Franjo Dijak

In theatre, he is widely known for his work as an actor in the drama ensemble at the Zagreb-based Gavella Theatre. He made his debut as a guest in 1998 with the Strindberg work Miss Julie, alongside Daria Lorenci.

In 2007, he became a permanent member of the ensemble and later established himself as a drama champion in Gavella, with best-known roles include the lover Lysander in A Midsummer's Night Dream, Joseph II in Amadeus, Fernando in Candide, Lasić in Fine Dead Girls, Segismundo in Life Is a Dream, the title character in Othello and Pomet Trpeza in Dundo Maroje.[6][7]

In 2009, he has done acting work for the Filip Šovagović project Iliad 2001. That same year he achieved a lead role in Babarelo a play by Biljana Srbljanović directed by Paolo Magelli, and a supporting yet major role in Balade Petrice Kerempuh by Miroslav Krleža, with Sven Šestak, Ozren Grabarić and Dijana Vidušin.[8]

In 2013, he received critical admiration among Bojan Tesić and Milivoj Jukić for his lead role as Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment, starring alongside Ozren Grabarić as Porfiriy Petrovich and Živko Anočić as Razumikhin.[9][10][11]

For his lead role as Melikor Tresić in the 2019 adaptation of the Ranko Marinković classic Kiklop, Dijak gained a Croatian Theatre Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role nomination.[12]

He has also appeared in numerous theatres in Eastern Europe, both prominent in light-hearted comedic and serious dramatic roles.[13][14] Among his roles outside the Gavella Theatre, he starred as Clive Staples Lewis in the Theatre Planet Art's production of the Mark St. Germain-written duodrama Freud's Last Session, alongside director Marko Torjanac who played the title psychoanalyst.[15] The play was met with positive reviews, with critics praising the acting, directing, tone and chemistry of the two leads.[16][17] At the Kragujevac Theatre and Culture Festival, the play won the Gran Prix and Dijak was awarded the Ring of Joakim for Outstanding Achievement in a Play.[18]

Dijak has appeared in over thirty films, appearing as a leading man and a character actor in critically acclaimed box office hits including The Blacks, Behind the Glass, Koko and the Ghosts, and Goran. From the 2004 cult classic Sex, Drink and Bloodshed, he reprised his lead role in the Antonio Nuić's 2018 film Mali, starring Dijak's son, Vito. The film went on to be a success within critic circles and the box office, winning the Big Golden Arena for Best Film.

His perhaps best known film role is that of eccentric drug-addict Filip in the Branko Schmidt adaptation of Metastases. He did not reprise his role in the 2016 sequel, ZG80.[19]

Dijak joined other acting stars including Ozren Grabarić, Marinko Prga, Živko Anočić and Krešimir Mikić with doing parodic-satirical sketches for the Motovun Film Festival's segment "The Green Carpet", about established actors who want to take on new career challenges. In Dijak's sketch, he wishes to conceive a career as a German pornographic actor and signs a deal with "Udo Kugelschrieber" (a fictional porno-scout director played by Vili Matula), thanks to Lukas Nola.[20][21]

He also appeared a short film adaptation of Cymbeline, combining the bard's verses with the 21st-century Croatian temperament.[22]

In 2017, he won the Croatian Theatre Award for Best Actor in a Television Drama for his leading role as Uzelac in Čuvari dvorca. Alongside Jadranka Đokić, he starred in the television film Trebalo bi prošetati psa, directed by Filip Peruzović.

On television, he is perhaps best-known for hosting the popular children's show Žutokljunac.

Dijak is also known for his rich career in recording radio dramas.[23] To date, he has recorded over a hundred works, spanning both literature milestones by Fyodor Dostoyevski, Miroslav Krleža, Marcel Proust, August Strindberg and Leo Tolstoy with independent and modern works.[24][25] For his activity in the field of radio-drama, he was nominated for three Croatian Theatre Awards for Achievement in Radio-Drama.

Dijak has also actively performed voice-work for Croatian dubs of animated feature films and television series, including Kenai in the Croatian dub of Brother Bear (2003), Lenny in Shark Tale (2004), Jon Arbuckle of the Garfield series (including the 2004 film and 2006 sequel), Arthur Pendragon in Shrek the Third (2007), Leonardo of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film (2007), Po from the Kung Fu Panda films (2008-2016) and Spider-Man in the Spiderman series (2014-2020).[26]