visnjic’s break-out role as Risto, the Bosnian driver in Welcome to Sarajevo that led then-producer Jack Orman to offer him the role of the then unnamed doctor who would replace the departing George Clooney on ER. Visnjic joined ER in the sixth season in late 1999, eventually becoming the show’s male lead in mid-season 11. Visnjic made a series of appearances in season 14 before leaving the show early in season 15, ending his 9 year run on the medical drama.[2]
While starring on ER, Visnjic also worked on other projects. He starred in the British film Close Your Eyes (2002) along with Shirley Henderson and Miranda Otto. He co-starred in the movieThe Deep End, voice-acted in Ice Age, and starred in Posljednja volja and Doctor Sleep. In 2004, he starred in the television miniseries Spartacus and the Croatian movie and television series Duga mračna noć. He appeared with Jennifer Garner in the 2005 movie Elektra.
During the summer of 2005, Visnjic was one of four finalists for the role of James Bond, eventually losing out to British actor Daniel Craig, with whom he would appear in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Visnjic appeared in UNKLE’s music video for the song “Burn My Shadow”, released in May 2007. In 2008, Visnjic starred in the film Helen alongside Ashley Judd[3] as Judd’s character’s husband David in the drama, which made its world premiere at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.[4] Visnjic also appeared alongside Carla Gugino in a segment of the 2009 film New York, I Love You, an anthology set in New York. Visnjic’s segment was directed by Andrei Zvyagintsev.[5] Although the Visnjic/Gugino segment was cut from the theatrical version of the film,[6] it was included in the DVD version.
Visnjic appeared in the historical drama The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler, about a young Polish woman responsible for the rescue of Jewish children in wartime Warsaw, filmed in Riga, Latvia. Produced for Hallmark Hall of Fame, the film aired on CBS on April 19, 2009.[7] Visnjic recently completed a role in the Mike Mills independent film Beginners alongsideChristopher Plummer and Ewan McGregor.[8] At the end of 2009, he was cast in the role of Samson in the Tiger Aspect television miniseries The Deep, shown on BBC One in 2010.[9] He appeared as Andrija Hebrang in the historical drama Tito on Croatian television. Visnjic appeared in the unsold 2010 pilot of ABC Studios’ Boston’s Finest in which he played a disgraced cop who works with a female officer (played by Katee Sackhoff) to solve crimes while clearing his name.[10] He recently appeared in the two-episode season three finale of the television seriesLeverage, as international crime financier Damien Moreau, his first guest appearance on an English-language television program.
In 2011, Visnjic played the role of Dragan Armansky, the head of a security agency, in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and he has signed on to play this role for the entire film trilogy produced and distributed by Sony Pictures Entertainment. He also featured in a four-episode arc in the ABC television series Pan Am, playing a Yugoslavian attache to the United Nations.
Recognition
Visnjic was named People magazine’s Sexiest Import in 1999 and “One of TV’s Sexiest Men” in the June 5–11, 2005 TV Guide. He was ranked #18 in Croatian-based monthly film magazineHollywood in Best Croatian Male Movie Stars of All Time list in November 2005. He was also named as the Best Croatian actor in 2004 according to the votes of the visitors of internet magazines, for his role in the movie Duga mračna noć, according to the votes of Croatian newspaper Večernji list.
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