Rade Šerbedžija (occasionally credited as Rade Sherbedgia in some English-language productions; born 27 July 1946) is a Serbian-Croatian actor and director. He was one of the most popular Yugoslav actors in the 1970s and 1980s. He is now internationally known mainly for his supporting roles in Hollywood films during the 1990s and 2000s. Recently, Šerbedžija received attention for his recurring role as former Soviet Red Army General Dmitri Gredenko in the sixth season of TV action series 24. He is a Croatian and Slovenian citizen, having both passports, Croatian and Slovenian.
Šerbedžija was born in the village of Bunić in Lika, Croatia, to an ethnic Serbian family. Benicio del Toro was his neighbor for a period of time while he was living in the U.S. For a period of time he lived in the Fužine area of Ljubljana, Slovenia. Šerbedžija plays the guitar and sings. Šerbedžija has said that he puts his funds in Slovenia but is more comfortable working in Croatia. He is a member of the Advisory Council of the Socialist Labour Party of Croatia.
In 1969, he graduated from the Academy of Dramatic Arts of the University of Zagreb and then worked as a theater actor in the theater "Gavella" and at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb. While still a student, Šerbedžija started to play leading roles in films and theater productions. He is remembered as an outstanding Peer Gynt, Don Juan, Melkior, Oedipus, Hamlet, Leon and Richard III. He had various notable film roles, among others in U gori raste zelen bor (1971), Variola vera (1981), Kiklop (1982), Život je lep (1985). He was also among the leading actors in several TV series, such as in Prosjaci i sinovi (1971), U registraturi (1976), Nikola Tesla (1977).
Rade founded the Ulysses Theater with Borislav Vujčić in Brijuni, where he also directs and acts in most plays. The theater was founded in 2000 and is very successful so far.
In the early 1990s, during the course of the Yugoslav wars, he acted in few films from various parts of former Yugoslavia, including the Macedonian film Before the Rain in 1994. Šerbedžija then also acted in various western European films before he emigrated to the United States.
He is perhaps most often recognized by world audiences for his supporting roles in Hollywood films such as Mission: Impossible II, Mighty Joe Young, The Saint, Eyes Wide Shut, Snatch, EuroTrip, The Quiet American (2002), Shooter and a cameo in Batman Begins often varying between sinister villains or trusting friends. He was offered to reprise his cameo role in The Dark Knight but opted not to.
In 2001, he starred in an elaborate television production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic musical South Pacific in the role of the French plantation owner, Emile de Becque. He was also involved in the BBC Television production of the spy-thriller show Spooks for one episode as a villain. In autumn of 2005, Šerbedžija had a supporting role in the NBC science fiction series Surface. His most recent role is in Jeremy Podeswa's feature film adaptation of Anne Michaels' novel Fugitive Pieces, where he plays the character Athos Roussos. His most recent successful role is that of Captain Blake in Rupert Wainwright's remake of The Fog.
He portrayed the part of Dmitri Gredenko on the sixth season of the hit FOX show 24.
