Željko Ivanek ([ˈʒeʎko iˈʋanək]; born August 15, 1957) is a Slovenian-born American actor of Croatian descent, known for his role as Ray Fiske on Damages,[1] for which he won an Emmy Award. Ivanek is also known for his role of Ed Danvers on Homicide: Life on the Street and Homicide: The Movie, Governor James Devlin on Oz, Andre Drazen on 24, Blake Sterling on the short-lived NBC series The Event, and Emile Danko on Heroes.
Early life and education [edit]
Ivanek, a Slovenian American, was born on August 15, 1957 in Ljubljana, PR Slovenia, FPR Yugoslavia. He immigrated 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. Having performed in numerous community theater plays in the San Francisco Bay Area, Željko graduated from Cubberly High School in Palo Alto in the mid-1970s. Ivanek went on to graduate from Yale University in 1978 and afterward attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.[3]
In That Guy... Who Was in That Thing, he reveals that his contract now includes a special rider to ensure that the character Ž in "Željko" does not appear as Z in the credits.
Acting career [edit]
Ivanek has worked extensively on the stage. In 1982, he 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 (for which he earned the 1981 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play) and Martin McDonagh's The Pillowman. He performs frequently on Broadway and has been nominated for three Tony Awards, for his performances in the original production of Brighton Beach Memoirs, in Two Shakespearean Actors, and in a revival of The Caine Mutiny Court Martial alongside David Schwimmer and Tim Daly.
However, Ivanek is perhaps best known for his supporting roles in a number of well-known television series. The characters he portrays are most often professional men such as lawyers or government functionaries and are frequently antagonists. These roles include Roland in The X-Files; prosecuting attorney Ed Danvers in Homicide: Life on the Street; Ray Fiske in Damages; J.J. in Big Love; the Magister in True Blood; Governor James Devlin in Oz; and Blake Sterling, the Director of National Intelligence in the NBC drama series The Event.[4][5] He has also portrayed a broader range of roles, however, including John Dickinson, the Pennsylvanian representative to the Second Continental Congress in the HBO miniseries John Adams. Ivanek has also guest starred on shows such as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and House.
Ivanek has received recognition for his on-screen work. In 2008, he was awarded an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in the role of Ray Fiske on Damages.
As well as his stage and television work, Ivanek has appeared in more than 20 feature films, including The Bourne Legacy, In Bruges, Dogville, Black Hawk Down, Donnie Brasco, Argo, and Seven Psychopaths.
As of 2012, he is starring as Dr. Stafford White in the Fox drama The Mob Doctor.
Filmography [edit]
| Year |
Title |
Role |
Notes |
| 1982 |
Soldier, TheThe Soldier |
Bombmaker |
|
| 1982 |
Tex |
Hitchhiker |
|
| 1982 |
Sender, TheThe Sender |
John Doe #83/The Sender |
|
| 1983 |
Great Performances |
March Hare |
Television series |
| 1984 |
Mass Appeal |
Mark Dolson |
|
| 1984 |
Sun Also Rises, TheThe Sun Also Rises |
Bill Gorton |
|
| 1986 |
All My Sons |
George Deever |
Television series |
| 1987 |
Rachel River |
Momo |
|
| 1987 |
Echoes in the Darkness |
Vince Valaitis |
Television series |
| 1987 |
St. Elsewhere |
Mark Dolson |
Television series |
| 1990 |
Artificial Paradise |
Willy |
|
| 1990 |
L.A. Law |
Joel Lassen |
Television series |
| 1991 |
Our Sons |
Donald Barnes |
|
| 1992 |
School Ties |
Mr Cleary |
|
| 1993 |
Law & Order |
Phillip Swann |
Television series, Episode: "American Dreams" |
| 1993–99 |
Homicide: Life on the Street |
Ed Danvers |
Television series |
| 1994 |
X-Files, TheThe X-Files |
Roland Fuller/Dr. Arthur Grable |
Television series, Episode: "Roland" |
| 1995 |
Truman |
Eddie Jacobsen |
|
| 1996 |
White Squall |
Coast Guard Captain Sanders |
|
| 1996 |
Courage Under Fire |
Ben Banacek |
|
| 1996 |
Infinity |
Bill Price |
|
| 1996 |
Associate, TheThe Associate |
SEC Agent Thompkins |
|
| 1997 |
Donnie Brasco |
Tim Curley |
|
| 1997 |
Frasier |
Dr. Arnold Shaw |
Television series |
| 1997 |
Julian Po |
Tom Potter |
|
| 1997 |
Millennium |
Dr. Daniel "Danny" Miller |
Television series, 1 episode |
| 1997 |
Oz |
Governor James Devlin |
Television series, 27 episodes |
| 1998 |
Rat Pack, TheThe Rat Pack |
Robert Kennedy |
|
| 1998 |
Nowhere to Go |
Principal Jack Walker |
|
| 1998 |
From the Earth to the Moon |
Ken Mattingly |
Miniseries |
| 1998 |
Civil Action, AA Civil Action |
Bill Crowley |
|
| 1999 |
Snow Falling on Cedars |
Dr. Whitman |
|
| 2000 |
Dancer in the Dark |
District Attorney |
|
| 2001 |
Hannibal |
Dr. Cordell Doemling |
|
| 2001 |
Black Hawk Down |
Lieutenant Colonel Gary Harrell |
|
| 2002 |
Unfaithful |
Detective Dean |
|
| 2002 |
24 |
Andre Drazen |
Television series, 14 episodes |
| 2003 |
Dogville |
Ben |
|
| 2003 |
The West Wing |
Steve Atwood |
Television series, 2 episodes |
| 2004 |
Manchurian Candidate, TheThe Manchurian Candidate |
Vaughn Utly |
|
| 2004 |
Law & Order |
Mr. Capplin |
Television series |
| 2005 |
Manderlay |
Dr Hector |
|
| 2006 |
Hoax, TheThe Hoax |
Ralph Graves |
|
| 2006 |
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit |
Everett Drake |
Television series, Episode: "Taboo" |
| 2006 |
Bones |
Carl Decker |
Television series, Episode: "The Woman in the Car" |
| 2006 |
Shark |
Eliot Dasher |
Television series |
| 2006 |
Cold Case |
John Doe |
Television series, Episode: "One Night" |
| 2007 |
Ascension Day |
Master Travis |
|
| 2007 |
Damages |
Raymond "Ray" Fiske |
Television series, 16 episodes |
| 2007 |
Live Free or Die Hard |
Molina |
|
| 2007 |
Lost |
Edmund Burke |
Television series, 1 episode |
| 2008 |
In Bruges |
Canadian Guy |
|
| 2008 |
Mentalist, TheThe Mentalist |
Dr. Linus Wagner |
Television series, 2 episodes |
| 2008 |
Numb3rs |
William Fraley |
Television series |
| 2008 |
John Adams |
John Dickinson |
Miniseries |
| 2008 |
True Blood |
Magister |
Television series, Season 1 |
| 2008 |
House |
Jason |
Television series, Episode: "Last Resort" |
| 2009 |
Heroes |
Emile "The Hunter" Danko |
Television series |
| 2009 |
Big Love |
J.J. |
Television series |
| 2010 |
True Blood |
Magnus |
Television series, Season 3 |
| 2010 |
Event, TheThe Event |
Director of National Intelligence Blake Sterling |
Television series |
| 2011 |
Tower Heist |
FBI Director |
|
| 2012 |
Bourne Legacy, TheThe Bourne Legacy |
Dr. Donald Foite |
|
| 2012 |
Mob Doctor, TheThe Mob Doctor |
Dr. Stafford White |
Television series |
| 2012 |
Argo |
Robert Pender |
|
| 2012 |
Seven Psychopaths |
Paulo |
|
| 2012 |
The Words |
Cutler |
|
References [edit]
External links [edit]
