Branko Samarovski was born in Zemun, today a municipality of Belgrade, in 1939. At the age of 14, he began an apprenticeship as a locksmith in Salzburg. While working as a locksmith, he gained acting experience at the Liebhaberbühne. Samarovski took private acting lessons and eventually graduated in drama from the Mozarteum in Salzburg. He has been engaged at the Burgtheater in Vienna since 1991. In 2006 Christy Astuy painted his portrait for the new gallery in the Burgtheater. He has been involved in a number of film and TV productions and has worked with Michael Haneke, among others. His portrayal of the invalid in Haneke’s Die Rebellion (The Rebellion) in 1993 earned him the Golden Frame awarded by the Austrian Association of Cinematographers. He was named Best Supporting Actor at the 2017 Austrian Film Awards for his role in Kai Wessel’s Nebel im August (Fog in August).