Željko Ivanek

Željko Ivanek
Born 15 August 1957 (1957-08-15) (age 54)
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Occupation Actor
Years active 1981–present

Željko Ivanek ([ˈʒeʎko iˈʋanək]; born 15 August 1957) is an Emmy award-winning Slovenian American actor best known for his role as Ray Fiske on Damages,[1] as well as his role of Ed Danvers on Homicide: Life on the Street and Homicide: The Movie. He is also known for playing Blake Sterling on short-lived NBC series The Event and Emile Danko on Heroes.

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Early life, education, and training

Ivanek was born in Ljubljana, Slovenia, then a part of Yugoslavia. He emigrated with his parents to the United States in 1960 when he was 3 years old;[2] after a two-year stay, the family moved back to Slovenia for five years and then returned to the United States in 1967. Ivanek graduated from Yale University in 1978 and afterward attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.[3]

Career

In 1982, Ivanek originated the role of Hally in Athol Fugard's play Master Harold...and the Boys. He has also appeared in the U.S. premieres of such notable plays as Caryl Churchill's Cloud Nine - garnering the 1981 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play - and Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman. He would later work again with McDonagh, playing a minor role as a Canadian tourist in the film In Bruges.

Ivanek frequently appears on Broadway and has been nominated for three Tony Awards: one for his performance in the original production of Brighton Beach Memoirs, one more as a featured actor in Two Shakespearean Actors, and another for his lead performance as Captain Queeg in a revival of The Caine Mutiny Court Martial alongside David Schwimmer and Tim Daly.

Ivanek is perhaps best known for his supporting roles in the television series The X-Files as Roland; Homicide: Life on the Street as prosecuting attorney Ed Danvers; Damages as Ray Fiske; Oz as Governor James Devlin; 24 as Andre Drazen; Lost as Edmund Burke; Heroes as Emile Danko; and as J.J. in HBO's series Big Love.

In his screen appearances, he often plays professional men such as lawyers or government functionaries, sometimes of an evil nature.

In 2006, he guest starred on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit playing the father of a college student (Schuyler Fisk) with whom he has an incestuous relationship.

Ivanek portrayed John Dickinson, representative from Pennsylvania of the Second Continental Congress in the HBO miniseries John Adams. He was again seen on HBO in November 2008 in the series True Blood, in which he played the role of the Magister. He reprised his role as the Magister in 2010, the show's third season.

On September 21, 2008 Ivanek was awarded an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in the role of Ray Fiske on Damages.

Ivanek appeared in the third and fourth seasons of Big Love, as Nicki Grant's first husband, J.J.

He appeared as a gun-wielding patient in the episode "Last Resort" on House.

Ivanek was in the NBC drama series The Event.[4][5]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1982 The Soldier Bombmaker
Tex Hitchhiker
The Sender John Doe #83/The Sender
1983 Great performances (TV series) March Hare
1984 Mass Appeal Mark Dolson
The Sun Also Rises (TV series) Bill Gorton
1986 All My Sons (TV series) George Deever
1987 Rachel River Momo
Echoes in the Darkness (TV series) Vince Valaitis
St. Elsewhere (TV series) Mark Dolson
1990 Artificial Paradise (Slovenian: Umetni raj) Willy
L.A. Law (TV series) Joel Lassen
1991 Our Sons Donald Barnes
1992 School Ties Mr Cleary
1993–1999 Homicide: Life on the Street Ed Danvers
1994 The X-Files Roland Fuller/Dr. Arthur Grable 1 episode
1995 Truman Eddie Jacobsen
1996 White Squall Coast Guard Captain Sanders
Courage Under Fire Ben Banacek
Infinity Bill Price
The Associate SEC Agent Thompkins
1997 Donnie Brasco Tim Curley
Frasier Dr. Arnold Shaw
Julian Po Tom Potter
Millennium Dr. Daniel "Danny" Miller 1 episode
Oz (TV series) Governor James Devlin 27 episodes
1998 The Rat Pack Robert Kennedy
Nowhere to Go Principal Jack Walker
From the Earth to the Moon Ken Mattingly
A Civil Action Bill Crowley
1999 Snow Falling on Cedars Dr. Whitman
2000 Dancer in the Dark District Attorney
2001 Hannibal Dr. Cordell Doemling
Black Hawk Down Lieutenant Colonel Gary Harrell
2002 Unfaithful Detective Dean
24 (TV series) Andre Drazen 14 episodes
2003 Dogville Ben
The West Wing (TV series) Steve Atwood 2 episodes
2004 The Manchurian Candidate Vaughn Utly
2004 Law & Order Mr. Capplin
2005 Manderlay Dr Hector
2006 The Hoax Ralph Graves
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Everett Blake Episode: "Taboo"
Bones (TV series) Carl Decker
Shark (TV series) Eliot Dasher
Cold Case (TV series) John Doe Episode: "One Night"
2007 Ascension Day Master Travis
Damages (TV series) Raymond "Ray" Fiske 1st season regular-guest star 2nd season
Live Free or Die Hard Molina
Lost (TV series) Edmund Burke (1 episode)
2008 In Bruges Canadian Guy
The Mentalist (TV Series) Dr. Linus Wagner 2 episodes
Numb3rs (TV series) William Fraley
John Adams John Dickinson
True Blood (season 1) (TV Series) Magnus
House (TV series) Jason episode "Last Resort"
2009 Heroes (TV series) Emile "The Hunter" Danko
Big Love J.J.
2010 True Blood (season 3) (TV series) Magnus
The Event (TV series) Director of National Intelligence Blake Sterling

References

External links