Born in Yugoslavia, Darko Peric dreamed of being an animator when he was a kid, and even planned to go to school to study animation. However, in 1991 when the Yugoslav Wars started, his parents sent him to Romania to study veterinary medicine instead. While hitting the books to become an expert in cat anatomy, he also began acting in student projects and short films. With this small taste, Darko’s passion for acting was ignited. He went ahead and finished his animal doctoring schooling, but then set out on a creative venture. He lived in Germany for a short time and sang in a punk band, then moved to Barcelona where he landed his first acting gig, an episode of the Spanish TV series 13 anys i un dia (13 Years and a Day) in 2008. Spain has since proven very, very good for Darko, and the bulk of his acting career has occurred in his adopted country. The big old teddy bear is mostly known for his role in the series La casa de papel, aka Money Heist, where he played a tattooed character named Helsinki from 2017-2021. It’s here where we’re treated to a briefs-only look at his burly frame—and let’s not even get Mr. Man started on his beard; it’s almost deserving of its own category here on Skin Central. And where, you might ask, would you find Darko on your own TV or ‘puter screen? Why, that would be Money Heist again. Netflix grabbed the streaming rights, broadcasted it all over the world, and helped the series pick up a Best Drama award at the International Emmy Awards. And just like that, a whole lot of light was shining on Darko…
