What is Željko Ivanek's Net Worth?
Željko Ivanek is an actor of the screen and stage who has a net worth of $4 million. Željko Ivanek is known for his roles on such television series as "Homicide: Life on the Street," "Oz," "Damages," "Madam Secretary," and "The Walking Dead: Dead City." On the big screen, he has appeared in such films as "Donnie Brasco," "Black Hawk Down," "Unfaithful," "Argo," and "Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri." Ivanek's stage credits include the plays "Cloud 9," "Brighton Beach Memoirs," "Two Shakespearean Actors," and "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial."
Early Life and Education
Željko Ivanek was born on August 15, 1957 in Ljubljana, Slovenia in what was then Yugoslavia to parents Vojka and Ferdo. In 1960, he immigrated with his younger brother Ivan and his mother to Palo Alto, California in the United States, where his father was working as a research assistant at Stanford University. The family moved back to Slovenia in 1962 before returning to Palo Alto in 1967. In Palo Alto, Ivanek was educated at Ellwood P. Cubberley High School, graduating in 1975. He went on to attend Yale University, from which he graduated in 1978. Ivanek later attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
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Theater Career
Ivanek began his acting career on the stage. Among his first credits were productions of "Idiot's Delight," "A Month in the Country," "Hay Fever," and "Charley's Aunt," all in the late 1970s. Ivanek had his breakthrough in 1981 in the US premiere of "Cloud 9," for which he won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play. The following year, he starred in the original production of "'Master Harold'… and the boys" at the Yale Repertory Theatre. In 1983, Ivanek played Stanley Jerome in the Broadway premiere of Neil Simon's "Brighton Beach Memoirs," and earned a Tony Award nomination for his work. His subsequent credits included "A Map of the World," "Loot," "The Cherry Orchard," "Hamlet," and "Ivanov."
In 1991, Ivanek earned his second Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play, for his role as John Ryder in "Two Shakespearean Actors." He followed that with roles in "It's Only a Play" and "The Glass Menagerie." After a considerable break, Ivanek returned to the stage in 2001 with roles in the one-act plays "The Dumb Waiter" and "The Zoo Story." In 2002, he acted in "Blue/Orange," and in 2005 he appeared in the US premiere of Martin McDonagh's "The Pillowman." Ivanek went on to star in the 2006 Broadway revival of "The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial," for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Play.
Film Career
Ivanek first appeared on the big screen in 1982, when he had roles in three films: "The Soldier," "Tex," and "The Sender." In the lattermost film, he played the titular character. Ivanek went on to appear in such films as "Mass Appeal" and "Rachel River." In the 1990s, he had roles in "Artificial Paradise," "School Ties," "White Squall," "Courage Under Fire," "Infinity," "Donnie Brasco," "A Civil Action," and "Snow Falling on Cedars," among other titles. Kicking off the 2000s, Ivanek appeared in Lars von Trier's Palme d'Or-winning musical "Dancer in the Dark." He subsequently had roles in "Hannibal," "Black Hawk Down," and "Unfaithful." Ivanek reunited with Trier for the director's 2003 film "Dogville," and again for his 2005 film "Manderlay." Meanwhile, he appeared in the 2004 remake of "The Manchurian Candidate."
In 2007, Ivanek played Agent Molina in "Live Free or Die Hard," the fourth installment in the "Die Hard" film series. The next year, he had a brief part in Martin McDonagh's "In Bruges." Ivanek went on to appear in McDonagh's follow-up film, 2012's "Seven Psychopaths." That same year, he appeared in "The Bourne Legacy," "The Words," and the Best Picture Oscar winner "Argo." After playing a scientist in the 2016 superhero film "X-Men: Apocalypse," Ivanek appeared in his third film by Martin McDonagh, "Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri." With the cast of the film, he shared the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Ivanek's subsequent credits have included the historical spy film "The Courier," in which he portrays CIA director John A. McCone, and Ridley Scott's historical drama "The Last Duel," in which he plays Le Coq.
(Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for IMDb)
Television Career
Ivanek had his first major television role in a 1983 "Great Performances" production of "Alice in Wonderland," in which he played the March Hare. The following year, he played Bill Gorton in NBC's miniseries adaptation of "The Sun Also Rises." Later in the decade, Ivanek had a guest role on "St. Elsewhere." In the early 1990s, he had guest roles on "L.A. Law" and "Law & Order," and a supporting role in the television film "Our Sons." Ivanek also began playing the recurring role of Ed Danvers on "Homicide: Life on the Street," a role he continued until the show's conclusion in 1999. Meanwhile, he appeared in episodes of such series as "The X-Files," "Frasier," "The Practice," "Ally McBeal," and "From the Earth to the Moon," and was in the biographical television films "Truman" and "The Rat Pack." From 1997 to 2003, Ivanek played the recurring role of Governor James Devlin on the HBO drama "Oz." During that time, he had guest roles on "ER" and "The Practice" and a recurring role in the first season of "24."
Ivanek had one of his most acclaimed roles in the legal thriller series "Damages." For his performance as Ray Fiske in the show's first season in 2007, he won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. Ivanek remained on the show through its third season in 2010. Meanwhile, he made appearances on such shows as "Lost," "House," "The Mentalist," and "True Blood," and portrayed John Dickinson in the miniseries "John Adams." Ivanek also had recurring roles on "Heroes" and "Big Love" between 2009 and 2010. Next, from 2010 to 2011, he played the main role of Blake Sterling on the short-lived NBC series "The Event." Ivanek starred on another short-lived series, Fox's "The Mob Doctor," from 2012 to 2013. From 2013 to 2014, he had a recurring role on "Revolution," and between 2014 and 2015 he had recurring roles on "Banshee" and "Suits." Ivanek had his next main role from 2014 to 2019, playing White House Chief of Staff Russell Jackson on "Madam Secretary." During that time, he also had a recurring role on "12 Monkeys." Ivanek later had a recurring role on the short-lived 2022 Showtime series "Let the Right One In." The year after that, he began starring as 'The Croat' on "The Walking Dead: Dead City."
Personal Life
Ivanek lives in New York City with his boyfriend Greg Pierce, who is the nephew of actor David Hyde Pierce.
