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- Simona Postlerová was born on 9 November 1964 in Plzen, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. She was an actress, known for Území bílých králu (1991), The Fury (2016) and Hotel Herbich (1999). She was married to Zdenek Hrasek. She died on 5 May 2024 in Prague, Czech Republic.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Jan Tríska was born on 4 November 1936 in Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. He was an actor, known for Ronin (1998), Apt Pupil (1998) and The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996). He was married to Karla Chadimová. He died on 25 September 2017 in Prague, Czech Republic.- Director
- Writer
- Actress
Vera Chytilová was born on February 2, 1929, in Ostrava, Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic). She studied philosophy and architecture in Brno for two years, then worked as a technical draftsman, a designer, a fashion model, a photo re-toucher, then worked as a clapper girl for Barrandov Film Studios in Prague. There she continued as a writer, actress, and assistant director.
She was denied a scholarship, or even a recommendation from Barrandov, but she took the admissions tests at FAMU and was accepted. From 1957-1962 she studied film directing under Otakar Vávra, who also taught Jirí Menzel, Milos Forman, Jan Nemec, and Ivan Passer. In 1962 she graduated as director from Film Academy (FAMU) in Prague. Her graduation film 'Strop' (Ceiling 1962) and the following film 'Pytel blech' (A Bagful of Fleas 1963) were "staged" improvisations with non-actors. In 1966 Chytilova and her husband, 'Jaroslav Kucera', made a witty surrealist comedy Daisies (1966), which was immediately banned, but then was released in 1967, and won the Grand Prix at the Bergamo Film Festival. She remained in Czechoslovakia after the events of 1968, when her colleagues Milos Forman, Jan Nemec, and Ivan Passer emigrated. Her films were often "shelved" for reasons of political censorship. For six years Chytilova was banned from making films. In 1976 she wrote a letter of complaint to President Gustav Husak, describing her artistic position. After some behind-the-scenes influence by her supporters, Chytilova was allowed to make a low-budget Hra o jablko (1977), which won a Silver Hugo at Chicago Film Festival.
Chytilova belongs among the foremost directors of the 1960's Czech New Wave, which was influenced by both the French New Wave and Italian Neo-Realism. Her films were acclaimed for visual experimentation and for bold unmasking of the moral problems of contemporary society. Her art belongs to what Sergei Eisenstein described as "intellectual cinema", that embraces the mix of "avant-garde", "cinema verite", "formalism", "feminism", or "happening" and, with a good deal of humor, it spreads beyond definitions. Chytilova's films often present a multi-layered plethora of visual associations that encourages the viewer to make active interpretations. She survived through the political turbulences in Czechoslovakia and has been a highly original and uncompromising filmmaker.- Writer
- Director
- Animation Department
Karel Zeman was a Czech film director, screenwriter, and animator. He is primarily remembered for creating fantasy and science fiction films which combined live-action and animation.
In 1910, Zeman was born in the village of Ostromer in Austria-Hungary. The village is located near the town of Nova Paka, whose main tourist attraction is an abandoned monastery of Minims.
Zeman originally pursued a business education in the town of Kolin. In the 1920s, he studied advertising in France. He remained in France until 1936, working at an advertising studio in Marseilles. His first experience with animation was creating an animated advertisement for soap.
In the late 1930s, Zeman returned to Czechoslovakia, where he continued working in advertising. He created advertisements for companies such as Bata and Tatra. In 1939, Zeman attempted to migrate to Casablanca to avoid the poor living conditions in the German-occupied Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. He was soon barred from migrating.
During World War II, Zeman became the advertising head of advertisement at Dum Sluzeb in the city of Brno. He participated in a window-dressing competition there, which his won. Film director Elmar Klos (1910-1993) filmed a newsreel about the competition and became acquainted with Zeman. Klos offered Zeman work at an animation studio located in Zlin. Zeman accepted the business proposal in 1943.
Zeman started working as an assistant animator under veteran animator Hermina Tyrlova (1900-1993), who would eventually be nicknamed "the mother of Czech animation". In 1945, Zeman became the head of the animation's studio, stop-motion animation production group. He started work on his first short film "A Christmas Dream", which combined live-action with puppet animation. The plot involved a dream about toys coming to life.
In 1946, Zeman introduced a series of short films featuring a puppet called Mr. Prokouk. The series gained a fan following. In 1948, Zeman completed the short film "Inspiration", as an experiment in using glass in animation productions. In 1950, Zeman completed a half-hour film called "Kral Lavra" (King Lavra), an adaptation of a satirical poem by Karel Havlicek Borovsky (1821-1856), The film depicted the legend of Labraid Loingsech, High King of Ireland and was met with critical success. Zeman won a National Award with this film.
In 1952, Zeman created his first feature film "The Treasure of Bird Island", adapting a Persian fairy tale. He used several experimental techniques in animation. His next film was "Journey to the Beginning of Time" (1955), in which he animated many prehistoric animals. It was his first film to have an international release. Zeman worked on 8 other feature films between 1958 and 1980, as well as a large number of short films. He was one of Czechoslovakia's most famed animators.
Zeman retired in 1980, at the age of 70. He had been working as a director for 34 years at that point. He died of natural causes in April 1989, about 7 months before the Velvet Revolution and the fall of communism in Czechoslovakia. He was 78-years-old.
Zeman has been called as one of the 20th century's most innovative and influential animators. He has been cited as an influence by (among others) Wes Anderson, Tim Burton, Terry Gilliam, and Jan Svankmajer.- Director
- Actor
- Writer
Juraj Herz was born on 4 September 1934 in Kezmarok, Czechoslovakia [now Slovakia]. He was a director and actor, known for Habermann (2010), The Cremator (1969) and Beauty and the Beast (1978). He was married to Therese Herz. He died on 8 April 2018 in Prague, Czech Republic.- Actress
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Libuse Safránková was born on 7 June 1953 in Brno, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. She was an actress, known for Kolya (1996), Bájecná léta pod psa (1997) and Three Wishes for Cinderella (1973). She was married to Josef Abrhám. She died on 9 June 2021 in Prague, Czech Republic.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Jirí Menzel was born on 23 February 1938 in Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. He was an actor and director, known for Closely Watched Trains (1966), I Served the King of England (2006) and Larks on a String (1969). He was married to Olga Menzelová-Kelymanová. He died on 5 September 2020 in Prague, Czech Republic.- Kveta Fialová was born on 1 September 1929 in Vel'ké Dravce, Czechoslovakia [now Slovak Republic]. She was an actress, known for Adela Has Not Had Supper Yet (1978), Closely Watched Trains (1966) and Slamený klobouk (1972). She was married to Pavel Hása and Jirí Joska. She died on 26 September 2017 in Prague, Czech Republic.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Josef Vinklár was born on 14 November 1930 in Podulsí by Jicín, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. He was an actor, known for The Red Baron (2008), Hospital at the End of the City (1977) and Koncert na konci léta (1980). He was married to Jana Dítetová and Ivanka Devátá. He died on 18 September 2007 in Prague, Czech Republic.- Music Department
- Composer
- Soundtrack
Antonin Dvorak was a son of butcher, but he did not follow his father's trade. While assisting his father part-time, he studied music, and graduated from the Prague Organ School in 1859. He also was an accomplished violinist and violist, and joined the Bohemian Theatre Orchestra, which was under the baton of Bedrich Smetana in 1860s. For financial reasons he quit the orchestra and focused on composing and teaching. He fell in love with one of his students, but she married another guy. Her sister was available, so Dvorak married the sister, Anna, in 1873, and they had nine children.
Dvorak's early compositions were influenced by Richard Wagner and Johannes Brahms, and with their promotion his music became performed in European capitals and received international acclaim. His performances in 1880s of Slavonic Dances, the Sixth Symphony and the Stabat Mater were a success in England, and Dvorak received an honorary doctorate from Cambridge. He made a successful concert tour in Russia in 1890, and became a professor at the Prauge Conservatory. In 1892 he received an invitation to America from Jeaunnette Thurber, the founder of he National Conservatory of Music in New York City. Dvorak was the Director of the National Conservatory in New York for three years (1892-95), where he also taught composition and carried on his cross-cultural studies.
Dvorak broadened his experiences through studying the music of the Native Americans and African Americans, many of whom became his students and friends. Dvorak was inspired by the originality of indigenous American music and culture, as well as by the spirituals and by the singing of his African American students. Dvorac incorporated his new ideas, blended with his Bohemian roots, into his well-known Symphony No.9 in E minor "From the New World". He worked on this symphony for most of the spring and summer of 1893, and made it's glorious premiere in Carnegie Hall in December, 1893. In America he also wrote the remarkable Cello Concerto and two string quartets, including the Quartet in F ("The American"). Dvorak was doing very well in New York financially, but his heart was in Prague and he left America for his Czech Motherland. He had a big family with his wife and nine children in Prague. He became the Director of the Prague Conservatory in 1901 and kept the position until his death in 1904.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Lubomír Lipský was born on 19 April 1923 in Pelhrimov, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. He was an actor, known for Slamený klobouk (1972), The Three Musketeers (1983) and I Killed Einstein, Gentlemen (1970). He was married to Vera Kittlerová. He died on 2 October 2015 in Prague, Czech Republic.- Stunts
- Additional Crew
Harry O'Connor was born on 28 August 1957 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. He is known for The Perfect Storm (2000), Air Force One (1997) and Charlie's Angels (2000). He died on 4 April 2002 in Prague, Czech Republic.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Ossi Oswalda was born Oswalda Staglich on February 2, 1899 in Berlin, Germany. She trained to be a ballerina and worked in chorus lines when she was a teenager. Director Ernst Lubitsch discovered her and cast her in his 1916 film The Shoe Palace. Over the next five years she appeared in many of Lubitsch's comedies including The Doll, The Oyster Princess, and I Don't Want To Be A Man. She usually played spoiled, child-like characters and even appeared in drag. Ossi became one of Europe's most bankable stars earning her the nickname "The German Mary Pickford". She and Ernst Lubitsch became very close friends but their relationship was never romantic. In 1919 she married Hungarian Baron Gustav Von Koczian. Ossi and her husband started their own production company but they only made five films together.
Their marriage ended in 1925 and Ossi began a high profile romance with Crown Prince Willhelm. She signed a contract with an American producer in 1926 and tried to change her image by playing more glamorous characters. Unfortunately her career suffered with the arrival of sound films. Her last role was in the 1933 drama The Star Of Valencia. Ossi continued to work on the stage appearing in operettas in Germany and Vienna. Eventually she moved to Czechoslovakia with her boyfriend Julius Aussenberg, a former producer. In 1943 she wrote the story for the film Fourteen At The Table. Sadly by the Spring of 1947 Ossi was bankrupt and suffering from numerous health problems. She died on July 17, 1947 in Prague. Ossi was only forty-eight years old. She is buried in Olsany Cemetery in in the Czech Republic.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Iveta Bartosová was born on 8 April 1966 in Celadná, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. She was an actress, known for A Killer in Prague (2012), The Vampire Wedding (1993) and Iveta Bartosová: Já se vrátím (1993). She was married to Josef Rychtár and Jirí Pomeje. She died on 29 April 2014 in Prague, Czech Republic.- Director
- Writer
- Cinematographer
Jaromil Jires was born on 10 December 1935 in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia [now Slovak Republic]. He was a director and writer, known for The Joke (1969), Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970) and ...a pozdravuji vlastovky (1972). He died on 26 October 2001 in Prague, Czech Republic.- Reinhard Heydrich began his career as an officer in the post-World War I German navy. He was dishonorably discharged after becoming involved in an illicit love affair. The young woman became pregnant, but instead of marrying her, Heydrich met and soon got engaged to Lina von Osten. In 1930 Heydrich, now unemployed, was persuaded by his wife to join Adolf Hitler's National Socialist (Nazi) party, which he did the next year; he also became a member of the SS at that same time. As one of its first officers, Heydrich was tasked by Heinrich Himmler to expand the small organization into an internal security force to monitor the Nazi party. The result was the creation of the SD (Sicherheistdienst [Security Service]), which was combined, in 1934, with the Gestapo (Gestaatspolizei, or state secret police) to form the much feared SS Security Police, which Heydrich--now an SS Brigadier General--commanded. He played a major role in the destruction of the SA, known as the "storm troopers", which was an internal security service set up by Hitler but which he now suspected of plotting against him; the organization was destroyed and many of its officers, including its leader, Ernst Röhm, were murdered in June of 1934. For his services Heydrich was made a Lieutenant-General in the SS.
At the start of World War II Heydrich became commander of the consolidated Reich security forces, which he formed into the Reich Security Central Office of the SS. Also, by this time, Heydrich had become a major figure in the rounding up and planned extermination of Europe's Jews. On his orders, the SS-Einsatzgruppen--Special Groups--were created for the purpose of hunting down, rounding up and exterminating Jews in Poland and Russia. Three years later, in 1942, he chaired the infamous Wannsee Conference, where the decision was made to exterminate all the Jews of Europe. Promoted to SS-General (Obergruppenfuhrer), Heydrich was made the Reich Governor of Czechoslovakia at the start of 1942. Aware of how powerful, cunning and dangerous Heydrich was, British intelligence agents put together an operation designed to kill him, and trained and dispatched three Czech exiles to Prague. The assassination was carried out in May of 1942. Heydrich died a short while later, on June 4th, the same day of the historic Battle of Midway in the Pacific.
If ever a truly monstrous and evil man existed, it was Reinhard Heydrich, one of the masterminds of the Holocaust. In a horrific act of revenge, called "Operation Reinhard," Hitler had the entire village of Lidice, Czechoslovakia--near where Heydrich was killed--exterminated. All male inhabitants above the age of 15 were shot; all other residents were sent to concentration camps, and the village itself was physically wiped off the face of the earth. Heydrich was buried with full honors. His grave on the Invalidenfriedhof in Berlin is now anonymous in order to prevent any form of remembrance. - Director
- Writer
- Actor
Frantisek Vlácil was born on 19 February 1924 in Cesky Tesin, Moravian-Silesian, Czech Republic. He was a director and writer, known for Marketa Lazarová (1967), The Valley of the Bees (1968) and Adelheid (1969). He died on 28 January 1999 in Prague, Czech Republic.- Writer
- Director
- Art Director
A graduate of Prague's School of Arts and Crafts, in 1936 he created a puppet theater, which was disbanded after the outbreak of WWII. During the war he designed stage sets and illustrated children's books. In 1945 he set up an animation unit with several collaborators at the Prague film studio; they called the unit "Trick Brothers." Trnka specialized in puppet animation, a traditional Czech art form, of which he became the undisputed master. He also created animated cartoons, but it was his puppet animation that made him an internationally recognized artist and the winner of film festival awards at Venice and elsewhere. He wrote the scripts for most of his own films.- Director
- Writer
- Editor
Gene Deitch was an animator at UPA. He later joined Terrytoons in 1955. He created characters like "John Doormat", "Clint Clobber", "Gaston Le Crayon", "Sidney", and "Foofle". In early 1958, his theatrical cartoon Sidney's Family Tree (1958) was nominated for Academy Award. In August, 1958, he was fired from Terrytoons, and in 1960, he moved to Prague, Czechoslovakia to work with William L. Snyder, and directed approximately a dozen Tom and Jerry cartoons for MGM, and also "Krazy Kat" and "Popeye" for King Features, and also a Oscar Winning Munro (1961). He later created "Nudnik", a character based on "Foofle", which he created, while at Terrytoons. He lived in Prague, with his wife, Zdenka, until the time of his death on April 16th, 2020.- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Karel Kachyna was born on 1 May 1924 in Vyskov, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. He was a director and writer, known for The Ear (1970), Nadeje (1964) and The High Wall (1964). He was married to Alena Mihulová. He died on 12 March 2004 in Prague, Czech Republic.- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Miroslav Ondrícek was born on 4 November 1934 in Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. He was a cinematographer, known for Amadeus (1984), Hair (1979) and A League of Their Own (1992). He was married to Eva. He died on 28 March 2015 in Prague, Czech Republic.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Ladislav Potmesil was born on 2 September 1945 in Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. He was an actor, known for Ordinace v ruzové zahrade (2005), Ordinace v ruzové zahrade 2 (2008) and Ulice (2005). He was married to Jaroslava Brousková. He died on 12 July 2021 in Prague, Czech Republic.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Otto Simánek was born on 28 April 1925 in Trest', Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. He was an actor, known for Pan Tau (1970), Roky prelomu (1989) and Nena: Du bist überall (1990). He was married to Ludmila Muchová-Simánková and Hermina Jaresová-Simánková. He died on 8 May 1992 in Prague, Czech Republic.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Míla Myslíková was born on 14 February 1933 in Trebíc, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. She was an actress, known for Jak svet prichází o básníky (1982), Konec básníku v Cechách (1993) and Jak básníkum chutná zivot (1988). She died on 11 February 2005 in Prague, Czech Republic.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Rudolf Hrusínský was born on 17 October 1920 in Nový Etynk-Vcelnice, Czechoslovakia [now Nová Vcelnice, Czech Republic]. He was an actor and director, known for The Cremator (1969), The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians (1981) and Pancho se zení (1946). He died on 13 April 1994 in Prague, Czech Republic.- Writer
- Director
- Additional Crew
Otakar Vávra was born on 28 February 1911 in Hradec Kralove, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary [now Czech Republic]. He was a writer and director, known for Witchhammer (1970), Romance pro kridlovku (1967) and Dny zrady (1973). He died on 15 September 2011 in Prague, Czech Republic.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Martin Ruzek was born on 23 September 1918 in Cervený Kostelec, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary [now Czech Republic]. He was an actor, known for Prague Nights (1969), Pan Vok odchází (1979) and The Death of Tarzan (1963). He was married to Jarmila Palivcová. He died on 18 December 1995 in Prague, Czech Republic.- Director
- Writer
- Cinematographer
Juraj Jakubisko was born on 30 April 1938 in Kojsov, Czechoslovakia [now Slovakia]. He was a director and writer, known for Kristove roky (1967), Bathory: Countess of Blood (2008) and Perinbaba (1985). He was married to Deana Horváthová. He died on 24 February 2023 in Prague, Czech Republic.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Natasa Gollová was born on 27 February 1912 in Prague, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary [now Czech Republic]. She was an actress, known for The Cremator (1969), Hotel Modrá hvezda (1941) and Prague Nights (1969). She was married to Karel Konstantin. She died on 29 October 1988 in Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic].- Jirina Stepnicková was born on 3 April 1912 in Prague, Austria-Hungary [now Czech Republic]. She was an actress, known for Co se septá (1938), Morská panna (1939) and Marysa (1935). She died on 5 September 1985 in Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic].
- Writer
- Director
- Actor
Oldrich Lipský was born on 4 July 1924 in Pelhrimov, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. He was a writer and director, known for The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians (1981), Lemonade Joe (1964) and I Killed Einstein, Gentlemen (1970). He died on 19 October 1986 in Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic].- Libuse Havelková was born on 11 May 1924 in Ceské Budejovice, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. She was an actress, known for Closely Watched Trains (1966), Starci na chmelu (1964) and Nejmladsí z rodu Hamru (1975). She was married to Svatopluk Havelka. She died on 6 April 2017 in Prague, Czech Republic.
- Eva Jakoubková was born on 8 February 1952 in Ostrava-Zábreh, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. She was an actress, known for Kam zmizel kuryr (1981), Muz na radnici (1976) and The Millennial Bee (1983). She was married to Petr Novák. She died on 16 June 2005 in Prague, Czech Republic.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Nada Urbánková was born on 30 June 1939 in Nová Paka, Czechoslovakia. She was an actress, known for Closely Watched Trains (1966), Larks on a String (1969) and Kdyby tisíc klarinetu (1965). She was married to Josef Havlík, Karel Urbánek and Jan Nemejovský. She died on 3 February 2023 in Prague, Czech Republic.- Vladimír Dlouhý was born on 10 June 1958 in Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. He was an actor, known for Kajínek (2010), Hlidac c.47 (2008) and Arabela (1980). He was married to Gabriela Svárovská and Petra Jungmannová. He died on 20 June 2010 in Prague, Czech Republic.
- Milena Dvorská was born on 7 September 1938 in Prostejov, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. She was an actress, known for Alexander Dumas starsi (1970), Kamenný most (1996) and Prague Nights (1969). She was married to Josef Krause. She died on 22 December 2009 in Prague, Czech Republic.
- Karel Fiala was born on 3 August 1925 in Hrusov, Ostrava, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. He was an actor, known for Amadeus (1984), Lemonade Joe (1964) and The Secret of Steel City (1979). He died on 3 October 2020 in Prague, Czech Republic.
- Actress
- Additional Crew
Gabriela Vránová was born on 27 July 1939 in Nové mesto nad Váhom, Slovakia [now Slovak Republic]. She was an actress, known for Spring Waters (1968), The Great Movie Robbery (1986) and Poklad byzantského kupce (1967). She was married to Jirí Kepka. She died on 16 June 2018 in Prague, Czech Republic.- Petr Svojtka was born on 25 September 1946 in Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. He was an actor, known for The Little Mermaid (1976), Radúz a Mahulena (1970) and Bitva o Hedviku (1972). He was married to Jana Bousková and Katerina Machácková. He died on 9 May 1982 in Prague, Czech Republic.
- Ivan Jandl was born in 1937 to the family of accountant Klement Jandl and his wife, Bozena. When he was three, he suffered from polio, and it seemed that he would not be able to walk again, but a Dr. Pribramsky managed to do what seemed a miracle: Ivan was soon practically perfectly well. While at school, he played in the school theater and later joined the famed Disman Children's radio choir. From the choir, it was just a step to various roles in radio plays. His first film appearance was a very small role in Martin Fric's "Varúj!" but he remained with radio, which was where Fred Zinnemann chose him in an audition for The Search. After the film's success, Ivan got lots of fan mail from all over the world, and in 1949 he received a telegram, an approximate translation of which reads: "You won the Academy Award for outstanding child actor. Congratulations. F. Zinnemann," followed the next day by an explanation (because Oscars were not generally known there at the time) from the production company (Praesens Film): "An Oscar is the highest award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Congratulations." Ivan couldn't attend the ceremony, so the Oscar was brought to him in Prague by some members of the academy. There he received many offers (films and contracts), but it was decided by the government that he was to be "preserved to be used by the Czech film industry," but ironically, he went on to make only 3 films: 1 in 1949, 1 in 1951, and 1 in 1955. After graduating from high school, Ivan wanted to study at the Theatre Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (DAMU), but he was told he should not have accepted an award from the American film industry and was thus turned down. He then changed careers many times, only to return to the radio in 1965 as a program manager, becoming an announcer in 1969. In 1972, he was forced to leave radio. He had a brief stint as a stage manager in a theater in Teplice, and that was all there was for him in show business. In 1985, for the first time since 1948, he met Jarmila Novotna, the famed opera singer who portrayed his mother in The Search. In 1987, Ivan died at the age of 50 of diabetic complications in his apartment in Prague.
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Vlasta Burian was born on 9 April 1891 in Reichenberg, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary [now Liberec, Czech Republic]. He was an actor and director, known for The Inspector General (1933), Funebrák (1932) and Ulice zpívá (1939). He was married to Nina Cervenková-Burianová. He died on 31 January 1962 in Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic].- Actor
- Soundtrack
Miroslav Imrich was born on 27 March 1953 in Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. He was an actor, known for Over Fingers (2019), Kam, pánové, kam jdete? (1988) and Bigbít (1998). He died on 4 May 2024 in Prague, Czech Republic.- Writer
Karel Capek, born January 9, 1890, in Male Svatonovice, Austria-Hungary (today Czech Republic) was a writer, playwright, novelist, journalist, children's author, biographer, essayist, illustrator, photographer and translator. For most people he is best known for the science fiction play "R.U.R. (Rossumovi Univerzální Roboti (Rossum's Universal Robots)", published in 1920. The word "robot," was coined by his brother Josef. "R.U.R." quickly became famous and was influential early in the history of its publication. By 1923, it had been translated into thirty languages. In this drama about man abusing technology, the Rossum factory R.U.R. makes robots on an island. The robots revolt and murder all humans except for one man whom they order to find the secret formula of their existence, without which they can longer live. "R.U.R." premiered in Prague on 25 January, 1921. It was translated into English by Paul Selver and staged in London, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles during 1922-1923. Spencer Tracy played robot in the New York version (1922) at the Garrick Theater on Broadway. Karel Capek was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature seven times, but he was never awarded one. He died of pneumonia, on December 25, 1938. The Gestapo, not aware of his death, arrived at the Capek family house in Prague in order to arrest him.- Lyda Salmonova was born on 14 July 1889 in Prague, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary [now Czech Republic]. She was an actress, known for The Student of Prague (1913), Evinrude (1913) and Monna Vanna (1922). She was married to Paul Wegener. She died on 18 November 1968 in Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic].
- Writer
- Director
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jindrich Polák was born on 5 May 1925 in Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. He was a writer and director, known for The Sky Riders (1968), Death of Hitch-Hikers (1979) and The Visitors (1983). He died on 22 August 2003 in Prague, Czech Republic.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Stella Zázvorková was born on 14 April 1922 in Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. She was an actress, known for Kolya (1996), Babí léto (2001) and Medved (1961). She was married to Milos Kopecký. She died on 18 May 2005 in Prague, Czech Republic.- Writer
- Director
- Additional Crew
Jirí Brdecka was a Czech animator, film director, screenwriter, and satirist. He was born in the city of Hranice in Moravia, which was then part of Austria-Hungary. His father was the author Otakar Brdecka (1881 - 1930), who published works under the pen name "Alfa".
Brdecka was educated at the Charles University in Prague, where he studied philosophy and aesthetics. The German occupation in Czechoslovakia resulted in the shut down of the university in 1939, forcing Brdecka to seek employment,.He was hired as an administrative clerk by the Prague Municipal Museum, while moonlighting as a journalist and cartoonist for various newspapers.
From 1941 to 1942, Brdecka was employed as a press agent by the film studio Lucernafilm. In 1943, he started working as an animator, producing a number of short films. By the late 1940s, Brdecka was employed as a film director and screenwriter at Barrandov Studios. In 1958, he started directing his own animated feature films, while continuing to serve as a screenwriter for many other directors.
Besides his film career, Brdecka had side careers as a journalist, a film critic, and a novelist.His works on and off the screen were noted for their satirical content. As a screenwriter, he often worked on parody films, such as the comedy western "Lemonade Joe".
Brdecka died in 1982. He was 64-years-old. His daughter Tereza Brdecková had her own career as a film critic.- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Jan Nemec was born on 12 July 1936 in Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. He was a director and writer, known for Toyen (2005), Diamonds of the Night (1964) and Mucedníci lásky (1967). He was married to Iva Ruszeláková, Veronica Baumann, Marta Kubisová and Ester Krumbachová. He died on 18 March 2016 in Prague, Czech Republic.- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Milos Kopecký was born on 22 August 1922 in Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. He was an actor and writer, known for The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians (1981), The Fabulous Baron Munchausen (1962) and Lemonade Joe (1964). He was married to Jana Krecková and Stella Zázvorková. He died on 16 February 1996 in Prague, Czech Republic.- Director
- Writer
- Animation Department
Bretislav Pojar was a Czech film director and animator, specializing in puppet animation.
Pojar was born in Susice (former name "Schüttenhofen"), a small factory town in Czechoslovakia. Since the 19th century, the main employer in town was a match factory.
Pojar started work as an animator in the 1940s, working under film director Jirí Trnka. Pojar mostly focused on puppet animation, while other of his films used stop-motion animation.
In the 1960s, Pojar emigrated to Canada. He started producing films for the National Film Board. Pojar's short films often contained little to no dialogue, but managed to provide social commentary.
He won a number of competitive awards for his films, with a highlight being the short film "To See or Not to Se", about how the actual perception of reality may help overcome our irrational fears, The film won both a "Canadian Film Award" and the "Short Film Golden Bear" of the Berlin International Film Festival.
Another career highlight was the short film "Balablok" (1972), concerning the irrationality of violence and war. It used cutout animation, and won the "Grand Prix du Festival for Short Film" at the Cannes Film Festival.
In the 2000, Pojar moved to the Czech Republic in order to work on animated feature films. He co-directed the feature film "Fimfárum 2" (2006), an adaptation of stories by popular writer Jan Werich (1905-1980).
Pojar died in 2012, at the age of 89.