Widely considered one of the greatest actors from the former Yugoslavia, he starred in over 70 films, including The Smell of Quinces (1982), When Father Was Away on Business (1985), Reflections (1987), The Glembays (1988), Kuduz (1989), Silent Gunpowder (1990), The Perfect Circle (1997), Days and Hours (2004), Mirage (2004) and Halima's Path (2012).

More recently, Nadarević was best known for playing Izet Fazlinović in the sitcom Lud, zbunjen, normalan from the beginning of the series in 2007 until his death in 2020.

[3] During his long acting career, Nadarević built a reputation as one of the most recognizable character actors in the Balkans.

In 1991, he won the award for Best Actor at the 17th Moscow International Film Festival for his role in Silent Gunpowder.

Nadarević's wife, Slavica Radović (25 April 1964 – 7 June 2012),[9] a Slovenian costume designer, died at the age of 48 after a decade-long struggle with breast cancer.