Rade Serbedzija was born in Bunic (Korenica) in 1946. Graduated from the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Zagreb. Still a student, he started to play the leading roles in films and theatre productions. He is remembered as an outstanding Peer Gynt, Don Juan, Georgij, Melkior, Edipus, Hamlet, Leon and Richard III. He wrote and published four books of poetry and released four albums, as well as directed 12 plays (Balade Petrice Kerempuha, Kazu da je sova nekad bila pekareva kci, Judita, Hrvatski slavuj...). He shot more than seventy films (Rdece klasje, Zadah tela, Hajka, Vecernja zvona, Bravo maestro, Variola vera, Una, Usijanje, Zivot je lep, Kiklop, Povratak, Horvatov izbor, San o ruzi, Kontesa Dora...), and starred in leading roles of several TV-series (Sam covjek, U registraturi, Prosjaci i sinovi, Bombaski proces, Nikola Tesla, Vucjak...). He joined Vanessa Redgrave to found a theatre that produced plays such as Brecht in egzile, Liberation of Skopje, Smoke, Opera Sarajevo. He took part in many charity and peace initiatives. After a world famous film Before the rain where he played the leading role, he was cast in films by prominent directors of the world (P. Noyce, J. Woo, S. Kubrick, F. Rossi...), in films such as The Saint (P. Noyce), La Tregua (F. Rossi), The Prag Duet, Broken English, Eyes Wide Shut (S. Kubrick), Polish Wedding, Stigmata, Mighty Joe Young, Il dolce rumore della vita, Mare Largo, Mission: Impossible II, Space Cowboys, The Snatch, and in South Pacific, Hermano, Quicksand, currently in postproduction. He starred alongside Val Kilmer, Elisabeth Shue, John Turturro, Tom Cruise, Glenn Glose. He lives in London.
Father of Lucija Serbedzija Ranked #4 in Croatian-based monthly film magazine "Hollywood" in «Best Croatian Male Movie Stars of All Time» list. (November 2005) He was a professor of Acting at Academy of Arts in Novi Sad.