Goran Višnjić

Biography:

Goran Višnjić (Croatian: [ɡǒran ʋîʃɲitɕ], pronounced VISH-nyich) is a Croatian-American actor, born on September 9, 1972. He is widely recognized for portraying Dr. Luka Kovač in ER and Garcia Flynn in Timeless, both NBC television series. His work on ER earned him and the ensemble cast two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.

Born in Šibenik, SR Croatia (then part of Yugoslavia), Višnjić grew up with his older brother, Joško. His father, Željko, was a bus driver, while his mother, Milka, worked in a market. He had an early interest in acting and made his film debut at 16 in the controversial Yugoslav film Braća po materi (1988), playing a young Ustaša.

At 18, Višnjić completed his mandatory one-year military service in the Yugoslav People’s Army as a paratrooper. Shortly after being discharged in 1991, as Yugoslavia was breaking apart, he joined the Croatian Ground Army. Following his military service, he relocated to Zagreb to study at the Academy of Dramatic Art.

Višnjić made history as the youngest actor to be cast in the title role of Hamlet at the Dubrovnik Summer Festival. Initially set to play Laertes and understudy Hamlet, he stepped into the lead role after the original actor withdrew. He performed the role from 1994 to 2000, earning three national awards. His expertise in Shakespeare’s work was later showcased in ER, where he recited part of the “To be, or not to be” soliloquy in Croatian.

Before gaining international fame, Višnjić appeared in Croatian television productions and European commercials, including one for Tuborg beer. He had minor roles in Hollywood films such as The Peacemaker, Practical Magic, and Committed. In 1998, he appeared in Madonna’s music video for The Power of Good-Bye and had a small role in Rounders. However, it was his performance as Risto, a Bosnian driver in Welcome to Sarajevo, that caught the attention of ER producer John Wells. Wells offered him a role as a doctor in ER to replace the departing George Clooney in the show’s sixth season (1999). Višnjić eventually became the series’ male lead in season 12 after Noah Wyle’s departure but reduced his appearances in season 14 before exiting early in season 15.

While starring in ER, Višnjić took on other projects. He co-starred in The Deep End, produced and acted in Posljednja volja, voiced Soto in Ice Age, and led the film Close Your Eyes alongside Shirley Henderson and Miranda Otto. In 2004, he played the title role in the TV miniseries Spartacus and starred in Duga mračna noć. He later appeared in Elektra with Jennifer Garner. Višnjić was one of the final contenders for the role of James Bond but ultimately lost to Daniel Craig, with whom he later co-starred in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

His filmography includes a role in New York, I Love You (2009), though his segment, Apocrypha, was cut from the theatrical release but included in the DVD version. He also starred in Helen (2009), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Other notable appearances include The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler, Beginners, The Deep (2010), and the miniseries Tito, where he portrayed Andrija Hebrang. He also played an international crime financier, Damien Moreau, in Leverage.

In 2011, he took on the role of Dragan Armansky in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and later appeared in a four-episode arc of Pan Am. In 2014, he starred as John Woods in Extant, produced by Steven Spielberg, but left in season two despite the show’s renewal. From 2016 to 2018, he played Garcia Flynn in NBC’s Timeless.

In 2019, he portrayed Ante Gotovina in General, directed by Antun Vrdoljak. The film received overwhelmingly negative reviews, with critics calling his performance one of the worst of his career. The film was screened at the Pula Film Festival but was both critically and commercially unsuccessful.

In 2020, Višnjić appeared as Nikola Tesla in Doctor Who (“Nikola Tesla’s Night of Terror”) and was cast as Count Dracula in the ABC pilot The Brides, which ultimately was not picked up.

Returning to theater in 2024, he starred in Ivo Vojnović’s Ekvinocijo at the Dubrovnik Summer Festival. That same year, he joined the final season of Vikings: Valhalla as Erik the Red.

Višnjić was named People magazine’s “Sexiest Import” in 1999 and ranked among TV’s “Sexiest Men” in a 2005 issue of TV Guide. In Croatia, he was voted “Best Actor” in 2004 for his role in Duga mračna noć and ranked 18th on a list of “Hollywood’s Best Croatian Male Movie Stars” in 2005.

His wife, Eva (formerly Ivana Vrdoljak), is an artist and sculptor, and the daughter of Croatian filmmaker Antun Vrdoljak. The couple has three children—two adopted and one biological. They lived in Los Angeles until 2021 before relocating to Cornwall, England. Višnjić also has a daughter, Lana Lourdes Rupić, born in 2006 from a previous relationship with Croatian woman Mirela Rupić.