Gustav Nezval
Encyclopedia
Gustav Nezval by civil name Augustin Nezval, was a Czech stage and film actor
. He was born to a locksmith family of Frantisek Nezval and his wife Aloisia. The parents wanted him to become a priest. However he managed to finish a technical college and for some time he earned his living as a building designer. He never attended any school of dramatic art. His enthusiastic passion for theatre brought him to make some acting attempts on the amateurish stage. Later he began to perform in various road show theatre companies. Still later he successively became a stage actor of Intimni Theatre in Prague (1930–1931), of South Bohemia’s Theatre in České Budejovice (1931–1932), of Svanda’s Theatre in Prague (1932–1934), of Vlasta Burian’s Theatre in Prague (1934–1935), of National Theatre in Ostrava (1935–1938), of National Theatre in Brno (1938–1941), and finally of Vinohrady‘s Theatre in Prague (1941–1977). Even after his retirement in 1977 he still from time to time performed on Vinohrady’s stage as a guest-actor till his last and final appearance before the public in 1997.
Thanks to his impressive masculine stature, handsome face with expressive eyes, along with charming manners heightened by a pleasant and resonant voice he, at first, impersonated various lover characters. As he aged, he began to adapt to more various roles, thus starting his career as a classical actor, appearing subsequently in plays of the Czech national literature and the world literature as well (Tyl, Jirasek, Vrchlicky, Langer, Sramek, Capek, Hasek, Sophocles, Lope de Vega, Molière, Flaubert, Strindberg, Rostand, Schiller, Goldoni, Gorkij, Balzac, Lermontov, Pushkin, Tolstoi, Shakespeare, at al).
In July 1937 he married a stage dancer Gertrude Nettel with whom he lived till her death fifty seven years later and with whom he had two sons. He had two hobbies which he gave all his free time to. He loved literature and gardening.
He began to appear in films in the end of the thirties. Nezval made his very film debut in a comedy film “Jarcin professor” distributed in 1937. His performance attracted attention of several leading Czech film directors. This resulted in his appearance in many similar films made in a quick succession. One of his most well known films had become "Jan Cimbura", - film based upon a novel of the very same name of the one of the nineteen century Czech literature classics, J.S. Baar. Shortly after the war he appeared in a title role in the film "Muzi bez kridel, alias Men without Wings, alias Les Hommes sans ailes", which was later honoured by the Golden Palm Award in Cannes Film Festival in 1946. In many films he was a partner of several most famous Czech movie star-actresses of that era. One of them was Mrs.Lída Baarová
. His last film role, shot in his ninetieth year, was a supporting role in a war drama “Je třeba zabít Sekala, alias Sekal has to die”. Altogether he appeared in 52 films between 1937
and 1998
.
He appeared in radio and TV as well. Some of these appearances belonged however to the beginning of TV broadcasting (in the early fifties) in Czechoslovakia and therefore many of them have not been recorded.
Gustav Nezval died on the 17th of September 1998, two months before his ninety first birthday. Seven years after his death Pavlína Vajčnerova published in 2005 his biography titled „Gustav Nezval - oči spíše sympatické“
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He was born to a locksmith family of Frantisek Nezval and his wife Aloisia. The parents wanted him to become a priest. However he managed to finish a technical college and for some time he earned his living as a building designer. He never attended any school of dramatic art. His enthusiastic passion for theatre brought him to make some acting attempts on the amateurish stage. Later he began to perform in various road show theatre companies. Still later he successively became a stage actor of Intimni Theatre in Prague (1930–1931), of South Bohemia’s Theatre in České Budejovice (1931–1932), of Svanda’s Theatre in Prague (1932–1934), of Vlasta Burian’s Theatre in Prague (1934–1935), of National Theatre in Ostrava (1935–1938), of National Theatre in Brno (1938–1941), and finally of Vinohrady‘s Theatre in Prague (1941–1977). Even after his retirement in 1977 he still from time to time performed on Vinohrady’s stage as a guest-actor till his last and final appearance before the public in 1997.
Thanks to his impressive masculine stature, handsome face with expressive eyes, along with charming manners heightened by a pleasant and resonant voice he, at first, impersonated various lover characters. As he aged, he began to adapt to more various roles, thus starting his career as a classical actor, appearing subsequently in plays of the Czech national literature and the world literature as well (Tyl, Jirasek, Vrchlicky, Langer, Sramek, Capek, Hasek, Sophocles, Lope de Vega, Molière, Flaubert, Strindberg, Rostand, Schiller, Goldoni, Gorkij, Balzac, Lermontov, Pushkin, Tolstoi, Shakespeare, at al).
In July 1937 he married a stage dancer Gertrude Nettel with whom he lived till her death fifty seven years later and with whom he had two sons. He had two hobbies which he gave all his free time to. He loved literature and gardening.
He began to appear in films in the end of the thirties. Nezval made his very film debut in a comedy film “Jarcin professor” distributed in 1937. His performance attracted attention of several leading Czech film directors. This resulted in his appearance in many similar films made in a quick succession. One of his most well known films had become "Jan Cimbura", - film based upon a novel of the very same name of the one of the nineteen century Czech literature classics, J.S. Baar. Shortly after the war he appeared in a title role in the film "Muzi bez kridel, alias Men without Wings, alias Les Hommes sans ailes", which was later honoured by the Golden Palm Award in Cannes Film Festival in 1946. In many films he was a partner of several most famous Czech movie star-actresses of that era. One of them was Mrs.Lída Baarová
Lída Baarová
Lída Baarová was a Czech actress and mistress of Joseph Goebbels, Hitler's propaganda minister.-Biography:...
. His last film role, shot in his ninetieth year, was a supporting role in a war drama “Je třeba zabít Sekala, alias Sekal has to die”. Altogether he appeared in 52 films between 1937
1937 in film
The year 1937 in film involved some significant events, including the Walt Disney production of the first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.- Events :*April 16 - Way Out West premieres in the US....
and 1998
1998 in film
-Events:* February 14 - Sharon Stone marries Phil Bronstein.* Former child star Gary Coleman is charged with assaulting a young female bus driver at a California shopping mall.-Top grossing films:...
.
He appeared in radio and TV as well. Some of these appearances belonged however to the beginning of TV broadcasting (in the early fifties) in Czechoslovakia and therefore many of them have not been recorded.
Gustav Nezval died on the 17th of September 1998, two months before his ninety first birthday. Seven years after his death Pavlína Vajčnerova published in 2005 his biography titled „Gustav Nezval - oči spíše sympatické“
Selected filmography
- Jarčin professor (dr. Karel Stržický) 1937
- Armádní dvojčata (npor. Zdeněk) 1937
- Děti na zakázku (MUDr. Karel Matys) 1938
- Ideál septimy (ing. Ivan Kareš alias skladatel Michal Martan) 1938
- Dvojí život (povaleč Slaba) 1939
- Osmnáctiletá (Antonín Perný) 1939
- Ženy u benzínu (sedlák Karel Loukota) 1939
- Babička (1940) (Černý myslivec) 1940
- Maskovaná milenka (Leon z Costy) 1940
- Muzikantská LiduškaMuzikantská Liduška-Cast:* Gustav Hilmar as Farmer Stanek* Marie Blazková as Stanek's wife* Jirina Stepnicková as Liduska* Hermína Vojtová as Landlady Krejzova* Vilém Pfeiffer as Krejzova's son* Ella Nollová as Frantina - herbewoman* Karel Cerný as Jaros - clarinetist...
(Toník Jareš) 1940 - Pelikán má alibi (vrchní komisař Moudrý) 1940
- Jan Cimbura (Jan Cimbura) 1941
- Noční motýl (npor. Varga) 1941
- Muži nestárnou (lesník Jan Parner) 1941
- Tanečnice (princ Maxmilián ze Sylvánie) 1941
- Děvčica z Beskyd (Tomáš Hanulík) 1944
- Počestné paní pardubickéThe Respectable Ladies of PardubiceThe Respectable Ladies of Pardubice is a 1944 Czech comedy film directed by Martin Frič.-Cast:* Frantisek Smolík as Jirí, hangman* Jirina Stepnicková as Rozina, Jirí's wife* Eman Fiala as Adam, groom of hangman* Ferenc Futurista as Groom of hangman...
(rychtářský písař Prokop Trubka) 1944 - Černí myslivciČerní myslivci-Cast:* Terezie Brzková* Dana Medrická as Zofka* Gustav Nezval as Knizeci myslivec Jiri* Jaroslav Prucha* Ladislav H. Struna...
(1945) - Men Without WingsMen Without WingsMen Without Wings is a 1946 Czech drama film directed by František Čáp. It was entered into the 1946 Cannes Film Festival....
(1946) - Nikola Šuhaj (Nikola Šuhaj) 1947
- Ulica Graniczna (role unknown) 1948
- Vzbouření na vsi (Valenta) 1949
- DS 70 nevyjíždí (dr. Vítek) 1950
- Veselý souboj (mjr. Zahrádka) 1950
- Plavecký mariáš (Šebek) 1952
- Expres z Norimberka (plk. Prokop) 1953
- Ještě svatba nebyla (Francek Gajdoš) 1953
- Nevěra (Lang) 1956
- Legenda o lásce (hvězdopravec) 1957
- Hlavní výhra (číšník) 1958
- Zatoulané dělo (plk. Hanzlík) 1958
- Mstitel (zedník Kryštof) 1959
- Zkouška pokračuje (herec) 1959
- Malý Bobeš (Libra) 1961
- Prosím, nebudit (Petr Parléř) 1962
- Vánice (film) Vánice (chatař na Výrovce) 1962
- Hvězda (film) Hvězda (Roman) 1969
- Velká neznámá (professor) 1970
- Šance (překladatel) 1971
- Dny zrady (dr. Kamil Krofta) 1973
- Sokolovo (mjr. Vrbenský) 1974
- Akce v Istanbulu (Kment) 1975
- Šílený kankán 1982
- Šašek a královna 1987
- Je třeba zabít Sekala (sedlák Štverák) 1998
External links
- Gustav Nezval in the Czech film heaven (in Czech)
- Gustav Nezval in the Czecho-Slovak film database (in Czech)
- Lída Baarová and Gustav Nezval in a movie-clip from 1940 Czech film „Maskovaná milenka alias The masked Lover“ based upon the Balzac's story