Who Is Marko Gvero?

Marko Gvero is a Serbian stage, film and television actor, born on 22 March 1975 in Belgrade. Audiences remember him for numerous comic and character roles in Serbian series, as well as for strong performances in the theatre, where he is now a permanent member of the Belgrade Drama Theatre ensemble.

He is recognizable for his striking presence, a pronounced comic instinct and his ability to move convincingly between humor and drama. Viewers came to love him through the series “Prvi servis” (“First Service”), “Istine i laži” (“Truths and Lies”), “Državni posao” (“Government Job”), “Radio Mileva” and “Kamiondžije d.o.o.” (“Truckers Ltd.”), while his role as Maksa in “Kalkanski krugovi” showed an entirely different side of his acting.

Before joining the Belgrade ensemble, he spent almost two decades at the National Theatre in Kikinda. For a time he also worked as a television host. This biography follows his path from amateur stages in Banovo Brdo to one of the recognizable faces of contemporary Serbian acting.

Early Life and Childhood

Marko Gvero was born on 22 March 1975 in Belgrade, then the capital of the SFR Yugoslavia. He grew up and went to school in his hometown. During his childhood his father worked abroad, in Germany. He spoke about it in an interview for the daily “Večernje novosti”, noting that their relationship was nothing like the one between father and son in the series “Vikend sa ćaletom” (“Weekend with Dad”).

His love of the theatre appeared early. As a kid he visited amateur theatres on his own, and the real turning point came at the amateur theatre “Susret” in Banovo Brdo. There he met Aleksandar Volić, known as Saša Volić, who introduced him and his friends to the world of acting. Gvero still remembers him as his first mentor, a man of great enthusiasm who spent many years in amateur theatre and who brought them closer to the stage through play.

By his own account, he never suspected that acting would become his profession. He began going to theatres and cinemas because of actors such as Petar Kralj, Pavle Vuisić, Bata Stojković and Dragan Nikolić. That love of the audience and the stage eventually led him to the Academy.

Education

He enrolled in acting in 1995 at the Akademija umetnosti BK (BK Academy of Arts) in Belgrade, in the class of Professor Ivan Bekjarev. He belonged to the first generation of actors to attend this school, and he graduated in acting in the same class.

According to Gvero, Bekjarev openly told his students that the profession is harsh. School teaches the craft and various techniques, but nobody teaches how to live from acting and survive. Gvero carried that advice, that protection exists only at school and that a constant struggle follows, throughout his career.

Early Career

He took his first professional steps at the Knjaževsko-srpski teatar (Knjaževsko-Serbian Theatre) in Kragujevac. In November 1997 the play “Draga Jelena Sergejevna” (“Dear Elena Sergeyevna”) premiered there, directed by Boško Đorđević. Gvero played Vića, alternating with Aleksandar Mihailović, while the title role was played by Danica Krljar.

After graduating from the Academy, he began looking for work. He acted mostly in theatres and much less in film and television, working on a freelance basis in several houses. He appeared at the Dobrica Milutinović Theatre in Sremska Mitrovica, where in 2000 he played in the play “Beogradska trilogija” (“Belgrade Trilogy”). At Bitef Theatre he appeared in Damir Vijuk’s drama “Crta” (“The Line”), and he also worked with the Boško Buha Theatre.

In that same year, 2000, he arrived at the National Theatre in Kikinda. At first he worked freelance, and he became a permanent member of the ensemble in 2003. That engagement proved to be a turning point in his development as an actor.

Sixteen Years at the National Theatre in Kikinda

Gvero has joked more than once that he was “an actor from Belgrade on temporary work in Kikinda”, and that “temporary” lasted sixteen years. He traveled regularly between the two cities, so, as he puts it, he spent more time on wheels than on his own feet. Even so, he regards that period as a training ground for serious acting. As a young actor, he assumes, he would have had no chance elsewhere to play so many roles, both small and large, in plays by great dramatists.

In Kikinda, audiences saw him in 2001 in the plays “Trka s vremenom” and “Moje”. The following year came “Kako je mačak naučio galebicu da leti”, “Roberto Cuko” and “Leptiri su slobodni”. From April 2003 he played Vladimir in the play “Hamletova tuga pregolema, ode Nora a Godoa nema”. In “Kod večite slavine” he played the characters Stojan and Ćopa, and further productions followed: “Bilo jednom na Balkanu”, “Ženidba” and “Opštinsko dete”.

Together with Miljan Davidović he performed Harold Pinter’s drama “Bez pogovora”. Under Predrag Stojmenović’s direction he played Pežo in the drama “Velika auto trka”, and at the end of 2005 the play “Vučjak” reached the repertoire, in which he played Zlatko Strelec and Juraj Kučić.

He moved with equal success from serious dramas to children’s plays. From April 2009 he played the Corporal in “Karolina Nojber” and a policeman in “Pipi Duga Čarapa” (“Pippi Longstocking”). In Sterija’s “Ženidba i udadba”, which premiered in October 2009, he played the Matchmaker. Then followed Sergeant Meč in “Šta je sobar video?” and Ivan Aleksandrovich Khlestakov in Gogol’s “Revizor” (“The Government Inspector”), both on the Kikinda repertoire from 2010.

A special place belongs to the title role in the play “Sava Savanović”, entrusted to him by director Nikola Zavišić. The premiere was held at the end of February 2012. In the same year he played Bernard in “Pidžama za šestoro” (“Six Pack Pajamas”), directed by Olja Đorđević. Further roles followed: Beber in “Zeko, zeko”, Béranger in the drama “Nosorog” (“Rhinoceros”), and the play “Kauboji” directed by Kokan Mladenović, in which he performed alongside Saša Ostojić and Đorđe Marković.

In 2015 Kikinda saw the premieres of the plays “Murlin Murlo” and “Mrešćenje šarana”. In the drama “Ibi rogonja”, directed by Nikola Zavišić, he played Čiča Ibi, and in the play “Ždrelo” he played the character The One Who Ate His Own Name. Gvero left the Kikinda period as an experienced and versatile actor, ready for the stages of Belgrade’s larger theatres.

Rise to Popularity

Alongside his theatre work, Marko Gvero increasingly appeared in front of the camera. He got his first television role in the teen series “Totalno novi talas”, broadcast by Happy Television at the beginning of the decade. The same period was marked by the comedy “Zduhač znači avantura”, in which he played Maksa. A collaboration with Dinko Tucaković on the drama “Doktor Rej i đavoli” followed, and in 2012 he also played a small part in Srđan Anđelić’s drama “Artiljero”.

On Prva Television he appeared in the comedy show “Dama bez blama”. For a time he also hosted the show “Moja mama kuva bolje od tvoje” (“My Mom Cooks Better Than Yours”), where his task was to relax the contestants and cheer them up with quips, while his co-host, the chef Saša Mišić, played the stricter one. He also appeared in well-known commercials.

An important chapter in his career was opened by his collaboration with Nele Karajlić. Gvero acted in “Nadrealna televizija”, and thanks to that collaboration he got a role in the multimedia project “FBI dosije Tesla”, which received excellent reviews. In the meantime he played a physiotherapist in the series “Žene sa Dedinja”, a handyman in the new version of “Otvorena vrata” and Corporal Jovko in Radoš Bajić’s drama series “Ravna Gora”.

From 2014 onward the roles piled up in the series “Jagodići”, “Mala istorija Srbije” and “Urgentni centar”, where he played Janković, as well as in Milorad Milinković’s film “Peti leptir”, in which he brought the character of Zlodolac Crni to life. He played a taxi driver in the drama “Nebo iznad nas”, with Nikola Rakočević, Nada Šargin and Boris Isaković in the leading roles. The film premiered in January 2015 at the festival in Rotterdam.

From 2015 he has appeared occasionally as Inspector Luka Uzelac in the comedy series “Državni posao”. He played the gendarme Rajko in the series “Čizmaši”, appeared briefly in the film “Smrdljiva bajka”, and in the sitcom “Andrija i Anđelka” played Milovan and a taxi driver. He confirmed that comedy suits him well as the mechanic Hranislav in the series “Prvi servis”. Director Danilo Bećković entrusted him with the role of Boske in the film “Jesen samuraja”, with Petar Strugar in the lead, and at the same time he appeared alongside Nikola Kojo and Vesna Trivalić in the comedy “Stado”.

The year 2018 was exceptionally fruitful: as many as seven of his projects reached audiences. He played Momir in the comedy “Patuljci sa naslovnih strana”, Božidar Spasić in the series “Komšije”, Inspector Čukić in “Šifra Despot”, Jankulj in the film “Zaspanka za vojnike”, Lieutenant Colonel Danilo Jež in “Vojna akademija” and the Chetnik Radovan in “Konak kod Hilmije”. The telenovela “Istine i laži” drew high ratings, with Gvero playing the likeable Dragomir Cane Krkljuš.

Belgrade Drama Theatre

In 2019 Gvero left the Kikinda stage and became a permanent member of the Belgrade Drama Theatre ensemble. He had his first premiere in the new house at the beginning of December 2019, when he played a policeman and a cleaner in the drama “Liliom”. The following year the play “Ružni, prljavi, zli” reached the BDP repertoire. It stayed in memory all the more because the pandemic interrupted rehearsals just as the production was taking shape, so the team had to start from scratch.

Since March 2022 BDP audiences have been enjoying “Zaljubljeni Šekspir” (“Shakespeare in Love”), directed by Ana Tomović, in which Gvero plays two roles. Since October of the same year he has performed in the drama “Božanstvena komedija” (“The Divine Comedy”), directed by the renowned German director Frank Castorf. For his part in that production he also received a BDP in-house award for artistic achievement.

Besides his home theatre, in 2019 he also performed in other theatres: at Zvezdara Theatre in “Feliks”, at Madlenianum in “Koferče” and at the Pinokio theatre in “Čarobna frula”. Earlier he had appeared at Atelje 212 in “Strujosek” (from March 2015) and “Deca radosti” (November 2016), as well as at the Theatre on Terazije in “Mister Dolar” (from February 2017).

Greatest Achievements

“Kalkanski krugovi” and a Break from Comedy

For many viewers the turning point was the role of Jugoslav Maksimović Maksa in the mysterious thriller series “Kalkanski krugovi” from 2021, directed by Milan Karadžić. Maksa is a returning guest worker who wants to cut down the Zabran forest and change the village of Dol, and viewers experienced him as a likeable villain. One Serbian critic remarked at the time that Gvero had “jumped out of the comedian’s drawer” and added that he would not dare to bet on what he would play next.

The actor himself explains that his task was to keep viewers constantly “on a seesaw” and make them doubt Maksa’s intentions. On set he worked with Žarko Laušević, Nela Mihailović and Ivana Zečević. Gvero called the role especially dear to him because it belongs to a genre in which audiences were not used to seeing him.

Comic Roles Loved by Audiences

Beyond that turn, Gvero is best recognized for comedy. Moca in the series “Radio Mileva” has accompanied him since 2021, and the character also returned in the 2024 New Year’s special. Grga Murinjo in “Kamiondžije d.o.o.” and Mića in “Drim tim”, in which he collaborated with Lazar Ristovski, are some of the other characters by which audiences know him. He played the Bulgarian politician Aleksandar Stamboliyski in the series “Aleksandar od Jugoslavije”. Because he does not speak Bulgarian, he learned his lines with the help of a Bulgarian actor who read the text to him.

In the film and series “Vikend sa ćaletom” by Miroslav Momčilović he played Metla, a friend of the main character. Gvero and Momčilović are also friends in private, and the actor got to read a still “hot” copy of the screenplay.

Složna braća: Nova generacija

One of the biggest tasks of his career arrived in 2021, when he got the lead role in the sequel to the cult series “Složna braća” (“United Brothers”). He played Kemal Halimić Kemica, the son of Fikret Fika Halimić, who in the original series was played by Vladimir Savčić Čobi. Kemo never appeared in the original series; instead, Fika constantly talked to him on the phone. In the sequel, written by Nele Karajlić and directed by Milorad Milinković, Kemica arrives as the heir of the tavern “Složna braća”. The first season aired in 2022.

Film Roles

In film, Gvero less often carried leading roles, but he left a mark in supporting parts. Srđan Dragojević entrusted him with the role of Adem in the 2021 comedy “Nebesa”, and in Dušan Kovačević’s film “Nije loše biti čovek” he played a dog catcher, alongside Mira Banjac and Vojin Ćetković. Interestingly, within two days he was offered two dog catcher roles, in two different genres and approaches. In Ivica Vidaković’s film “Džem od kavijara” he played an embassy doorman.

In recent years he has appeared in the series “Nemirni”, “Nobelovac” and “Koža”, and in 2025 in Milorad Milinković’s “Sedef magla”. For the series “Sumpor” he is credited as Ilija Porobić.

Personal Life

Marko Gvero very rarely talks about his private life. It is known that he is married and has two children. His daughter Jana enrolled at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade, not in acting but in production, which the actor proudly shared on social media with the caption “Freshman and future producer”. His son seriously plays football.

He lives and works in his hometown of Belgrade. He gladly spends his free time on the Sava and the Danube, aboard his small boat “Dolores”. He says the river gives him the option of choosing company or solitude, because as soon as a man unties the rope and moves a meter away from the shore, he becomes “untouchable”. He also enjoys riding a motorcycle, which he considers the most practical means of transport for those who live and work in Belgrade.

Music was, in his words, his first love, though unfortunately he did not have enough time to devote to it. Still, he gladly plays the guitar. He admits to being a great gourmand who loves meat in all forms, and in the kitchen he mostly leaves the work to his family; when he cooks himself, he does not experiment but makes traditional dishes.

Interesting Facts

• A critic once compared him to John Goodman and Pavle Vuisić. Gvero joked that it was “more because of the build”, but says the comparison with Vuisić is genuinely flattering.
• For a while people called him “Kremenko”.
• His first mentor was Saša Volić from the amateur theatre “Susret” in Banovo Brdo.
• He commuted from Belgrade to Kikinda for sixteen years, and that time on the road taught him discipline.
• For the series “Aleksandar od Jugoslavije” he learned Bulgarian lines with the help of a Bulgarian actor.
• Within the same week he was offered two dog catcher roles, in the films “Nije loše biti čovek” and “Nebesa”.
• He owns a small boat named “Dolores”, on which he relaxes on Belgrade’s rivers.
• He is one of those public figures who, despite their popularity, rarely show their private life.

Awards and Recognition

• 2000 – Award for Best Young Actor at the Festival of Professional Theatres of Vojvodina.
• 2014 – Charter for a notable male role in the series “Mala istorija Srbije” at the 4th Festival of Domestic Feature Series.
• 2017 – Charter for a supporting male role (the chairman of the local committee) in the film “Stado” at the 52nd Film Encounters in Niš.
• 2023 – Belgrade Drama Theatre award for artistic achievement for his role in Frank Castorf’s “Božanstvena komedija”. On the same occasion the entire ensemble of that production was honored for collective acting.

Legacy and Influence

Marko Gvero belongs to the actors who, through years of work, have earned the trust of both directors and audiences. His career shows how important theatre craft is as a foundation for television and film work. The Kikinda years, when he played dozens of roles in dramas by great writers and in children’s plays, gave him a breadth that can be seen in every role today.

His attitude toward endurance is important for younger colleagues too. Gvero often repeats that it is easy to shine in one, two or five roles, but that it is hardest to last. He believes that a good review or a good role does not always depend on the actor, which is why perseverance matters.

He speaks about art soberly. In his opinion, it cannot change the world, but it can influence an individual and their attitude toward things and events around them. In that spirit he works both on the stage of the Belgrade Drama Theatre and in front of the cameras, where he increasingly moves from comedy toward other genres.

Biography – Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Marko Gvero?

Marko Gvero is a Serbian stage, film and television actor and occasional TV host. He is best known for his roles in the series “Prvi servis”, “Državni posao”, “Radio Mileva”, “Kalkanski krugovi” and “Složna braća: Nova generacija”, and he is a member of the Belgrade Drama Theatre ensemble.

When and where was Marko Gvero born?

Marko Gvero was born on 22 March 1975 in Belgrade, then in the SFR Yugoslavia, today in Serbia.

Where did Marko Gvero study acting?

He enrolled in acting in 1995 at the Akademija umetnosti BK (BK Academy of Arts) in Belgrade, in the class of Professor Ivan Bekjarev. He belongs to the first generation of actors of that school.

Which theatre does Marko Gvero perform in today?

Since 2019 Marko Gvero has been a permanent member of the Belgrade Drama Theatre ensemble. There he performs in “Zaljubljeni Šekspir” and “Božanstvena komedija”, and earlier he appeared in “Liliom” and “Ružni, prljavi, zli”.

How long did Marko Gvero perform at the National Theatre in Kikinda?

Marko Gvero came to the National Theatre in Kikinda in 2000 and became a permanent ensemble member in 2003. He left the ensemble in 2019, when he moved to the Belgrade Drama Theatre. He himself says that the “temporary” stay lasted sixteen years.

Which series does Marko Gvero appear in?

Among his best-known series are “Prvi servis”, “Istine i laži”, “Državni posao”, “Senke nad Balkanom”, “Ubice mog oca”, “Kamiondžije d.o.o.”, “Radio Mileva”, “Kalkanski krugovi” and “Složna braća: Nova generacija”. In recent years he has also appeared in “Nemirni”, “Nobelovac” and “Koža”.

Who does Marko Gvero play in “Kalkanski krugovi”?

In “Kalkanski krugovi” Marko Gvero plays the returning guest worker Jugoslav Maksimović Maksa, a character who wants to change the village of Dol and who stayed in the audience’s memory as a likeable villain.

Which awards has Marko Gvero won?

In 2000 Marko Gvero was named best young actor at the Festival of Professional Theatres of Vojvodina. He is a recipient of the Charter for a notable male role in the series “Mala istorija Srbije” (2014) and the Charter for a supporting male role in the film “Stado” at the Film Encounters in Niš. He received the BDP award for artistic achievement in 2023.

Does Marko Gvero have a family and children?

Marko Gvero is married and has two children. His daughter Jana studies production at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade, and his son plays football. The actor otherwise rarely speaks publicly about his private life.

Conclusion

Marko Gvero is an actor who has patiently built his career, from amateur stages in Banovo Brdo, through Kragujevac and Kikinda, to the Belgrade Drama Theatre. Through theatre, film and television he has proven that he works equally well in comedy and in more serious genres, and roles such as Maksa in “Kalkanski krugovi” revealed a new face to audiences. His message is simple: it is easy to shine, but hardest to last. Marko Gvero has been confirming that message for more than two decades.