Who Is Tihomir Stanić

Tihomir Stanić is a Serbian theater, film, and television actor, as well as a producer, born on November 17, 1960. He is also known by the nickname Tika, which has followed him since his youth. Tihomir Stanić has for decades been one of the pillars of Belgrade's Atelje 212 theater, and he is especially familiar to wider audiences for his roles in the series "Nobelovac" (The Nobel Laureate) and "Ubice mog oca" (My Father's Killers), as well as the films "Falsifikator" (The Counterfeiter) and "Neprijatelj" (The Enemy). Besides acting, he is also involved in film production, and he is known for his candid public accounts of his personal struggle with alcoholism, which he successfully overcame.

Early Life and Childhood

Tihomir Stanić was born in the village of Šeškovci, in the Laktaši municipality, not far from Banja Luka, on the territory of what was then the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia. As he has recounted, he was born inside the village school building, since his father, Nedeljko Stanić, worked there as a teacher and later as headmaster, so the family lived in an apartment reserved for teaching staff.

He spent his childhood in Kozarska Dubica, where the family moved because of his father's job. He started school at just five years old, which, as he says, was a great joy for him. He was never fond of sports, preferring to spend his free time reading and learning. In the summer he liked to swim, and he rode his bicycle to dances in nearby villages. He also loved music from an early age, playing in a local band called "Lutalice s Une" alongside peers several years older than him.

Growing up in an environment where alcohol was a normal part of everyday life left its mark on Tihomir Stanić — he has said publicly that he began drinking at the age of thirteen, in order to be more easily accepted by an older crowd.

Education

Tihomir Stanić's path into acting began somewhat by chance. By his own account, he learned that an acting academy existed in Novi Sad from a fellow passenger during a train journey to Trieste. He enrolled at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, in the drama department, in the class of professor Dejan Mijač, one of the most respected Serbian theater and film directors and teachers. His studies under Mijač had a decisive influence on his later acting approach, grounded in serious and dedicated work on character.

Early Career

He began his career in the late 1970s and early 1980s, first in theater and then in film. He was a member of the ensemble of the Serbian National Theater in Novi Sad, where in 1986 he received the theater's annual award for his role as the Earl of Gurney in Peter Barnes's play "The Ruling Class." He began his film career in 1981 with the role of Steva Vasiljević in the film "Svinjski otac" (The Pig Father), followed by a series of smaller roles in television and film productions throughout the 1980s, including "Progon" (Persecution), "Snohvatice," "Veliki transport" (The Great Transport), and "Oštrica brijača" (The Razor's Edge).

In 1987, Tihomir Stanić became a member of the ensemble of Atelje 212 in Belgrade, one of the most important theaters in the region, and he remained loyal to it for several decades that followed. He has performed in more than a hundred roles on nearly every Belgrade theater stage, as well as in theaters in Novi Sad, Sombor, Subotica, Vršac, Banja Luka, and Podgorica.

Rise to Popularity

In the 1990s, Tihomir Stanić solidified his position as one of the leading actors of Serbian theater, while also landing more prominent film and television roles. A significant boost to his popularity came in 1995, with the role of King Alexander Obrenović in the series "Kraj dinastije Obrenović" (The End of the Obrenović Dynasty). It was one of his first major television assignments to introduce him to a wider audience beyond theater circles.

During this period, Tihomir Stanić became especially known for portraying historical and literary figures. In the films and series of director Zdravko Šotra, he most often played the writer Stevan Sremac, while over the course of his career he also embodied other giants of Serbian literature — Ivo Andrić, Jovan Sterija Popović, Branko Radičević, Miloš Crnjanski, Dositej Obradović, and Jovan Jovanović Zmaj. This affinity for portraying writers became one of the recognizable hallmarks of his career.

From 1998 to 2000, he also served as president of the Association of Dramatic Artists of Serbia, in which role he attempted to revive union activity and advocate for the interests of the acting profession.

Greatest Achievements

The peak of Tihomir Stanić's career is tied to several key roles in the first decade of the 2000s. In 2011, he won the award for best male performance at the Herceg Novi Film Festival, the "Golden Mimosa" statuette, for the role of Daba in the film "Neprijatelj" (The Enemy), directed by Dejan Zečević. For the same role, he was also named best actor at the Brazilian fantastic film festival "Fantaspoa."

A special place in his body of work is occupied by the role of Anđelko in the film "Falsifikator" (The Counterfeiter, 2012–2013), directed by Goran Marković. This character holds particular personal significance for the actor, as it was inspired by his late father, a village teacher who forged 1,700 school certificates for local residents so they could find employment, for which he spent a year and a half in prison in Zenica. For the role of Anđelko, Tihomir Stanić received several awards, including the "Milivoje Živanović" statuette in Požarevac and the "Ivo Serdar" award in Zagreb.

Enormous popularity with the wider television audience also came from his role as inspector, later lawyer, Predrag Marjanović in the series "Ubice mog oca" (My Father's Killers), which audiences followed from 2016 over the following decade. The actor himself has said this role made him more popular than any before it, including King Alexander Obrenović.

One of the greatest professional and personal projects of his career is the series "Nobelovac" (The Nobel Laureate, 2024), dedicated to the writer Ivo Andrić. In it, Tihomir Stanić not only played Andrić but was also one of the creators and co-directors of the series. The eight-episode series, produced by Radio Television of Serbia, follows Andrić's life in the fall and winter of 1961, from the moment he learned of his Nobel Prize in Literature until his return to Belgrade from the ceremony in Stockholm. The actor described the project as the fulfillment of one of his greatest artistic and personal dreams, emphasizing that the entire crew felt a special debt toward Andrić as Serbia's only Nobel laureate in literature.

Involvement in Film Production

Tihomir Stanić is also the founder of the production companies "Balkan Film," based in Republika Srpska, and "Drina Film" from Belgrade, through which he has produced or co-produced feature films since 2007. He was a producer or co-producer on the films "Turneja" (The Tour) by Goran Marković, "Neke druge priče" (Some Other Stories, an omnibus by five female directors), "Neprijatelj" (The Enemy) by Dejan Zečević, "Top je bio vreo" (The Cannon Was Hot) by Boban Skerlić, and "Falsifikator" (The Counterfeiter) by Goran Marković. The film "Turneja" also brought him recognition in 2009 from the Serbian section of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) for best Serbian film of that year.

Struggle with Alcoholism and Gambling

Tihomir Stanić is one of the few public figures who has spoken openly and without reservation about a long struggle with alcohol that lasted about fifteen years, as well as about a period in the 1990s when he also gave in to gambling. He has pointed out that he grew up in an environment where drinking was an accepted part of everyday life, and that for a long time alcohol did not interfere with his professional work.

He experienced a turning point on April 1, 2002, when he decided to completely stop drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes. According to him, the decisive moment came from a conversation with his then nine-year-old daughter Milena, who told him that a friend of hers had said her father was a drunk. Fear that his daughter might come to be ashamed of him, combined with an awareness that he was jeopardizing both his career and his family, led him to seek professional help. An additional impetus was the fate of his father, who, according to Tihomir, died at the age of fifty-six from a stroke brought on by suddenly quitting drinking without proper medical support. Because of this, Tihomir Stanić carried out his own recovery with the help of a neurologist and specialists, gradually and under supervision. Since then, by his own account, he has never touched alcohol again, and he later became the face of certain campaigns dedicated to a healthy lifestyle.

Personal Life

Tihomir Stanić has lived in an unmarried partnership with Jelena Mijović for three decades, with whom he has two daughters, Milena and Sofija. Jelena Mijović is also part of his professional world — she is credited, among other things, as one of the screenwriters of the series "Nobelovac." The actor has said on several occasions in the media that the couple never married, despite being together for nearly three decades.

Family has been Tihomir Stanić's greatest source of support, particularly during the period of overcoming his addiction. He has rarely opened up about his private life in interviews, but in 2025, in a conversation for a podcast, he spoke with great emotion about losing two of his three brothers within just six months of each other — the eldest brother died after falling from a roof while helping a neighbor, and shortly afterward his youngest brother died of cancer. The actor described that period as one of the hardest of his life, and he also struggled greatly with the death of his mother in 2021.

A significant date in his life is November 17 — his birthday, which he has repeatedly linked symbolically to important professional moments. On that very day in 1996, the one-man show "Detinjarije" (Childish Things) had its premiere, a piece he still occasionally performs, and he also scheduled the first day of filming for "Falsifikator" on his birthday. In 2025, on his 65th birthday, he also marked his symbolic legal retirement with the premiere of the play "Gospodin u čizmama od dima" (The Gentleman in Smoke Boots), based on a work by Fyodor Dostoevsky, at the Madlenianum Opera and Theatre, while stressing that despite retirement, he is not stepping away from the stage.

Interesting Facts

• He writes with his left hand.
• While filming a scene for the series "Ubice mog oca," he burst a capillary after hitting himself in the forehead with a prop gun, and he has said this role made him more popular than even King Alexander Obrenović.
• He has performed the one-man show "Detinjarije" by Raymond Cousse since 1996, which premiered on his birthday.
• He is the founder of two production companies, "Balkan Film" and "Drina Film."
• His youngest brother was long involved in the family production business alongside him.
• For the series "Nobelovac," he was simultaneously an actor, co-director, and co-screenwriter, writing the script together with his partner, Jelena Mijović.

Awards and Recognition

Over the course of his decades-long career, Tihomir Stanić has received a large number of theater and film awards, including:

• The "Ćuran" statuette for best acting achievement, Days of Comedy in Jagodina, 1989 and 1994
• The Statuette of Freedom for best male role, Freedom Theatre Festivities in Mladenovac, 1994
• Jury, audience, and critics' awards for the one-man show "Detinjarije," One-Actor Theatre Festival in Nikšić, 1997
• The "Ljubiša Jovanović" plaque for his role in the play "Art," Šabac, 1999
• The "Ardalion" award for his role in the play "Divlji med" (Wild Honey), Užice, 2000
• The "Raša Plaović" award for the role of Mephisto in "Faust," National Theatre in Belgrade, 2003
• The Serbian FIPRESCI section award for best Serbian film ("Turneja"), 2009
• The "Jazavac u džaku" and "Milivoje Živanović" statuettes for the role of Anđelko in "Falsifikator," 2009 and 2010
• The "Ivo Serdar" award at the "Days of Satire" in Zagreb for the same role, 2010
• The "Golden Mimosa" award for best male role in the film "Neprijatelj," Herceg Novi, 2011
• Best Actor award at the "Fantaspoa" festival in Brazil, for the same role

Legacy and Influence

Tihomir Stanić remains one of the most recognizable actors of the Serbian theater and film scene of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Critics often count him among the most talented actors from the region of the former Yugoslavia, primarily thanks to his ability to portray historical figures, writers, and contemporary characters with equal conviction. His contribution to popularizing Serbian literary heritage, through his roles as Andrić, Sremac, Sterija Popović, and other writers, represents a distinct segment of his legacy. The series "Nobelovac," in whose creation he participated as an author as well, remains one of the most ambitious television projects dedicated to Serbian literature. Through his openness in discussing his own struggle with alcoholism, Tihomir Stanić has also become an example of a public figure who managed to overcome addiction and speak honestly about it, encouraging many others not to stay silent about similar problems.

Biography - Frequently Asked Questions

How old is Tihomir Stanić?

Tihomir Stanić was born on November 17, 1960, which means he is currently sixty-five years old.

Where was Tihomir Stanić born?

He was born in the village of Šeškovci, in the Laktaši municipality, near Banja Luka, on the territory of what was then the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, and today Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He spent his childhood in Kozarska Dubica.

Who is Tihomir Stanić's wife?

Tihomir Stanić has lived in an unmarried partnership with Jelena Mijović for three decades, with whom he has two daughters, Milena and Sofija.

What is Tihomir Stanić best known for?

He is best known for the role of Ivo Andrić in the series "Nobelovac," inspector Predrag Marjanović in the series "Ubice mog oca," Anđelko in the film "Falsifikator," and King Alexander Obrenović in "Kraj dinastije Obrenović," as well as for his long career at the Atelje 212 theater.

Did Tihomir Stanić have a problem with alcohol?

Yes, the actor has spoken publicly about a fifteen-year struggle with alcohol, which he overcame on April 1, 2002, with professional help and the support of his family.

Where did Tihomir Stanić study acting?

He studied at the Academy of Arts in Novi Sad, in the drama department, in the class of professor Dejan Mijač.

How many children does Tihomir Stanić have?

He has two daughters, Milena and Sofija, from his unmarried partnership with Jelena Mijović.

Did Tihomir Stanić retire?

On his 65th birthday, November 17, 2025, he symbolically marked his legal retirement with the premiere of the play "Gospodin u čizmama od dima," although he announced that he is not stepping away from the theater stage.

What awards has Tihomir Stanić won?

He has won numerous theater and film awards, including the "Ćuran" statuette, the "Raša Plaović" award, the "Golden Mimosa" statuette, and the best actor award at the Brazilian "Fantaspoa" festival for his role in the film "Neprijatelj."

Is Tihomir Stanić also a producer?

Yes, he is the founder of the production companies "Balkan Film" and "Drina Film," through which he has produced or co-produced several feature films, including "Falsifikator" and "Neprijatelj."

Conclusion

Over more than four decades of his career, Tihomir Stanić has built a reputation as one of the most respected Serbian actors, present in equal measure in theater, film, and television. From a modest childhood in Kozarska Dubica, through his studies under Dejan Mijač, to his roles in "Nobelovac," "Ubice mog oca," and "Falsifikator," his path has been marked by dedication to his craft and an ability to convincingly embody both historical figures and contemporary characters. His openness in discussing his personal struggle with alcoholism, as well as his family's losses, has further strengthened his reputation as a sincere and profound public figure. His symbolic retirement in 2025 does not represent the end of his artistic story but, as he himself announced, simply a change of scene.