Now credited as Goran Visnjic in his English-language work, he adopted the simplified spelling of his name when he came to the United States in the late ’90s, believing it would be more accessible to American audiences. Visnjic was born in the Dalmatian coastal city of Sibenik, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia. He appeared in plays throughout his childhood and made his screen debut at age 16 in the controversial Yugoslav film Braca po materi (1988), playing a young Ustasa. As Yugoslavia began to dissolve, Visnjic was serving a year-long tour of duty with the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA). He left the JNA and returned to Sibenik, where he joined the nascent Croatian Army in defending his hometown against JNA-supported Krajina Serbs. in the same episode, he demonstrated his skill in another Shakespeare-related hobby by fencing with Noah Wyle’s character, Dr. John Carter.
