Branko Šturbej graduated in stage acting in the class of Professor France Jamnik and was immediately offered a fulltime job at the SNT Drama Ljubljana. Using his in-depth and precise approach to creating roles, he drew attention to himself already during his studies and subsequently in professional theatres. He is a recipient of numerous awards, including ten Borštnik Awards and the Prešeren Fund Award. In 1989, he joined the SNT Drama Maribor resident ensemble, where he established himself and crystallized as a meticulous actor, always elaborating and refining his roles. His roles are invariably infused with clarity and emotional charge, and he presents major intellectual and emotional problems with a touch of childish naivety and humour, despite their gravity and complexity. While working in Maribor, he created many outstanding and memorable roles for the productions directed by Tomaž Pandur. There he also met Janusz Kica, the internationally famous director with whom he still often collaborates.  In 1996 he returned to the SNT Drama Ljubljana ensemble and has appeared in many lead roles of the classical and contemporary repertoires of world literature, and occasionally in Janusz Kica’s stagings in other Slovenian theatres. He obtained a tenured teaching position as Professor of Stage Acting at the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television, University of Ljubljana. From 2012 to 2016 he was the president of the Slovenian Association of Dramatic Artists, and from 2018 to 2021 a member of the SNT Drama Ljubljana Board. He is a member of the Commission for Recognition of Outstanding Achievements in the Arts at the University of Ljubljana. Since 2005, he has been the chair of the Stage Acting Department at the AGRFT, University of Ljubljana.