Jiřà Sovák (né Schmitzer; 27 December 1920 â€" 6 September 2000)
was a Czech actor, best known for his comedy roles.Jiřà Sovák was
born Jiřà Schmitzer to the family of an innkeeper in Prague. He
later changed his name to Sovák as a protest against Nazi Germany and
its occupation of Czechoslovakia. In 1941 â€" during the WW2 â€" 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 known as Rokoko
Theatre. In 1943 he got his first professional engagement with
Horácké Theatre in TÅ™ebÃÄ . During military service he met
Miroslav HornÃÄ ek (who became famous actor too) and made friends for
life.In 1947 he went to Prague where he played in the E.F. Burian
Theatre (1947â€"1952), Vinohrady Theatre (1952â€"1966) and National
Theatre (1966â€"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 small town StÅ™Ãbrná Skalice, in a private grave closed to the
public.Jiřà 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 FriÄ , 1959) and created a lot of expressive
roles in the 1960s, '70s and '80s. Among his best-known roles are
AntonÃn Skopec in SvÄ›táci (Dandies; dir. ZdenÄ›k Podskalský) and
Jiřà Kroupa in MareÄ ku, 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 VorlÃÄ ek,
1970) or Což takhle dát si špenát (What About Having Some Spinach;
dir. Václav VorlÃÄ ek, 1977), sci-fi comedies such as Zabil jsem
Einsteina, pánové (I Killed Einstein, Sirs; dir. Oldřich Lipský,
1970) or ZÃtra vstanu a opaÅ™Ãm se Ä ajem (Tomorrow I'll Wake Up and
Scald Myself with Tea ; dir. Jindřich Polák, 1977), and movies for
children, e.g. Ať žijà duchové (Long Live Ghosts; dir. Oldřich
Lipský, 1977). In 1990s he played old men such as the cabinet maker
RůžiÄ ka in Kolya. Sovák's last movie role was in Návrat
ztraceného ráje (Lost Paradise Recovered; dir. Vojtěch Jasný,
1999).
was a Czech actor, best known for his comedy roles.Jiřà Sovák was
born Jiřà Schmitzer to the family of an innkeeper in Prague. He
later changed his name to Sovák as a protest against Nazi Germany and
its occupation of Czechoslovakia. In 1941 â€" during the WW2 â€" 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 known as Rokoko
Theatre. In 1943 he got his first professional engagement with
Horácké Theatre in TÅ™ebÃÄ . During military service he met
Miroslav HornÃÄ ek (who became famous actor too) and made friends for
life.In 1947 he went to Prague where he played in the E.F. Burian
Theatre (1947â€"1952), Vinohrady Theatre (1952â€"1966) and National
Theatre (1966â€"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 small town StÅ™Ãbrná Skalice, in a private grave closed to the
public.Jiřà 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 FriÄ , 1959) and created a lot of expressive
roles in the 1960s, '70s and '80s. Among his best-known roles are
AntonÃn Skopec in SvÄ›táci (Dandies; dir. ZdenÄ›k Podskalský) and
Jiřà Kroupa in MareÄ ku, 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 VorlÃÄ ek,
1970) or Což takhle dát si špenát (What About Having Some Spinach;
dir. Václav VorlÃÄ ek, 1977), sci-fi comedies such as Zabil jsem
Einsteina, pánové (I Killed Einstein, Sirs; dir. Oldřich Lipský,
1970) or ZÃtra vstanu a opaÅ™Ãm se Ä ajem (Tomorrow I'll Wake Up and
Scald Myself with Tea ; dir. Jindřich Polák, 1977), and movies for
children, e.g. Ať žijà duchové (Long Live Ghosts; dir. Oldřich
Lipský, 1977). In 1990s he played old men such as the cabinet maker
RůžiÄ ka in Kolya. Sovák's last movie role was in Návrat
ztraceného ráje (Lost Paradise Recovered; dir. Vojtěch Jasný,
1999).
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