Branko Đurić (; born 28 May 1962), also known by his nickname Đuro (
Cyrillic
The Cyrillic script ( ) is a writing system used for various languages across Eurasia. It is the designated national script in various Slavic, Turkic, Mongolic, Uralic, Caucasian and Iranic-speaking countries in Southeastern Europe, Ea ...
: Ђуро), is a Bosnian actor, comedian, film director and musician, who lives and works in
Ljubljana
{{Infobox settlement
, name = Ljubljana
, official_name =
, settlement_type = Capital city
, image_skyline = {{multiple image
, border = infobox
, perrow = 1/2/2/1
, total_widt ...
,
Slovenia
Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
.
Born and raised in
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
, Đurić rose to prominence throughout Yugoslavia during the 1980s on the hit comedy series ''
Top lista nadrealista''. Đuro became something of an
epitome
An epitome (; , from ἐπιτέμνειν ''epitemnein'' meaning "to cut short") is a summary or miniature form, or an instance that represents a larger reality, also used as a synonym for embodiment. Epitomacy represents "to the degree of." A ...
for the
Bosnian people, primarily due to his accent and slang. He was also one of the founding members of
SCH and the
frontman
The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...
of the award-winning
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
rock band
Bombaj Štampa. In August 1992, several months into the
Bosnian War
The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...
, he moved to
Slovenia
Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
where he has been residing ever since.
He has starred in the
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
-winning film ''
No Man's Land'' and has had supporting roles in numerous high-profile films, including ''
The Smell of Quinces'', ''
Time of the Gypsies'', ''
Kuduz'', ''
Bal-Can-Can'', ''
In the Land of Blood and Honey'' and ''
See You in Montevideo''. He has also created the comedy series ''
Naša mala klinika'', which has spawned an entire franchise with Slovenian, Croatian and Serbian counterparts.
Early life
Born to a
Serb
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history, and language. They primarily live in Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia ...
father from
Kruševac
Kruševac ( sr-Cyrl, Крушевац, ) is a list of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Rasina District in central Serbia. It is located in the valley of West Morava, on Rasina (river), Rasina river. According to the 202 ...
and
Bosniak
The Bosniaks (, Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Бошњаци, ; , ) are a South Slavs, South Slavic ethnic group native to the Southeast European historical region of Bosnia (region), Bosnia, today part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and who sha ...
mother Fadila, his twenty-one-year-old father died of cancer when infant Branko was only one. From an early age the youngster exhibited a propensity for public
performance
A performance is an act or process of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function.
Performance has evolved glo ...
.
When Đurić was fourteen, his widowed mother married painter Branislav "Branko" Popovac so part of the youngster's adolescence was spent with a
stepfather
A stepfather or stepdad is a biologically unrelated male parent married to one's preexisting parent.
A stepfather-in-law is a stepfather of one's spouse. Children from his spouse's previous unions are known as his stepchildren.
In fiction
Thou ...
who encouraged him to pursue his artistic talents.
He completed his secondary education at the , graduating in 1980. In 1981, he applied at the
Academy of Performing Arts (ASU), a newly established faculty within the
University of Sarajevo
The University of Sarajevo (Bosnian language, Bosnian, Croatian language, Croatian and Serbian language, Serbian: ''Univerzitet u Sarajevu'' / Sveučilište u Sarajevu / Универзитет у Сарајеву) is a List of universities in Bo ...
, but got rejected. Following the ASU rejection, he instead enrolled in
journalism studies
''Journalism Studies'' is a bimonthly peer-reviewed academic journal covering communication studies as it pertains to journalism. It was established in 2000 by Bob Franklin (Cardiff University), who served as its editor-in-chief until stepping dow ...
at the University of Sarajevo's
Faculty of Political Sciences.
Career
Đurić didn't give up on acting after the ASU rejection, getting work as an
extra
Extra, Xtra, or The Extra may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Film
* The Extra (1962 film), ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film
* The Extra (2005 film), ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film
Literature
* Extra (newspaper), ...
in various TV Sarajevo productions. He also continued applying at the ASU ahead of each new
academic year
An academic year, or school year, is a period that schools, colleges and university, universities use to measure the duration of studies for a given educational level. Academic years are often divided into academic terms. Students attend classe ...
, and after two more rejections in 1982 and 1983, finally got accepted on his fourth try in 1984. Once accepted at the ASU, he quit the journalism studies where he had completed two years.
Early acting roles
Earlier, in April 1984, while contemplating giving the ASU yet another try, Đurić joined ''
Top lista nadrealista'', TV Sarajevo's newly-launched prime time television show overlapping
folk music
Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...
with
sketch comedy
Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in ...
. Made by a group of Sarajevo youths from the
New Primitivism sub-cultural milieu Đurić had already been on friendly terms with, the sketches were framed as comedy fillers in-between
folk music
Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...
performances by top local folk music stars. Being a new piece in this group of sketch performers, young Đurić immediately proved a good fit with fellow youngsters who had prior been putting out a 15-minute weekly radio segment airing as part of the Saturday morning ''Primus'' program on Radio Sarajevo's channel two before now getting the chance to showcase their talents in front of a large television audience.
In parallel with ''Top lista nadrealista'' being shot,
Zabranjeno Pušenje
Zabranjeno Pušenje () is a Bosnian Rock music, rock band formed in Sarajevo in 1980. The group's musical style primarily consists of a distinctive garage rock sound with Bosnian folk music, folk influences, often featuring innovative production a ...
, one of the bands from the same
New Primitives scene released its
debut album with Đurić playing a small role in the band's TV Sarajevo-produced
video
Video is an Electronics, electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving picture, moving image, visual Media (communication), media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, whi ...
for the "Neću da budem Švabo u dotiranom filmu" track. At the said video shoot, directed by the aspiring film director
Ademir Kenović
Ademir Kenović (born September 14, 1950) is a Bosnian film director and producer.
He graduated from the University of Sarajevo in 1975. In 1972–73 he studied film, English literature and art at the Denison University in Ohio
Ohio ( ...
, Đurić confided to the director about his continual woes getting accepted at the ASU. Kenović responded by connecting Đurić with Vuk Janić as help to prepare and hone material for another audition, which resulted in Đurić finally being accepted for the fall 1984 academic year.
In the meantime, from early June 1984, ''Top lista nadrealista'' television episodes started airing on
TV Sarajevo's second channel. Early reaction was largely one of indifference, but after a few episodes, the sketches started catching on. By now known to the wider public by his nickname Đuro, Đurić was a prominent member of the troupe, playing multiple characters, with his portrayal of a jumpy TV station security guard with the catchphrase "Ćega, ba" getting the most attention. TV show's popularity as well as its folk music context led to lucrative offers to all members of the group from local
folk music
Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...
promoters and managers, such as Rizo Rondić, of doing sketch comedy at their clients' live shows and tours through Bosnian towns and villages. Đuro and colleague
Zenit Đozić took many of those offers throughout the second part of 1984, cashing in their ''Nadrealisti'' prominence by performing as comic relief on folk music tours named "Udri kapom o ledinu", "Zasviraj i za pojas zadjeni", "Prođoh Bosnu pjevajući", etc.
From late 1984 and into 1985, Đuro participated in ', a no frills stage comedic production that began as academic project consisting of Academy of Stage Arts (ASU) students creating, developing, and performing characters based on various individuals applying to the academy. Conceptualized as a series of one-on-one auditions between each applicant and a professor, with students drawing upon their own auditioning experiences, the production gained prominence after one of its stage shows got filmed and broadcast on TV Sarajevo's ''Noćni program''.
Performing alongside fellow academy students , ,
Emir Hadžihafizbegović, ,
Saša Petrović,
Jasmin Geljo, ,
Senad Bašić, and , Đuro's streetwise Sarajevan, Solomon Bičakćić, proved to be among the more popular characters from the show. Though drawing mostly poor reviews from the critics, ''Audicijas folksy humour soon became a comedy smash hit all over Yugoslavia with Đurić performing in 150 stagings of the show across the country before quitting his participation and even somewhat distancing himself from the show.
Subsequent ASU generations would also start performing the show and taking it on the road across the country.
Cashing in on the sudden popularity of his comedic
everyman
The everyman is a stock character of fiction. An ordinary and humble character, the everyman is generally a protagonist whose benign conduct fosters the audience's identification with them.
Origin and history
The term ''everyman'' was used ...
persona, Đuro, an ASU student, starred in a series of television commercials shot in early 1985 for the local tourist board in Sarajevo—promoting tourism on
Jahorina and
Bjelašnica
Bjelašnica ( sr-Cyrl, Бјелашница, ) is a mountain in the Dinaric Alps in central Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is to the southwest of Sarajevo, bordering Mount Igman. Bjelašnica's tallest peak, by which the mountain group got its name, r ...
mountains around the city—with recycled folksy catchphrase from ''Audicija'', "Joj razlike, drastićne", delivered in heavy Sarajevan accent as somewhat of a punchline.
At first, the commercials—directed by Đurić's old friend and professional collaborator Ademir Kenović and produced by with
Goran Bregović
Goran Bregović ( sr-Cyrl, Горан Бреговић; born 22 March 1950) is a recording artist born in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is one of the most internationally known modern musicians and composers of the Slavic speaking countries in the ...
providing the music—aired somewhat infrequently.
However, they would soon gain further significance due to their
jingle
A jingle is a short song or tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. Jingles are a form of sound branding. A jingle contains one or more hooks and meanings that explicitly promote the product or service being advertised, usually ...
-like, Bregović-composed tune (featuring Đuro's vocal singing about the mountains) getting made into a full-length track called "Hajdemo u planine" ('Let's Go to the Mountains') on
Bijelo Dugme
() is a Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav Rock music, rock band, formed in Sarajevo, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1974. is widely considered to have been the most popular and the best-selling band ever to exist in the former S ...
's (Bregović's band) next studio album ''
Pljuni i zapjevaj moja Jugoslavijo'' released in November 1986, this time sung by the band's vocalist
Alen Islamović. With the song in heavy radio rotation and the album selling well, the commercials also began airing a lot more frequently, leading to a surge of popularity for Đurić throughout late 1986 and early 1987.
Due to Bregović's habit of mercilessly reusing and recycling old material, the same tune would in 1992 also be sung by
Iggy Pop
James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, actor and radio broadcaster. He was the vocalist and lyricist of proto-punk band the Stooges, who were formed in 1 ...
as "Get the Money" on the ''
Arizona Dream'' movie
soundtrack
A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...
.
Also in 1985, while still in the first year of his ASU studies, the young actor got cast against type by Kenović for the leading role in ''
Ovo malo duše'' TV drama film, a touching rural coming-of-age story written by , with Đuro set to play the role of Ibrahim Halilović, suddenly single father in a remote Bosnian village after his wife passes away. The movie was shot throughout 1986 and aired in January 1987 on TV Sarajevo. ''Ovo malo duše'' led to a few more dramatic roles on television for Đurić – in ''Znak'' series on TVSa and ''Vanja'' movie that aired on
TV Novi Sad.
He also continued doing TV commercials – this time for Dedo and Nana coffee – going back to his, by now well established, "good-natured, streetwise Sarajevo guy" persona.
Dedo
/ref>
Đuro then caught a bit of break when the Palm d'Or-winning director Emir Kusturica
Emir Kusturica ( sr-cyrl, Емир Кустурица, ; born 24 November 1954) is a Serbian film director, screenwriter, actor, film producer and musician. Kusturica has been an active filmmaker since the 1980s.
He has competed at the Cannes ...
cast him in '' Dom za vešanje'', which became the young actor's very first role in a feature film. The fact this was Kusturica's first feature after the director's Palme d'Or
The (; ) is the highest prize awarded to the director of the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festiv ...
-winning previous effort ensured plenty of attention for the project along with a Cannes showing. Though his part in the movie was minor (he played one of the Gypsy thugs in Italy), Đuro left a good impression that opened many new doors for the young actor.
Popularity in Yugoslavia
By 1989, a sought-after actor all over Yugoslavia, Đuro played a memorable supporting role in '' Kuduz'', Kenović's feature film debut. He also participated in '' Kako je propao rokenrol'' (a three-story ensemble film by recent Belgrade Faculty of Dramatic Arts graduates), playing the male lead in the third story opposite Vesna Trivalić about a young couple preparing for the arrival of their first baby.
In fall 1989, ''Top lista nadrealistas second series started airing, a 7-episode chunk that achieved huge viewership rates in addition to critical praise, all of which solidified Đuro's status in the country. Playing different funny characters every week like street policeman Rade Pendrek, cranky average TV viewer Reuf, high-strung TV news director Đuđi, do-it-yourself 'Đurine kućne čarolije' segment host, etc. led to another huge wave of popularity for the actor.
Bosnian War and relocation to Slovenia
At the outbreak of Bosnian War
The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...
during spring 1992 Đuro was in Sarajevo before fleeing the city in late August 1992, several months into the siege
A siege () . is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...
, and settling in Ljubljana
{{Infobox settlement
, name = Ljubljana
, official_name =
, settlement_type = Capital city
, image_skyline = {{multiple image
, border = infobox
, perrow = 1/2/2/1
, total_widt ...
.
He also works in Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
, where he had a TV show ''Pet Minuta Slave'' (''Five Minutes of Fame'') on Nova TV, as well as the comedy series '' Naša mala klinika'' (''Our Little Clinic''), which was being aired on POP TV and Nova TV.
In the mid-2000s, Ðurić starred in and directed TV series ''Brat bratu'', the Slovenian version of ''Only Fools and Horses
''Only Fools and Horses'' (titled onscreen as ''Only Fools and Horses....'') is a British television sitcom that was created and written by John Sullivan (writer), John Sullivan. Seven series were originally broadcast on BBC One in the United Ki ...
''. The series got cancelled after thirteen episodes due to poor viewership.
In February 2007, Ðurić has appeared on B92 television in Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map =
, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
in ''Ðurine žute minute'' short segments, a slightly different take on his widely popular "Ðurine kućne čarolije" sketch, which he performed on ''Top lista nadrealista''. The segments, which had a commercial tie-in with Telekom Srbija
Telekom Srbija a.d. Beograd is a Serbian state-owned telecommunications operator. It was founded in May 1997 as a joint-stock company, by spinning off the telecommunications business from PTT Srbija (present-day Pošta Srbije). In April 201 ...
's Žute strane (Yellow Pages), mostly received poor reviews and were quickly taken off the air.
In 2011, he played a Serbian soldier in the movie '' In the Land of Blood and Honey''. This was Đurić's second movie about the Bosnian War
The Bosnian War ( / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. Following several earlier violent incid ...
. The first one was 2001 film '' No Man's Land''. In it, Ðurić played Čiki, a Bosniak soldier.
Musical activity
In parallel with trying to make it in the Yugoslav cinema and theatre as an actor, and even later after managing to become a successful one, Đurić has been involved with bands though his musical activity was mostly scheduled around his acting commitments.
In the early 1980s, still a teenager, he started in a band called Ševe with childhood friend Nedim Babović. Đurić then joined the post-punk / industrial rock outfit SCH in 1983, but soon transferred to Bombaj Štampa that had been established in the meantime by Babović, thus re-joining his old friend. As Đurić's acting career took off, the band also became more prominent, although their activity was always sporadic. In 1987, their eponymous debut album was released by Diskoton.
In December 2008, he reunited with Bombaj Štampa for a concert in Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
featuring original guitarist Nedim Babović and drummer Dragan Bajić along with bassist Ernie Mendillo ( The Brandos). More concerts followed and an album of new material was released in the spring of 2010.
On 25 July 2019, Đurić and his band Bombaj Štampa gave two-hour performance on Zenica city square – as one of many concerts during Zenica summer fest 2019 (second main show of this festival). He performed, among other songs, his new song called ''Čekić'' – that will appear on the album that is due to be released in September 2019 –, as well as one opera.
Personal life
Đurić married Slovenian actress and singer Tanja Ribič. They have two daughters, Zala and Ela. From his first marriage, he has a son, Filip. He resides in Ljubljana
{{Infobox settlement
, name = Ljubljana
, official_name =
, settlement_type = Capital city
, image_skyline = {{multiple image
, border = infobox
, perrow = 1/2/2/1
, total_widt ...
, where he leads a production company Theatre 55.
Filmography
Film
Television
Stage
Voice-over dubs
Discography
With Bombaj Štampa
*''Bombaj Štampa'' (1987)
*''Ja Mnogo Bolje Letim Sam'' (1990)
*''Neka DJ Odmah Dole CJ'' (2010)
Awards and nominations
See also
*Rene Bitorajac
Rene Bitorajac (; born 2 March 1972) is a Croatian actor. He has appeared in several Croatian and Bosnian films since the 1980s. Most notably, he starred in the 2001 Academy Award-winning Bosnian film '' No Man's Land''. He is also known for starr ...
* Danis Tanović
References
External links
Official site
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duric, Branko
1962 births
Living people
Male actors from Sarajevo
Musicians from Sarajevo
Film people from Sarajevo
Bosnia and Herzegovina male actors
Yugoslav male actors
21st-century Bosnia and Herzegovina male actors
21st-century Bosnia and Herzegovina writers
Yugoslav writers
Yugoslav rock singers
Bosnia and Herzegovina theatre directors
Bosnia and Herzegovina film directors
Bosnia and Herzegovina male film actors
Bosnia and Herzegovina male stage actors
Bosnia and Herzegovina male television actors
Bosnia and Herzegovina rock musicians
Croatian Theatre Award winners
Indexi Award winners
Bosnia and Herzegovina comedians
New Primitivism people
Top lista nadrealista
21st-century Bosnia and Herzegovina male singers
20th-century Bosnia and Herzegovina male singers
Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate actors