David Janakiev
- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
David Janakiev was born in the capital of the Czech Republic, Prague. He was raised by Macedonian parents, a caring mother who took great care of David and his older brother, Mik; while his father started out working in the factories of Nestle before rising through the ranks. A year later, David's family had to move as his father was transferred to offices in Ukraine, living there in two different cities. After two short years his family moved once again, to Belgrade in Serbia. During this time, around the age of 5 or 6, David fell in love with two movies, Shanghai Noon and The Mask. These two movies were the first building blocks of David's desire to become an actor.
One of David's earliest memories was having to move countries because the city (Belgrade) he lived in was being bombed in 1999. As a result his family moved to Athens, Greece where he started and finished elementary school. Growing up, David's three greatest enthusiasms were: playing soccer, watching movies and trying to behave like the characters he saw on screen around his house. After living in Greece, David shortly lived in Belgrade again before moving to his Hometown Skopje, Macedonia to live with his Grandparents.
Although having to move to a new country and school frequently were extremely tough on him as a kid, the immersion in different cultures from a young age has helped him greatly in finding his artistic voice
Prior to studying Acting, David completed a Bachelor's Degree in Film Producing at Columbia College Chicago, enrolling as a 17-year old. David then completed a 2-year Conservatory Program at the Lee Strasberg Institute in Los Angeles. He credits MJ Karmi, Carlos Colunga and Sasha Krane as the most inspiring teachers he's ever had.
One of David's earliest memories was having to move countries because the city (Belgrade) he lived in was being bombed in 1999. As a result his family moved to Athens, Greece where he started and finished elementary school. Growing up, David's three greatest enthusiasms were: playing soccer, watching movies and trying to behave like the characters he saw on screen around his house. After living in Greece, David shortly lived in Belgrade again before moving to his Hometown Skopje, Macedonia to live with his Grandparents.
Although having to move to a new country and school frequently were extremely tough on him as a kid, the immersion in different cultures from a young age has helped him greatly in finding his artistic voice
Prior to studying Acting, David completed a Bachelor's Degree in Film Producing at Columbia College Chicago, enrolling as a 17-year old. David then completed a 2-year Conservatory Program at the Lee Strasberg Institute in Los Angeles. He credits MJ Karmi, Carlos Colunga and Sasha Krane as the most inspiring teachers he's ever had.