Anecdotes

Graduated Yale University (Class of 1978) majoring in theater in only three years. He later studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts.

In an interview for AOL television, Zeljko said his first name is pronounced Zhel-ko.

The Slovenian-born actor graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 1980.

Tony award nominations: 1983, Featured Actor in a Play, Brighton Beach Memoirs (nom); 1992, Featured Actor in a Play, Two Shakespearean Actors (nom), 2006, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play, The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial. Drama Desk Awards: 1992, Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play, Two Shakespearean Actors (nom;).

He is frequently cast as political or business middlemen of corrupt, shady natures who often end up stabbing somebody in the back.

His first name, which has no English-language equivalent, means 'the one who desires' in his native Slovenian. Latin analogue is "Desiderius" (Desiderio in Italian and Spanish). Ivanek ("small Ivan", i.e. John, in Kajkavian dialect) is a common surname from his native region.

He has worked with Richard Belzer on three different series: New York - Police judiciaire (1990), Homicide (1993) and New York - Unité spéciale (1999).

He was raised in Palo Alto, California.

Drama Desk Award, 1982, Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play, Cloud 9. Villager Award, 1982, Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play, Cloud 9.

At the time he was born, Ljubljana, Slovenia was part of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and Slovenia was a province of Yugoslavia. This changed upon the 1991 constitution and autonomy of Slovenia and the 1992 breakup of Yugoslavia, when Slovenia became an independent country.

As of 2020, he has appeared in two films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: Argo (2012) and 3 Billboards : Les Panneaux de la vengeance (2017). Argo (2012) is a winner in the category.

Although he is credited on screen as Zeljko Ivanek, the original spelling of his Slovenian name has a Slavic accent over the letter Z, which looks like a small upside down caret (^) or circumflex.

As of 2023, he has appeared in three films directed by Martin McDonagh: Bons Baisers de Bruges (2008), 7 Psychopathes (2012) and 3 Billboards : Les Panneaux de la vengeance (2017).