Who Is Žarko Laušević

Žarko Laušević was a Serbian and Yugoslav theatre, film, and television actor, one of the most talented and popular actors of his generation. He was born on January 19, 1960, in Cetinje, and died on November 15, 2023, in Belgrade. He built his career as a member of the Yugoslav Drama Theatre and, within less than a decade, became a leading acting star across the whole of former Yugoslavia. At the height of his fame, Žarko Laušević's life was permanently changed in 1993 by a tragedy in Podgorica, followed by trials, a prison sentence, and years spent living underground in the United States. Although his story remained permanently marked by that event, Laušević returned to acting in the second half of his career and took on new, acclaimed roles, while also publishing several autobiographical books in which he spoke openly about everything that had happened to him.

Early Life and Childhood

Žarko Laušević was born in Cetinje, in what was then the People's Republic of Montenegro. His father was an army officer, while his mother worked as a secretary at the "Njegoš" elementary school, which Žarko himself attended as a child. He grew up with an older brother, Branimir, nicknamed Mili (born 1955), and a sister, Branka (born 1952). The family later moved to Titograd (present-day Podgorica), where Laušević continued his schooling. An excellent student from an early age, he developed an interest in acting during his high school years, reportedly during a literature class, when he decided to try his hand more seriously at performing.

Education

He finished high school in Titograd, at the "Slobodan Škerović" Gymnasium. He then moved to Belgrade, where he enrolled at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts. He graduated in acting in 1982, in the class of Professor Minja Dedić. The moment he graduated, Žarko Laušević became a permanent member of the Yugoslav Drama Theatre, one of the most prestigious theatre companies in Yugoslavia at the time, where he remained until 1994.

Early Career

Laušević took his first acting steps as a teenager, and he had his first role on the stage of the Yugoslav Drama Theatre in 1981, in the play Raskršće (Crossroads). His film debut came in 1982, with a role in the partisan film Progon (The Pursuit). That same year, 1982, he also appeared in the films Savamala, Direktan prenos (Live Broadcast), and 13. jul (July 13), making him an instantly recognizable face in Yugoslav cinema immediately after finishing his studies. Over the following seasons, he took on roles in the films Hasanaginica, Igmanski marš (The Igman March), Dani AVNOJ-a (The Days of AVNOJ), and Oštrica brijača (Razor's Edge), as well as the title role in the television film Lazar (1984).

Rise to Popularity

Žarko Laušević became known to the wider public in 1986, through the role of Šilja in the cult TV series Sivi dom (Grey Home), as well as the title role in the film Šmeker (The Charmer). A year later, in 1987, he took on one of the most significant roles of his career — the character of Lieutenant Petar Horvat in the film Oficir s ružom (The Officer with a Rose), directed by Dejan Šorak, for which he won the Golden Arena for Best Leading Actor at the Pula Film Festival, then the Yugoslav equivalent of the Oscars, as well as the "Car Konstantin" Award at the Niš Film Meetings. That same year, he played Mihailo Obrenović in the series Vuk Karadžić. By the age of 33, Laušević was a major star across the whole of former Yugoslavia, equally respected in film, television, and theatre.

Greatest Achievements

Laušević reached the peak of his popularity in 1989, playing the Serbian knight Miloš Obilić in the historical epic Boj na Kosovu (The Battle of Kosovo), a role that made him one of the most beloved actors of his generation. That same year, on stage, he played the title role of Andreja in the play Kanjoš Macedonović, for which he received the "Zoran Radmilović" Award at the Sterija Theatre Festival in Novi Sad. The following year, 1990, he received the prestigious Sterija Award for his portrayal of Rastko Nemanjić, later Saint Sava, in the play of the same name. During this period, he also took on notable film roles in Stela, Kolubarska bitka (The Battle of Kolubara), and Original falsifikata, as well as in the series Zaboravljeni (The Forgotten). By the summer of 1993, Žarko Laušević was one of the busiest and most acclaimed actors of the Yugoslav Drama Theatre, with a career that many critics of the time believed was destined to become one of the greatest in the history of Serbian acting.

The Tragedy in Podgorica

On the night between July 30 and 31, 1993, near the "Epl" venue in Podgorica, Žarko Laušević and his brother Branimir, five years his senior, became involved in a confrontation with a group of young men. The physical altercation escalated, and Laušević fired several shots from his CZ-99 handgun, killing Dragor Pejović (20) and Radovan Vučinić (19), and seriously wounding Andrija Kažić. Throughout the entire legal process, Laušević maintained that he had fired in defense of himself and his brother against a group of attackers.

The event caused an enormous stir in the public of the time, partly because of Laušević's popularity, and partly because of the specific circumstances of the war and postwar period across the former Yugoslavia. That single night permanently and irreversibly changed the course of his life and career.

Trials, Prison, and Flight to America

The trial of Žarko Laušević and his brother Branimir began in the fall of 1993 before the High Court in Podgorica. Laušević was initially sentenced to 15 years in prison for double murder, while Branimir received a two-year sentence. That verdict was upheld on appeal in 1994, and Laušević served his sentence in the prisons of Spuž and Požarevac.

The Federal Court later overturned the original verdict, ruling that the first-instance court had improperly dismissed the defense's argument of excessive self-defense. At a retrial in February 1998, presided over by Judge Svetlana Vujanović, Laušević's sentence was reduced to four years for double murder committed in excess of self-defense, while Branimir was acquitted. Since he had already spent four and a half years in prison by that point, Žarko Laušević was released.

Fearing blood revenge, he soon left the country and settled in New York, where he lived without valid documents, taking on occasional manual jobs. However, the legal battle was far from over: on March 30, 2001, the Supreme Court of Montenegro, acting on the prosecution's appeal, overturned the reduced sentence and reinstated the original 13-year prison term, after which an international Interpol warrant was issued for his arrest. A court in New York later ruled to release him from the detention imposed in connection with an extradition request, and Laušević continued to live in America, still in legal limbo, for several more years. Serbian President Boris Tadić granted him a pardon on December 29, 2011, based on a bilateral agreement between Serbia and Montenegro under which a convicted person serves their sentence in the country of which they are a citizen.

Return to Public Life and Acting

Laušević made his first acting comeback in 1999, with the role of Alija Osmanović in the film Nož (The Dagger), based on the novel by Vuk Drašković, and a role in the film Ranjena zemlja (Wounded Land), shortly before leaving for America. A long break from film and theatre followed, lasting more than a decade. He did not return to the big screen until 2012, playing the icon-painter Sava in the film Tajna nečiste krvi (Secret of the Impure Blood).

In 2014, after fifteen years abroad, Laušević permanently returned to Serbia. His acting comeback continued with roles in the film Smrdljiva bajka (2015) and in the historical series Senke nad Balkanom (Shadows over the Balkans, 2017), in which he portrayed Prince Đorđe Karađorđević. A turning point in this final phase of his career was the role of Aćim Katić in the series Koreni (Roots, 2018), based on the novel by Dobrica Ćosić, for which he won the "Zlatna antena" award for Best Leading Actor in 2019. He went on to appear in the series Pet, Državni službenik (The Civil Servant), Ime naroda (Name of the People), Aleksandar od Jugoslavije (Alexander of Yugoslavia), Kalkanski krugovi, and Vreme zla (A Time of Evil), as well as in the films Leto kada sam naučila da letim (The Summer I Learned to Fly) and Heroji Halijarda (2023), one of his final projects.

Personal Life

Žarko Laušević was married twice. With his first wife, Maja, whom he married in 1982, he had a daughter, Asja, and a son, Dušan, who later earned a doctorate and devoted himself to art. His marriage to Maja lasted until 1998, and the divorce took place while Laušević was serving his prison sentence. He met his second wife, Anita Roganović, on the set of the film Boj na Kosovu, where she worked as a makeup artist, but their relationship began only later, after his first marriage had ended. He married Anita in 1999, and they had a daughter, Jana. Anita Laušević went on to build a notable career as a film makeup artist in America, working on productions starring, among others, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.

During his years in prison and later in America, Laušević kept a diary, on the basis of which he published his autobiographical book Godina prođe, dan nikad (A Year Passes, a Day Never Does) in 2011, immediately after receiving his pardon, in which he spoke about the killings, prison, marriage, fatherhood, and his own guilt and remorse. The book drew considerable public and critical attention, and Laušević later published a sequel, Druga knjiga (The Second Book, 2013), as well as the book Padre, idiote! (2022).

According to media reports that emerged after his death, Žarko Laušević had been diagnosed with lung cancer, a fact the public was unaware of for a long time. In October 2023, his health deteriorated, and he was hospitalized at the "Bežanijska kosa" Clinical Hospital Center in Belgrade, where he died on November 15, 2023, at the age of 63. He was laid to rest on November 20, 2023, at Belgrade's New Cemetery, where he was cremated without a religious funeral service, in the presence of his family, fellow actors, and numerous admirers of his work.

Interesting Facts

• Among colleagues and friends, he was known by the nicknames Lauš and Žare.
• In the film Kaži zašto me ostavi (1993), his on-screen son was played by his real four-year-old son, Dušan Laušević, from his first marriage.
• After returning to Serbia in 2014, the families of the young men killed in Podgorica told the media they did not seek revenge, while Andrija Kažić, one of the survivors of that night, stated that he had forgiven the actor.
• A documentary about his life, Lauš, was made in 2014, and a television series titled Pad (The Fall), based on his first autobiographical book, was later produced, with actor Milan Marić portraying him.
• Although he was one of the best-known actors in the region, he largely avoided media exposure and interviews about his private life during the last decade of his life.

Awards and Recognition

• Golden Arena for Best Leading Actor, Pula Film Festival, for the film Oficir s ružom, 1987.
• "Car Konstantin" Award, Niš Film Meetings, for the film Oficir s ružom, 1987.
• "Polet" magazine award (shared with Ksenija Pajić) for the most poetic on-screen relationship in Oficir s ružom, 1987.
• "Zoran Radmilović" Award, Sterija Theatre Festival, for the play Kanjoš Macedonović, 1990.
• Sterija Award for acting achievement, for the play Sveti Sava, 1990.
• Grand Prix at the Niš Film Meetings for the film Bolje od bekstva, 1993.
• "Zlatna antena" Award for Best Leading Actor, for the series Koreni, 2019.
• Special "Ernest" Award, Sombor Film Festival, for contribution to Serbian film, 2024 (posthumous).

Legacy and Influence

Žarko Laušević is remembered as one of the most talented actors from the territory of former Yugoslavia, whose body of work spanned dozens of film, television, and theatre roles over a period of more than four decades. His story, marked by tragedy, imprisonment, exile, and an eventual return to fame, is often cited as an example of how deeply private events can shape the course of an artistic career — but also as an example of professional persistence, given that, despite everything, he returned to the stage and screen and delivered some of the most acclaimed performances of his later career, such as Aćim Katić in Koreni. His autobiographical books remain a significant testimony to life in prison and in hiding, while his acting body of work continues to be regarded as essential viewing for the study of Yugoslav and Serbian cinema of the 1980s.

Biography – Frequently Asked Questions

When and where was Žarko Laušević born?

Žarko Laušević was born on January 19, 1960, in Cetinje, in what was then the People's Republic of Montenegro.

When did Žarko Laušević die, and what was the cause?

He died on November 15, 2023, in Belgrade, at the age of 63, from complications of lung cancer.

What happened to Žarko Laušević in Podgorica in 1993?

On the night between July 30 and 31, 1993, during a confrontation outside a venue in Podgorica, Laušević killed two young men and seriously wounded another, claiming he had fired in defense of himself and his older brother.

How long did Žarko Laušević spend in prison?

He spent about four and a half years in prison, from 1993 to 1998, after which he was released, although the legal proceedings against him formally continued for much longer.

Was Žarko Laušević pardoned?

Yes, Serbian President Boris Tadić pardoned him on December 29, 2011, under a bilateral agreement between Serbia and Montenegro.

What are Žarko Laušević's most famous roles?

His most famous roles include Miloš Obilić in Boj na Kosovu, Petar Horvat in Oficir s ružom, and Aćim Katić in the series Koreni.

Did Žarko Laušević write a book about his life?

Yes, in 2011 he published the autobiographical book Godina prođe, dan nikad, followed by Druga knjiga (2013) and Padre, idiote! (2022).

How many children did Žarko Laušević have?

He had three children: daughter Asja and son Dušan from his first marriage to Maja, and daughter Jana from his second marriage to Anita.

Where is Žarko Laušević buried?

He was cremated on November 20, 2023, at Belgrade's New Cemetery.

Is there a film or series about Žarko Laušević's life?

Yes, a documentary titled Lauš was made in 2014, and a series titled Pad, based on his first book, was later produced, with actor Milan Marić portraying him.

Conclusion

Žarko Laušević remains one of the most complex and striking figures of the Yugoslav and Serbian acting scene. His career, which began with great promise through roles in films such as Oficir s ružom and Boj na Kosovu, was cut short by the tragic event of 1993, which shaped the following decade and a half of his life — trials, imprisonment, exile, and a long struggle for legal and personal rehabilitation. Despite everything, Žarko Laušević returned to acting and, until his death in 2023, continued to take on roles that once again placed him among the most respected actors in the region, while his books remain a lasting testimony to an exceptionally difficult life journey.