Željko Ivanek

Biography

Željko Ivanek was born on August 15, 1957, in Ljubljana, then part of Yugoslavia (now Slovenia). In 1960, his family relocated to Palo Alto, California, where his father worked at Stanford University. After a brief return to Slovenia, they settled permanently in the U.S. in 1967. Ivanek graduated from Yale University in 1978 with a degree in theater and further honed his craft at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

Stage Career

Ivanek's theatrical journey began with notable performances in productions like Cloud Nine, earning him the 1981 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play. He originated the role of Hally in Athol Fugard's Master Harold...and the Boys in 1982. His Broadway credits include Brighton Beach Memoirs, Two Shakespearean Actors, and The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial, garnering three Tony Award nominations.

Television and Film Career

Ivanek has portrayed a range of complex characters on television. He gained prominence as Assistant State's Attorney Ed Danvers on Homicide: Life on the Street (1993–1999) and as Governor James Devlin on Oz (1997–2003). His role as Ray Fiske in Damages (2007–2010) earned him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2008. Other significant TV roles include appearances in 24, Heroes, True Blood, Madam Secretary, and The Walking Dead: Dead City. 

In film, Ivanek has delivered compelling performances in Donnie Brasco (1997), Black Hawk Down (2001), Argo (2012), and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017), among others. His collaborations with director Martin McDonagh in Seven Psychopaths and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri have been particularly noteworthy.

Personal Life

As of 2018, Ivanek resided in New York City with his partner, Greg Pierce, a playwright and nephew of actor David Hyde Pierce.