# Zinaid Memišević

Zinaid "Miki" Memišević (zi'naid 'miki me'miʃevit͡ʃ; 26 April 1950 – 7 January 2023) was a Bosnian and Serbian theatre and film actor. Born in 1950 in Sarajevo, he lived and worked in Vancouver, Canada.

## Career

Memišević's first appearance on film in 1966 (Konjuh planinom) in a small role of a young boy, sparked his dream to become an actor and started a successful acting career. After graduating from the Academy of Dramatic Arts of the University of Belgrade in 1973, he became a permanent member of the company at the National Theatre in Belgrade and appeared on stage in numerous plays. He also played roles in many films and TV series that were produced in Yugoslavia during the 1980s and 1990s.
Following the breakup of Yugoslavia, he moved to Canada in 1994 with his family and continued his career there, appearing in several films and TV series. He "gave Hollywood's best-known portrayal" of Viktor Tikhonov, a Soviet ice hockey player and coach, in Miracle (2004) and appeared in cameos as the President Sergey Makarenko in 2012 (2009).
Memišević had roles in television films The Building (2009, dir. Terry Ingram), Ronnie and Julie (1997, dir. Philip Spink), and in a short film Henry's Café (1998, dir. Ted Bortolin, Geoff Denham). He also appeared in several episodes of various TV series, such as The X-Files (1996), Da Vinci's Inquest (2000 and 2002), and Jake 2.0 (2003).
In 2009 he was nominated for a Leo Award for the Best Performance by a Male in a Short Drama category for his role in the film Pappy and Speedster (2009, dir. Brae Norwiss).
Memišević played a significant role in Neworld Theatre and Touchstone Theatre's production of Wajdi Mouawad's play Tideline (2007), in which he appeared together with his daughter, Una Memišević, who is also an actress.
Memišević died on 7 January 2023, at the age of 72.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1966 | Konjuh planinom | Franica |
| 1978 | Bosko Buha | Viktor |
| 1983 | Body Scent | Postar |
| 1989 | Svedski aranzman | Mafián |
| 1999 | Turbulence 2: Fear of Flying | Jan |
| 2001 | Dark Water | Koyla |
| 2002 | I Spy | Tent Chef |
| 2004 | Miracle | Viktor Tikhonov |
| 2009 | 2012 | President Sergey Makarenko |
| 2010 | Smokin' Aces 2: Assassins' Ball | Russian Man |
| 2016 | Countdown | Slava |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1973 | Pozoriste u kući | Plavi | Episode: "Papan" |
| 1975 | Zašto je pucao Alija Alijagić | Nikola Petrović | Television film |
| 1975 | Kraj nedelje | Siniša | Television film |
| 1977 | Kucna terapija | Siniša | Television film |
| 1980 | Bosko Buha | Viktor | 5 episodes |
| 1982 | Pastrovski vitez | Pisarcic | Television film |
| 1985 | Brisani prostor | Lisko | 3 episodes |
| 1986 | Smesne i druge price | Kole | Episode: "Razgovori stari" |
| 1987 | Bolji život | Piletov rodjak | 3 episodes |
| 1988 | Wolf Karadzich | Osman pasa | Episode: "Putovanje" |
| 1996 | The X-Files | The Cruel-Faced Man | Episode: "Wetwired" |
| 1997 | Breaking the Surface | Judge | Television film |
| 1997 | Ronnie & Julie | Peshlov | Television film |
| 1997 | The Outer Limits | Young Man | Episode: "Bodies of Evidence" |
| 1999 | The Net | Dmitri | Episode: "Pay the Line" |
| 2000 | Runaway Virus | Russian General | Television film |
| 2000 | The Adventures of Shirley Holmes | Pavlo | Episode: "The Case of the Desperate Dancer" |
| 2000 | Secret Agent Man | Vladimov | Episode: "Fail-Safe" |
| 2000 | Dark Angel | Captain | Episode: "Heat" |
| 2000, 2002 | Da Vinci's Inquest | Jim Schulte / Alfred | 2 episodes |
| 2003 | Just Cause | Embassy Official | Episode: "Trial by Memory" |
| 2003 | Jake 2.0 | Nicolai Iskanov | Episode: "Double Agent" |
| 2009 | The Building | Thaddius | Television film |
| 2017 | Arrow | Yurievich | Episode: "Second Chances" |
| 2024 | The Edge of Sleep | Vadim | Posthumous release; Episode: "The Dream Warrior" |