Famous Serbian People

Widely considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Novak Djokovic is currently third in the list of number of Grand Slam singles titles won by male players. He is known for his powerful two-handed backhand and his service returns. Djokovic is also the only player to complete the career Golden Masters and he has achieved this feat twice.

Inventor, engineer and futurist, Nikola Tesla, is best remembered for his contribution to the development of the modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply system. A prolific inventor, he had around 300 patents for his inventions. Even though he earned a considerable amount of money, he had poor money management skills and died a poor man.

Retired Serbian tennis player Ana Ivanović is a former world number 1 in singles. By 20, she had already won the French Open. Named one of 30 Legends of Women's Tennis by Time in 2011, she later married German footballer Bastian Schweinsteiger and is now a mother of two.

Serbian basketball player Nikola Jokić is best known for his association with the NBA team Denver Nuggets. Nicknamed The Joker, he plays as a center. He scripted history as the first center to win the NBA’s MVP Award since Shaquille O’Neal in 2000. He has been named to NBA All-Star 4 times.

Boban Marjanović is a Serbian basketball player who plays for the Serbia national basketball team. In 2017, he helped his team win the silver medal at the EuroBasket in Turkey. He also plays in the NBA and is currently a part of the Houston Rockets. Apart from being a basketball player, Boban Marjanović is also an actor.

Retired Serbian footballer Nemanja Vidić is regarded as one of the most skilled defenders of the game. Starting his senior career with Red Star Belgrade, he later had a successful stint with Manchester United, winning 5 Premier League titles with them, among other honors. He was twice named Serbian Footballer of the Year.

Serbian basketball player Bogdan Bogdanović is known for his association with the NBA team Atlanta Hawks. A talented shooting guard, he has previously also played for the Sacramento Kings. The 2-time Serbian Player of the Year has also won an Olympic silver for Serbia and been a World Cup runners-up.

Natasa Stankovic is a Serbian dancer, actress, and model. Currently based in Mumbai, India, Stankovic is best known for her appearances in popular Indian TV shows such as Nach Baliye and Bigg Boss. Natasa Stankovic has also appeared in several popular Bollywood films like Satyagraha, Fukrey Returns, and Zero. She's also known as the wife of Indian cricketer Hardik Pandya.

Retired Serbian basketball player Darko Miličić scripted history as the youngest foreign NBA player and the youngest player to win an NBA Championship, having won the 2004 NBA finals with the Detroit Pistons. He was also part of the U-16 gold-winning Yugoslavian squad at the 2001 European Championship for Cadets.

Vlade Divac is a Serbian former basketball player and one of only seven players in the history of NBA to record 13,000 points, 3,000 assists, 9,000 rebounds, and 1,500 blocked shots. In 2010, he was made an inductee of the FIBA Hall of Fame. In 2019, Vlade Divac was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Dusan Tadic is a Serbian football player who captains the Serbia national team as well as the popular Dutch club Ajax. He played an influential role in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifications and helped his team qualify for the final tournament. In 2019, he was named Serbian Player of the Year.

Spanish-born Serbian footballer Sergej Milinković-Savić currently plays for the Italian club Lazio. A talented midfielder, he is the son of former footballer Nikola Milinković. He was part of the Serbian squad that won the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He has also been named Lazio Player of the Season twice.

Serbian footballer Nemanja Matić is best known as a defensive midfielder the Italian club Roma. Starting his senior career with Kolubara, he later had successful stints with clubs such as Chelsea, Benfica, and Manchester United. He has also been named the Serbian Footballer of the Year twice.

Rade Šerbedžija is a Croatian actor, musician, and director. One of the best known Croatian actors of the 1970s and 1980s, Šerbedžija has also achieved international fame by appearing in popular films like Mission: Impossible 2, X-Men: First Class, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:Part 1. Rade Šerbedžija is considered one of the finest Croatian actors of his generation.

Being the son of basketball player and coach Zufer Avdija, Israeli-Serbian small forward Deni Avdija was destined to excel in the sport. The Washington Wizards player is known for his towering 6’9” frame. Beginning his career with Maccabi Tel Aviv, he later won 2 FIBA U20 European Championship golds for Israel.

Peter II of Yugoslavia reigned as the last king of Yugoslavia from 9 October 1934 until his ousting from power on 29 November 1945. Considered the last reigning king of the Karađorđević dynasty, Peter II of Yugoslavia moved to the USA after his deposition where he suffered from alcoholism and depression.

Marko Jaric is a former basketball player who specialized in playing the shooting guard position, thanks to his height of 2.01 m. A popular player in European leagues, Jaric became the first player to win two consecutive Italian League championships with two different teams. He has also won gold medals at FIBA EuroBasket and FIBA World Cup, representing FR Yugoslavia.

Serbian basketball player Nemanja Bjelica plays as a power forward for the Turkish club Fenerbahçe. Starting his senior career with the Austrian club Traiskirchen Lions, he also represented NBA teams such as the Sacramento Kings and the Golden State Warriors, winning the NBA Championship with the latter.

Serbian basketball executive Peja Stojaković had a successful 13-year NBA career and was a star player of the Sacramento Kings, a team with which he spent 8 years. He also won an NBA Championship with the Dallas Mavericks and later served as the assistant general manager for the Sacramento Kings.

Emir Kusturica is a Serbian actor, screenwriter, film director, producer, and musician. Counted among the most famous European filmmakers of his generation, Kusturica is renowned for his naturalistic and surreal films. Over the course of his illustrious career, Emir Kusturica has won several prestigious awards including a Silver Bear and two Palme d'Or awards.

Lieserl Einstein’s existence came into light almost 30 years after her father Albert Einstein’s death. She was the illegitimate, first-born child of Einstein and his fellow student, and later wife, Mileva Maric. Some believe she died of scarlet fever, while other sources state she was given up for adoption.

Serbian basketball player Alen Smailagić plays for the Serbian team Partizan Belgrade. The power forward scripted history as the youngest player to participate in the NBA G League. He has played for the Santa Cruz Warriors and the Golden State Warriors. He is also known for his 6’ 10” frame.

Serbian basketball player Aleksej Pokuševski plays for the NBA team Oklahoma City Thunder. A talented power forward/small forward, he began his senior career with the Greek club Olympiacos, before being picked up by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2020 NBA draft. He is the son of a professional basketball player and coach.

Serbian military leader Dragoljub Mihailović headed the Yugoslavian underground army known as the Chetniks, during World War II. He had also fought in the Balkan Wars and World War I, but post-World War II, he was convicted of treason and executed by the communist powers of Yugoslavia.

Retired Serbian footballer and current manager Dragan Stojković is also known as Piksi, a nickname he got from a cartoon character he loved watching. The talented midfielder has had successful stints with Red Star Belgrade, Marseille, and Nagoya Grampus Eight. He was also part of the Yugoslavian 1984 Olympic bronze-winning squad.

Lepa Radić was a Yugoslav Partisan best remembered for her involvement in the resistance movement opposing the Axis powers during World War II. In 1951, she was posthumously honored with the Order of the People's Hero for her role during the Second World War. Lepa Radić was executed at age 17 for firing at German troops.

Serbian football manager and former footballer Savo Milošević has played as a forward for clubs such as Aston Villa, Partizan, and Rubin Kazan. As a manager, he led Partizan to win the 2018-19 Serbian Cup. He was also awarded the coveted Golden Boot at the UEFA Euro 2000.

Retired Serbian tennis player Jelena Janković is a former world number 1 in singles. Apart from Serbian, she has also represented FR Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro. A 4-time Olympian, she was also a runner-up at the 2008 US Open. She also won the 2007 Wimbledon mixed-doubles with Jamie Murray.

Srđan Todorović is a Serbian musician and actor. He has been part of many popular bands like Bezobrazno Zeleno, Radnička Kontrola, Disciplina Kičme, and Ekatarina Velika. Srđan Todorović is also known for playing important roles in films like Three Summer Days, War Live, and We Are Not Angels 2.

Ivo Andric was a Yugoslav short story writer, poet, and novelist. Andric won the 1961 Nobel Prize in Literature after the Nobel Committee chose him over writers like Robert Frost, E. M. Forster, John Steinbeck, and J. R. R. Tolkien. After receiving the award, Andric's works were translated into several languages as they found an international audience.

Serbian basketball player Vasilije Micić is associated with the Turkish club Anadolu Efes. The talented point guard has also been a 2-time EuroLeague champion with Anadolu Efes. He has also been part of the Serbian squad that won a silver at the 2017 EuroBasket. He is the brother of renowned snowboarder Nina Micić.

Retired Serbian footballer Aleksandar Kolarov is known as a talented defender and has played as both a left-back and a center-back. He had an illustrious career with clubs such as Manchester United and Inter Milan and won 2 Premier League titles with the former. He was named the 2011 Serbian Player of the Year.

Stefan Dušan reigned as the King of all Serbian and Maritime Lands from 1331 to 1346. He then reigned as the Emperor of the Serbian Empire from 16 April 1346 until his death on 20 December 1355. Stefan Dušan was counted among the most powerful monarchs of his generation as he had conquered a major part of southeast Europe.

Miloš Biković is a Serbian actor best known for playing prominent roles in popular films like South Wind and Serf. Regarded as a sex symbol in Eastern Europe, Biković is often compared with actors like James Dean and Leonardo DiCaprio for his physical appearance as well as acting style. In 2018, Miloš Biković was honored with the Medal of Pushkin.        

Darko Perić is a Serbian actor best known for his portrayal of Helsinki in the popular Spanish crime thriller series, Money Heist. He was seen in the series from 2017 to 2021, during which he appeared in 41 episodes. In addition to being an actor, Darko Perić also teaches Qigong around the world.

Miomir Kecmanovic is a Serbian tennis player who has won one doubles and one singles ATP titles so far. His best Grand Slam result so far has been his advancement to the fourth round at the 2022 Australian Open.

Serbian volleyball player Tijana Boskovic was 15 when she joined the Serbian junior team. Apart from an Olympic silver and bronze, she has also won both the World Championship and the European Championship twice. She has also played for the Turkish club Eczacıbaşı VitrA and the Serbian club ŽOK Partizan Vizura.

Serbian footballer Aleksandar Katai, who plays for Red Star Belgrade, is a promising midfielder. Starting his senior career with Vojvodina, he later also played for teams such as Olympiacos and Chicago Fire. He has won 3 Serbian SuperLiga titles and 2 Serbian Cups with Red Star.

Quintillus was a Roman emperor for a brief period of time in 270 AD. He succeeded his brother Emperor Claudius Gothicus after the latter's death in 270. However, Quintillus' claim to the throne was challenged by Aurelian, who eventually succeeded him after a battle.

Toma Zdravković was a Serbian pop-folk recording artist, singer, and songwriter. Best remembered for his immense contribution to Serbian folk music, Toma Zdravković is credited with writing one of the biggest Yugoslav folk hits of all time, Šta će mi život.