Jirí Sovák
Encyclopedia
Jiří Sovák was a Czech
actor
, best known for his comedy
roles.
. In 1941 he graduated from Prague State Conservatory where he had been studying drama
. His father did not want him to be an actor, so he worked as a clerk and played in an amateur theatre group (today Divadlo Rokoko). In 1943 he got his first professional engagement with Horácké divadlo in Třebíč
. During military service he met Miroslav Horníček
and made friends for life. In 1947 he went to Prague where he played in the E.F. Burian
Theatre (1947–1952), Vinohrady Theatre
(1952–1966) and National Theatre
(1966–1983). He retired on 31 March 1983. In 2000 he fell down on his terrace, broke his hip and got an embolism
during his operation. He died in a Prague hospital before he was 80. He is buried in Stříbrná Skalice
, in a private grave closed to the public.
, 1959) and created a lot of expressive roles in the 1960s, '70s and '80s. Among his best-known roles are Antonín Skopec in Světáci (Dandies; dir. Zdeněk Podskalský
) and Jiří Kroupa in Marečku, podejte mi pero! (Mark, Fetch Me a Pen!; dir. Oldřich Lipský, 1976). He also played in crazy comedies such as Pane, vy jste vdova (You Are a Widow, Sir!; dir. Václav Vorlíček, 1970) or Což takhle dát si špenát (What About Having Some Spinach; dir. Václav Vorlíček, 1977), sci-fi comedies such as Zabil jsem Einsteina, pánové (I Killed Einstein, Sirs; dir. Oldřich Lipský, 1970) or Zítra vstanu a opařím se čajem
(Tomorrow I'll Wake Up and Scald Myself with Tea ; dir. Jindřich Polák, 1977), and movies for children, e.g. Ať žijí duchové (Long Live Ghosts; dir. Oldřich Lipský, 1977). In 1990s he played old men such as the cabinet maker Růžička in Kolja. Sovák´s last movie role was in Návrat ztraceného ráje (Lost Paradise Recovered; dir. Vojtěch Jasný
, 1999).
Sovák entered Czechoslovak television
as soon as it came into existence in 1953. He played in a lot of TV films and serials and made unforgettable roles in microcomedies such as Uspořená libra (A Pound on Demand, based on a play by Sean O'Casey
; Vladimír Svitáček, 1963), and Bohouš (1968); and children's TV serials such as Pan Tau, Arabela, and Létající Čestmír. His best roles were in the serials Byli jednou dva písaři (with Horníček; based on Bouvard et Pécuchet
by Gustave Flaubert
; dir. Ján Roháč, 1972) and Chalupáři (Cottagers; 1975).
He changed his name to Sovák as a protest against Nazi Germany
.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, best known for his comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
roles.
Life and theatre career
Jiří Sovák was born Jiří Schmitzer to the family of an innkeeper in PraguePrague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. In 1941 he graduated from Prague State Conservatory where he had been studying drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
. His father did not want him to be an actor, so he worked as a clerk and played in an amateur theatre group (today Divadlo Rokoko). In 1943 he got his first professional engagement with Horácké divadlo in Třebíč
Trebíc
Třebíč is a city in the Moravian part of the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic.Třebíč is situated 35 km southeast of Jihlava and 65 km west of Brno on the Jihlava River. Třebíč is from 392 to 503 metres above sea-level....
. During military service he met Miroslav Horníček
Miroslav Hornícek
Miroslav Horníček was a Czech actor, writer, director, artist and theatre theoretician. He is well-known in Czechia for his on-stage partnership with Jan Werich, his talkshows and many small roles in Czech movies and TV.-External links:...
and made friends for life. In 1947 he went to Prague where he played in the E.F. Burian
Emil František Burian
Emil František Burian was a Czech poet, journalist, singer, actor, musician, composer, dramatic adviser, playwright and director. He was also active in Communist Party of Czechoslovakia politics.- Life :...
Theatre (1947–1952), Vinohrady Theatre
Vinohrady Theatre
Vinohrady Theatre is a theatre in Vinohrady, Prague.Construction began on February 27, 1905. It served as the Theatre of the Czechoslovak Army from autumn 1950 to January 1966). It contains a curtain painted by Vladimír Županský depicting a naked muse....
(1952–1966) and National Theatre
National Theatre (Prague)
The National Theatre in Prague is known as the Alma Mater of Czech opera, and as the national monument of Czech history and art.The National Theatre belongs to the most important Czech cultural institutions, with a rich artistic tradition which was created and maintained by the most distinguished...
(1966–1983). He retired on 31 March 1983. In 2000 he fell down on his terrace, broke his hip and got an embolism
Embolism
In medicine, an embolism is the event of lodging of an embolus into a narrow capillary vessel of an arterial bed which causes a blockage in a distant part of the body.Embolization is...
during his operation. He died in a Prague hospital before he was 80. He is buried in Stříbrná Skalice
Stríbrná Skalice
Stříbrná Skalice is a village in Prague-East District, Central Bohemian Region, Czech Republic. It has a population of 1,019 and lies near the Sázava River.- External links :...
, in a private grave closed to the public.
Film and TV career
Jiří Sovák first appeared in a movie in 1942 and then played a lot of minor roles. He played his first main character in Dařbuján a Pandrhola (dir. Martin FričMartin Fric
Martin Frič was a Czech film director and screenwriter. He had over 100 directing credits between 1929 and 1968, including feature films, shorts and documentary films.-Filmography:* Páter Vojtěch...
, 1959) and created a lot of expressive roles in the 1960s, '70s and '80s. Among his best-known roles are Antonín Skopec in Světáci (Dandies; dir. Zdeněk Podskalský
Zdenek Podskalský
Zdeněk Podskalský was a Czech film director and screenwriter. He directed 32 films between 1950 and 1987.-Selected filmography:* When the Woman Butts In...
) and Jiří Kroupa in Marečku, podejte mi pero! (Mark, Fetch Me a Pen!; dir. Oldřich Lipský, 1976). He also played in crazy comedies such as Pane, vy jste vdova (You Are a Widow, Sir!; dir. Václav Vorlíček, 1970) or Což takhle dát si špenát (What About Having Some Spinach; dir. Václav Vorlíček, 1977), sci-fi comedies such as Zabil jsem Einsteina, pánové (I Killed Einstein, Sirs; dir. Oldřich Lipský, 1970) or Zítra vstanu a opařím se čajem
Zítra vstanu a opařím se čajem
Tomorrow I'll Wake Up and Scald Myself with Tea is a 1977 Czechoslovak comical science fiction film directed by Jindřich Polák. It is a screen adaptation of Josef Nesvadba's short story with the same title.-Plot:...
(Tomorrow I'll Wake Up and Scald Myself with Tea ; dir. Jindřich Polák, 1977), and movies for children, e.g. Ať žijí duchové (Long Live Ghosts; dir. Oldřich Lipský, 1977). In 1990s he played old men such as the cabinet maker Růžička in Kolja. Sovák´s last movie role was in Návrat ztraceného ráje (Lost Paradise Recovered; dir. Vojtěch Jasný
Vojtech Jasný
Vojtěch Jasný is a Czech director who came to prominence in the sixties. He won a Cannes Special Jury Prize for Až přijde kocour/The Cassandra Cat ....
, 1999).
Sovák entered Czechoslovak television
Mass media in Communist Czechoslovakia
The mass media in Communist Czechoslovakia was controlled by the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia . Private ownership of any publication or agency of the mass media was generally forbidden, although churches and other organizations published small periodicals and newspapers...
as soon as it came into existence in 1953. He played in a lot of TV films and serials and made unforgettable roles in microcomedies such as Uspořená libra (A Pound on Demand, based on a play by Sean O'Casey
Seán O'Casey
Seán O'Casey was an Irish dramatist and memoirist. A committed socialist, he was the first Irish playwright of note to write about the Dublin working classes.- Early life:...
; Vladimír Svitáček, 1963), and Bohouš (1968); and children's TV serials such as Pan Tau, Arabela, and Létající Čestmír. His best roles were in the serials Byli jednou dva písaři (with Horníček; based on Bouvard et Pécuchet
Bouvard et Pécuchet
Bouvard et Pécuchet is an unfinished satirical work by Gustave Flaubert, published in 1881 after his death in 1880.Although conceived in 1863 as Les Deux Cloportes , and partially inspired by a short story of Barthélemy Maurice Bouvard et Pécuchet is an unfinished satirical work by Gustave...
by Gustave Flaubert
Gustave Flaubert
Gustave Flaubert was a French writer who is counted among the greatest Western novelists. He is known especially for his first published novel, Madame Bovary , and for his scrupulous devotion to his art and style.-Early life and education:Flaubert was born on December 12, 1821, in Rouen,...
; dir. Ján Roháč, 1972) and Chalupáři (Cottagers; 1975).
Private life
He married three times. His son from his first marriage Jiří Schmitzer (born in 1949) became a famous actor and folk singer. He had a cold relationship with his son (with whom he had appeared in movies for many times) after he left his wife and even colder when Schmitzer caused a fatal car accident in 1988.He changed his name to Sovák as a protest against Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
.