| Jan Werich | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 6, 1905 Prague, Austria-Hungary |
| Died | October 31, 1980 (aged 75) Prague |
| Occupation | actor, playwright and writer |
Jan Werich (Czech pronunciation: [ˈjan ˈvɛrɪx]) (6 February 1905, Prague – 31 October 1980, Prague) was a Czech actor, playwright and writer.
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Between 1916 to 1924 he attended "reálné gymnasium" (equivalent to high school) in Křemencová Street in Prague (where his future partner, Jiří Voskovec, also studied). He studied law at the Law School of Charles University from 1924 to 1927, from which he made an early departure to begin his artistic career and forge one of the most important partnerships of his life.
They opened on April 19, 1927 with Vest Pocket Revue in Umělecká beseda on Malá Strana in Prague. July 1, 1929, Jan Werich married Zdenka Houskova. 1929 - first show "Líčení se odročuje" of Osvobozené divadlo theatre in main location "U Nováků Palace". In this location they continued until the very end of their theatre in 1938.
His collaboration with theatrical talent Jiří Voskovec and musical legend Jaroslav Ježek lasted for more than 10 years between the two world wars. Their partnership was a platform for their numerous lively left-wing political satires. The trio's work took inspiration from Dada, with its love of the absurd, a reaction against bourgeois values and the horrors of World War I. The two intellectual clowns attacked the inanities of totalitarianism as well as the mistakes of democracy.
In the bitter reality leading to the Second World War and the closure of Czechoslovak theatres Werich, Voskovec and Ježek were forced into exile in the United States in 1938, where Voskovec and Ježek remained for the rest of their lives. But Jan Werich returned to his homeland five years later. Upon his return to Czechoslovakia he started a partnership with Miroslav Horníček and also worked with famous puppeteer Jiří Trnka to write modern fairy tales. With his new partner Miroslav Horníček at his side, he re-staged many of the plays he had created with Voskovec in the 30s but set them in the political content specific to the time.
Jan Werich made his debut in film and television. Movies he starred in have kept their mythic status in Czech popular culture to this day. They include Byl jednou jeden král (English: Once Upon a Time There Was a King), which was released in 1955, and made many political compromises to appease the communist censors. Although Czechs saw the caricatures in the film as nothing more than communist propaganda, the film was colourful and had all the ingredients of a good fairy tale. The 1960s were a peak in Werich's career. From the creation of the ABC Theatre he moved to the City Theatres of Prague and then to the Musical Theatre of Karlin and Nusle. He was the original choice to play the villain Blofeld in the James Bond film You Only Live Twice released in 1967; however, after several scenes were shot, Werich fell ill and was replaced by Donald Pleasence. In the TV documentary Best Bond the director of the film explained that they had to replace Werich because of his poor English and his benign appearance that made people think of him as Santa Claus. Jan Werich signed the pro-reform manifesto 2000 Words in 1968. After the Soviet invasion of 1968, he and his wife immediately fled to Vienna along with many other Czechs at the time. After long deliberations he realized he had to go back, saying that his "home was his castle" and realizing that if he stayed abroad he would never work again. He returned to Czechoslovakia in early 1969. Werich met with Voskovec for the very last time in Vienna, Austria in 1974. He had limited opportunities to perform in public until his death in 1980. His last public appearance was in Prague's Lucerna in 1977.
He did not sign the Charter 77 proclamation, organized by Václav Havel, but in the end he succumbed to pressure from the communist authorities and in order to be able to work again, publicly proclaimed his full loyalty to the regime, by attending "Anti-charta77" meetings and even signing a petition denouncing Charter 77. He later claimed he was tricked into signing and that he did not really know what his signature was for, as the original attendance document signed open entry was potentially substituted for a later "declaration of faith".
Since Jan Werich's death in 1980, he has remained immensely popular, and many of his most famous lines have gone down into popular legend.
(in cooperation with Jiří Voskovec)