Marko Nikolic – Giga Moravac
He was a Yugoslav film and theater actor. He gained television fame through the lead role in the TV series “Bolji život” (“A Better Life”), as well as the role of Karađorđe in several TV dramas and the series “Vuk Karadžić”.
He was born on October 20, 1946, in Kraljevo. His parents lived and worked in Teslić but were forced to leave the town after the arrival of the Ustaše and settled in Kraljevo, then occupied Serbia. Nikolić grew up there and from an early age, he loved visiting the Kraljevo Theater. His mother, Leposava, was also an actress, his father was a forestry engineer, and he had an older brother.
As a boy, he played basketball for the Kraljevo Sloga team and made it to the senior team at the age of seventeen. Despite his dedication to sports, Marko soon fell in love with theater and decided to pursue acting. After finishing primary school at “Svetozar Marković” and completing his military service, he decided to enroll in acting school. He failed the entrance exams at the Academy of Theater, Film, Radio and Television in Belgrade and at the Academy of Arts of the University of Novi Sad. He became a student of acting on his third attempt in Belgrade.
He studied together with Miki Manojlović, Predrag Ejdus, Dragan Maksimović, and Goran Sultanović. He graduated in 1972 and became a member of the National Theater in Belgrade in 1970.
Even during his studies, Nikolić had several minor film roles. He appeared in an episode of the mini-series “Letovi koji se pamte” (“Memorable Flights”) and the following year in the film “Biće skoro propast sveta” (“The End of the World Is Near”), where he had his first supporting role. After that, he began to accumulate roles in films and series, and a wider audience got to know him as an artilleryman in the war film “Užička republika” (“The Užice Republic”) directed by Žika Mitrović in 1974, where he played the character Klaker. He appeared in films such as “Devojački most” (“The Bridge of Maiden”), “Dvoboj za južnu prugu” (“Duel for the Southern Railway”), “Boško Buha”, “Petrijin Venac” (“Petrija’s Wreath”), as well as series like “Grlom u jagode” (“Neck Deep in Strawberries”), “Boško Buha”, “Na putu izdaje” (“On the Path of Betrayal”)…
The role of Karađorđe Petrović in Đorđe Kadijević’s direction brought him great popularity, and shortly after that, the long-term filming of the TV series “Vuk Karadžić” began, where he also played the character of Karađorđe.
It can be said that 1987 was the pinnacle of his popularity as he appeared as the famous Dragiša Popadić – Giga Moravac in one of the most popular Yugoslav TV series – “Bolji život” (“A Better Life”). The same year, the airing of the TV series “Vuk Karadžić” began, in which he had a notable role.
He had been married three times and had three children, including his daughter Mina, who is also an actress.
He passed away on January 2, 2019, in Belgrade, after a long and serious illness.
