• Trained as a paratrooper in the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) at the age of 18, and later served in the Croatian Army.
• Played Hamlet at the Dubrovnik Summer Theatre Festival in Croatia for 7 consecutive years - from 1994 to 2000.
• Was the youngest actor to play the part of Hamlet in the forementioned production.
• He took over the role of Hamlet after the actor originally set to play it dropped out. He had auditioned for a
lesser role on the urging of his fencing coach, and was initially cast as Laertes as a result of both his acting and
fencing skills.
• Was one of 4 finalists to play Bond in 2005. He lost out on the role because he could not master a British accent in the
time available before his screen test.
• Lives in Los Angeles, and also owns an old stone house and a boat in Jelsa on the island of Hvar in Croatia. The island is
accessible only by boat.
• Is 6ft 4" tall
• Was named People magazine's Sexiest Import in 1999. See more accolades that Goran has received here
• Vogue magazine has referred to him as "the Tom Cruise of Croatia"
• In 2007 he and his wife Ivana adopetd an American boy, and named him Tin after the Croatian poet Tin Ujevic
• His favorite Dubrovnik coffee bar is called Talir.
• After winning the 2005 Vladimir Nazor Prize, Croatia's highest creative award, in Drama for his performance in Long Dark
Night, he donated the 20,000 kuna accompanying the award to a Croatian center providing services to adults with mental
retardation.
• Appeared with fellow ER romantic lead George Clooney in the movie The Peacemaker. The two did not appear on screen
together, and did not meet during filming. Later, Goran appeared as himself playing Dr. Luka Kovac in Clooney’s HBO
reality program Unscripted.
• Flew with the US Navy’s Blue Angels acrobatic flight team in 2001.
• A photo of Goran appears in the “Breast Friends” photo collection, first shown at the Oxo Tower in London in July
2006 and now part of a worldwide traveling exhibit.
• Goran beat former ER co-star Noah Wyle and two other celebrity nine-ball players on GSN’s Ballbreakers to win
$20,000 for IFAW (2005).
• As well as his first pop duet with Croatian singer Guiliano, entitled “Sa Tvojih Usana” (From Your Lips) he previously
added a spoken word excerpt to the song “Odnio je, Boze, dio mene” by Marina Tomesevic and was the subject of the
song “Duet sa Goranom Visnjicem” (Duet with Goran Visnjic) by the band Vatrogasci.
• Collects Tuborg Beer steins
• Often talks about his discomfort with the attention to his looks, preferring to focus on his performance.
• Reportedly declined $1,000,000 to play the title role in Dracula 2000. He was quoted as saying the character plus his accent were a bad combination.
• Was already a big star in Croatia before he was cast in ER.
• When interviewed, he rarely talks about the war in Croatia and what action he may have seen, which he feels most
Americans won’t understand. Instead, he prefers to concentrate on his country’s beauty and potential as a tourist
destination.
• As a result of his voice-role as photojournalist Robert Capa, he developed an interest in photography. Three of his
photographs of Mekhi Phifer were published in the May, 2005 issue of Popular Photography and Imaging.
• A fan of science fiction books, films and television since childhood, his favorite television show is Stargate SG-1.
However, he often comments his taste in television generally runs to documentaries such as those show on the American
Discovery and History channels.
• Is a fan of Stargate SG-1, and said he was "thrilled" to be photographed in front of 'the Gate', the 22 foot tall
portal to the galaxies.
• Has a large scar on his stomach from gastric ulcer surgery
• Speaks Croatian, English and some Italian
• Hobbies include fencing, swimming, off-roading, horseback riding, windsurfing, tennis, kung-fu and the guitar. Plays flight
simulation video games to reduce stress after working.
• Drives an Aston-Martin DB-7 in British racing green.
• Goran and Ivana have two dogs - Bugsy, a pug and Luigi a Pekingese. They previously had a second pug named Rommel -
when he came from the pound, Rommel was named Romeo, but they renamed him because of his temperament!
• Dated Lucjia Sherbedjia, daughter of actor Rade Sherbedjia, while a student in drama school.
• Goran and his wife are fond of Italian food. Their favorite restaurant is believed to be Madeo in West Los Angeles.
• Goran means "mountain man" and Visnjic derives from the Croatian word visnja, meaning "sour cherry".
• Refuses to do screen nudity
• Was reported to be planning to star in a film biography of controversial Croatian general Ante Gotovina
• When word came through that he had been accepted in the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Zagreb, his brother volunteered to
take his place in the Army so he could study his craft.