The Most Famous

ACTORS from Serbia

This page contains a list of the greatest Serbian Actors. The pantheon dataset contains 13,578 Actors, 16 of which were born in Serbia. This makes Serbia the birth place of the 41st most number of Actors behind Switzerland, and Czechia.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Serbian Actors of all time. This list of famous Serbian Actors is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Serbian Actors.

1. Milena Dravić (1940 - 2018)

With an HPI of 62.28, Milena Dravić is the most famous Serbian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 50 different languages on wikipedia.

Milena Dravić (Serbian Cyrillic: Милена Дравић, pronounced [mîlena drǎːvitɕ]; 5 October 1940 – 14 October 2018) was a Yugoslav and Serbian film, television and theatre actress. She played the mother of Brad Pitt in the film The Dark Side of the Sun from 1988.

2. Miki Manojlović (b. 1950)

With an HPI of 59.60, Miki Manojlović is the 2nd most famous Serbian Actor. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Predrag "Miki" Manojlović (Serbian Cyrillic: Предраг "Мики" Манојловић; born 5 April 1950) is a Serbian actor, famous for his starring roles in some of the most important films of Yugoslav cinema. Since the early 1990s, he successfully branched out into movies made outside the Balkans and became active in productions all over Europe.

3. Bata Živojinović (1933 - 2016)

With an HPI of 59.48, Bata Živojinović is the 3rd most famous Serbian Actor. His biography has been translated into 26 different languages.

Velimir "Bata" Živojinović (Serbian Cyrillic: Велимир "Бата" Живојиновић; 5 June 1933 – 22 May 2016) was a Yugoslav and Serbian actor and politician. He appeared in more than 340 films and TV series, and is regarded as one of the best actors in former Yugoslavia.

4. Beba Lončar (b. 1943)

With an HPI of 57.41, Beba Lončar is the 4th most famous Serbian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Desanka "Beba" Lončar (Serbian Cyrillic: Десанка „Беба“ Лончар; born 28 April 1943) is a former Yugoslav film actress. She appeared in 52 films between 1960 and 1982. She was born in Belgrade, Serbia. Known for her film career during the 1960s and 1970s, she first became a star in native Yugoslavia before moving to Italy where she achieved considerable success.

5. Dragan Nikolić (1943 - 2016)

With an HPI of 56.94, Dragan Nikolić is the 5th most famous Serbian Actor. His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Dragoslav "Dragan" Nikolić (Serbian Cyrillic: Драгослав Драган Николић, pronounced [drǎgoslaʋ drǎɡan nǐkolit͡ɕ]; 20 August 1943 – 11 March 2016) was a Serbian and Yugoslav actor. Nikolić studied at Dramatic Arts Academy in Belgrade. In 1967 he starred in the film Kad budem mrtav i beo, which was the beginning of a career that lasted 50 years. Dragan Nikolić has since appeared in many films of different genres and portrayed various characters, becoming one of the most recognizable actors in Serbian cinema. In 2000, he received the "Pavle Vuisić" Award for his lifework. From 2011 to 2013, he was the television host on the Serbian edition of quiz Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. His best known role was as Prle, a wisecracking World War II resistance fighter whom he portrayed in 1970s TV series Otpisani and Povratak otpisanih.

6. Lazar Ristovski (b. 1952)

With an HPI of 51.85, Lazar Ristovski is the 6th most famous Serbian Actor. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Lazar "Laza" Ristovski (Serbian Cyrillic: Лазар Ристовски, born 26 October 1952) is a Serbian former actor, director, producer and writer. He has appeared on stage about 4,000 times, and starred in over 90 films and 30 TV series, mostly in lead roles. He briefly served as a member of the National Assembly from 1 August 2022 until his resignation on 9 August 2022.

7. Ružica Sokić (1934 - 2013)

With an HPI of 51.58, Ružica Sokić is the 7th most famous Serbian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Ružica Sokić (Serbian Cyrillic: Ружица Сокић; 14 December 1934 – 19 December 2013) was a Serbian actress and writer. Born in Belgrade, then Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Sokić began her acting career in 1957 and was credited in over 40 films and television shows. Her last acting credit was in 2011. In October 2010, she published the book The passion for flying. Ružica Sokić was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and died from the illness on 19 December 2013, aged 79, in her hometown of Belgrade, Serbia.

8. Svetlana Bojković (b. 1947)

With an HPI of 51.04, Svetlana Bojković is the 8th most famous Serbian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Svetlana "Ceca" Bojković (Serbian Cyrillic: Светлана "Цеца" Бојковић; born 14 December 1947) is a Serbian actress. She began her career in 1967 in the film Jednog dana moj Jamele, but her greatest movie success came ten years later with the role of Mika in the social drama The Dog Who Loved Trains. Bojković was one of the biggest Serbian TV stars during the 1990s, due to the roles she played in nationally popular TV series produced by screenwriter Siniša Pavić. In 1978, Bojković was awarded Golden Arena for Best Actress in the Pula Film Festival for her role in the film The Dog Who Loved Trains, and in 2003 she was the first laureate of Žanka Stokić Award.

9. Mirjana Karanović (b. 1957)

With an HPI of 50.29, Mirjana Karanović is the 9th most famous Serbian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Mirjana Karanović (Serbian Cyrillic: Мирјана Карановић; born 28 January 1957) is a Serbian actress, film director and screenwriter. Considered one of the best Serbian and Yugoslavian actresses of all time, she is probably the best known for her performance in her debut film Petria's Wreath (Petrijin venac), as well as for her frequent collaborations with film directors Emir Kusturica and Jasmila Žbanić. Karanović received international acclaim and a nomination for European Film Award for Best Actress for her role in Žbanić's Grbavica. Karanović's directorial debut, A Good Wife (Dobra žena), had its world premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.

10. Neda Arnerić (1953 - 2020)

With an HPI of 49.91, Neda Arnerić is the 10th most famous Serbian Actor. Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Neda Arnerić (Serbian Cyrillic: Неда Арнерић; 15 July 1953 – 10 January 2020) was a Serbian film, stage and television actress, and politician. A graduate art historian, she was considered a sex symbol of Yugoslav cinematography.

People

Pantheon has 19 people classified as Serbian actors born between 1904 and 1988. Of these 19, 12 (63.16%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Serbian actors include Miki Manojlović, Beba Lončar, and Lazar Ristovski. The most famous deceased Serbian actors include Milena Dravić, Bata Živojinović, and Dragan Nikolić. As of April 2024, 3 new Serbian actors have been added to Pantheon including Nadja Regin, Miloš Biković, and Jelena Gavrilović.