Darko Perić (actor)

Darko Perić
Perić in 2022
Born (1977-03-25) 25 March 1977 (age 47)
Kladovo, SR Serbia, Yugoslavia
OccupationActor
Years active2000–present

Darko Perić (Serbian Cyrillic: Дарко Перић; born 25 March 1977) is a Serbian actor. He is best known for playing Helsinki in the Spanish crime thriller series La Casa de Papel (Money Heist).[1][2]

Early life

Perić was born in Kladovo on 25 March 1977. He showed interest in the arts from a very young age; his first time onstage came at the age of six, when a Cuban singer invited him to sing "Guantanamera". That moment inspired him to perform in every school play. In 1991, at the start of the Yugoslav Wars, his dreams of going to animation school in Zagreb were halted. His parents decided that he should instead become a doctor. He was sent to veterinary school in Bucharest in Romania, where he rediscovered his passion for the cinema and theatre thanks to his student friends at the Romanian Film Academy. During that time, he continued to study medicine while acting in short films.

In 1994, Perić moved to the Romanian city of Timișoara, where he continued his studies of medicine and performed in live theatre. After six years of living in Timișoara, he finished his studies and graduated with honours in veterinary medicine. While there, he had also gotten involved in the local hardcore and punk scenes, singing in bands and organizing events in the local cultural centre, where he met many international artists. This inspired him to move to Germany, where he settled in Berlin. He continued to act in short films there until 2004, when he moved to Spain and chose Barcelona as a place to live.

Career

Perić was cast in his first major Spanish job in the series Crematorio for Canal + in 2010. In 2015, he performed in A Perfect Day. In 2016, he was cast in the Atresmedia produced series Sea of Plastic / Mar de plástico, in which he played Oso, a Ukrainian gangster and the main villain in the series. His best known role is of Helsinki in the crime thriller series Money Heist (2017–2021). The series was acquired by Netflix, which helped it become one of the most watched shows, winning the Best Drama at the Emmy Awards in 2018.

Personal life

Perić teaches Qigong around the world in masterclasses titled "Qigong: Physical and Mental Preparation for Actors". He is an avid basketball fan.

Filmography

Film

Year Film Role Notes
2014 Kamikaze Jefe Protección Civil
2015 A Perfect Day Water Seller
It's Now or Never Taxista Amsterdam 1
2016 Garantía personal Toro
2017 Patria Ioan Short film
Homeland
2019 Bajo el mismo techo Chiquitin
Luces de Gas Stan Short film
El Cerro de los Dioses Goran
2024 The Price of Nonna's Inheritance Bojan
2024 The Danube is my sea Himself Short film

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2008 13 anys i un dia 1 episode
El cor de la ciutat Home Vicky 1
2011 Crematorio 3 episodes
2012 Kubala, Moreno i Manchón 1 episode
2014 Aída
La que se avecina Vigilante de seguridad
2014–2015 B&b, de boca en boca Serbio 2 episodes
2015 Águila Roja 1 episode
2016 Buscando el norte
Mar de plástico Oso 4 episodes
2017 El crac 1 episode
Sé quién eres Preso Cantina
2017–2021 La casa de papel Mirko Dragić "Helsinki" 41 episodes
2018 La verdad Mijael Varanov 2 episodes
2020 Vallero! Sue Savage 1 episode

References

  1. ^ "Money Heist star: I cried when I learned we would get another series". The Irish Independent. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  2. ^ Eloff, Herman (April 25, 2018). "This heist thriller on Netflix blew up big time and now has a cult following". Channel. Retrieved March 2, 2019.