Alongside numerous achievements on the sports field, Serbian athletes have often appeared as guests in popular films and TV series — both domestic and international. It’s safe to say that Vlade Divac was a pioneer among Serbian athletes venturing into acting, and his worthy successor in Hollywood is, without a doubt, Boban Marjanović. Here’s a look at some of the most notable acting appearances by Serbian sports stars.
VLADE DIVAC
While making his mark in the NBA, Vlade Divac also began appearing on American television in the early 1990s.
His first TV role was in the short-lived 1991 series Good Sports starring Farrah Fawcett. That same year, he appeared in a special video celebrating the 30th anniversary of The Flintstones.
Video: Vlade Divac and ”The Flintstones”
Later roles included the film Driving Me Crazy (1991), the series Coach (where he played a delivery man), and Rachel Gunn, R.N. (1992).
Divac also had a memorable cameo in the hit sitcom Married… with Children, which was extremely popular in Serbia under the title Bračne vode.
Video: Vlade Divac in ”Married With Children”
He played himself in two 1996 films — Eddie and the globally famous Space Jam starring Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny.
Video: Vlade Divac in ”Space Jam”
After a brief hiatus, Divac appeared in Juwanna Mann (2002), followed by roles in Serbian productions such as Crni Gruja (as Vampire Toza) and Mi nismo anđeli 3: Rock’n’Roll Strikes Back (2006).
Video: Vlade Divac in ”Crni Gruja”
Video: Vlade Divac in ”Mi Nismo Andjeli 3”
One of his most acclaimed appearances came in ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary Once Brothers (2010), which explored Divac’s relationship with Dražen Petrović amid the Yugoslav Wars.
Video: Vlade Divac in ”Once Brothers”
SKY HOOK (NEBESKA UDICA)
Video: Serbian basketball legends in ”Sky hook”
Ljubiša Samardžić’s 2000 film Heavenly Hook (Nebeska udica), shot shortly after the NATO bombing, is a cult Serbian classic. The film features legendary basketball players Aleksandar “Saša” Đorđević, Dejan Bodiroga, Željko Rebrača, and Željko Obradović.
In this picture are Aleksandar Djordjevic, Zeljko Obradovic, Nebojsa Glogovac, Dejan Bodiroga and Zeljko Rebraca. This is a scene from the movie ‘Sky Hook’ that proves what a masterpiece we get when we connect basketball and film.#Cinesseum #basketballworldcup2019 #NebeskaUdica pic.twitter.com/znc9hfAeGQ
— Cinesseum (@cinesseum) September 4, 2019
Speaking of Aleksandar Djordjevic, he also appeared in Crni Gruja as a waiter in the second episode.
DUSAN SAVIC
Although his name is mentioned in the 1998 film Wounds (Rane), Dušan Savić made his first major on-screen appearance in the cult classic Munje! (2001).
Video: Dusan Savic in ”Munje!”
DUSAN KECMAN
The basketball-themed film 1 on 1 (2002) by Mladen Matićević gained a cult following despite its modest budget. In the opening scene, a young Dušan Kecman — long before his legendary Partizan years — takes on the main character, Mačak.
Прикажи ову објаву у апликацији Instagram
ALEKSANDAR SAPIC
Water polo superstar Aleksandar Šapić made a brief but memorable appearance in the 2004 cult film When I Grow Up, I’ll Be a Kangaroo (Kad porastem biću kengur).
Video: Aleksandar Sapic in ”Kad porastem biću kengur”
He also appeared as a special guest in the popular comedy series Andrija i Anđelka (2016), alongside basketball player Igor Rakocevic.
JANKO TIPSAREVIC
The second-best Serbian tennis player of all time had a cameo role in the 2009 TV series Ono kao ljubav.
Video: Janko Tipsarevic in ”Ono kao ljubav”
BOBAN MARJANOVIC
The rightful heir to Divac’s acting legacy, Boban Marjanović, had his first role in We Will Be the World Champions (2015), where he played Soviet basketball player Janis Krumins.
He then broke into Hollywood with John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019), sharing scenes with Keanu Reeves.
Marjanović also appeared in Netflix’s Hustle (2022), playing the lovable “Big Serbian” Dimitri Jovanović — a scene that went viral among fans.
Video: Boban Marjanovic in ”Hustle”
Most recently, he appeared in Self Reliance (2023), taking part in an action sequence.
Прикажи ову објаву у апликацији Instagram
SAVO MILOSEVIC
The top scorer of Euro 2000, Savo Milošević, transitioned from theater (Otkačene) to TV, appearing as a Byzantine emperor in the docudrama Serbian Heroes of the Middle Ages.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC
Novak Đoković was originally announced as a special guest star in The Expendables 2 (2012), but his scenes were ultimately cut from the final release without explanation.
ZIGOSANI U REKETU
Given that basketball is the central theme of Žigosani u reketu, it’s no surprise that Serbian basketball stars Miloš Teodosić and Nemanja Nedović made cameo appearances in the 2018 series.
Video: Milos Teodosic and Nemanja Nedovic in ”Zigosani u reketu”
DRZAVNI POSAO
Finally, numerous Serbian athletes have appeared in the cult comedy series ”Državni posao” (The State Job), including:
Darko Miličić (2015)
Predrag Danilović & Dejan Tomašević (2015)
Ana Ivanović & Jelena Janković (2015)
Nikola Jokić (2017)
Boban Marjanovic (2021)
We hope you enjoyed this overview! If you remember another Serbian athlete who has appeared in film or TV that we didn’t mention, let us know in the comments.
