He was born in Glamoc of the present day Bosnia-Herzegovina (former Yugoslavia) on 3/4/1921. He familiarized himself with music through Dušan Trbojević, a distinguished Serbian pianist, composer and family friend. His operatic debut took place in 1946 in Belgrade National Theater Opera House, with the role of jailer in Tosca. Between 1946 and 1954 he took singing lessons by Zdenka Zikova, a well-known operatic singer and a pedagogue. His operatic repertoire included more than 90 roles. His most successful roles are considered to be those of Boris Godunov and Dosifey, from Mussorgsky operas Boris Godunov and Khovanschina respectively. By many music historians and critics he is regarded as a worthy successor of Feodor Chaliapin. His other roles include those of Don Quichotte [Don Quichotte], Galitsky and Konchak [Prince Igor], Mephistopheles (Faust], Phillip The Second [Don Carlos], Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro], and others. He excelled as a performer of song-cycles, cantatas and oratorios. His concert career lasted more than 40 years during which he gave over 300 concerts performing more than 500 songs. He was awarded twice by the International Jury of Critics in France as the best singer of the season at the Festival Theatre of Nations in Paris, in 1959 (for the role of Mephistopheles) and in 1961 (for that of Boris Godunov). He was also awarded by the French government as the Chevalier de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres, for his contribution to promoting the French culture. He died in Belgrade on 1/10/1999. He appeared twice at the Greek National Opera: during the season 1959-60 in Boris Godunov (in the leading role) and the season 1960-61 in Khovanschina as Dosifey.