Václav Kotva was a Czech

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.

Teaching career

After graduation in the 1950s Kotva became a teacher. As a practising Christian, Kotva was regarded as politically suspect and potentially disloyal by the Czechoslovak communist administration; he was permitted to teach only in remote rural regions.

Theatre

Kotva participated in amateur theatre in his hometown, Radnice, and began acting professionally in Ostrava

Ostrava

Ostrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic and the second largest urban agglomeration after Prague. Located close to the Polish border, it is also the administrative center of the Moravian-Silesian Region and of the Municipality with Extended Competence. Ostrava was candidate for the...

, at the regional Divadlo Petra Bezruče Theater, in 1959. In 1965 he moved to Prague, becoming a founding member of the Činoherní klub theater there. The Činoherní klub became a centre of Czech cultural life during the 1960s and 1970s. Kotva remained active at the Činoherní klub until the 1990s. He won critical acclaim for his roles in classical Russian drama, including Gogol's The Government Inspector and The Cherry Orchard

The Cherry Orchard

The Cherry Orchard is Russian playwright Anton Chekhov's last play. It premiered at the Moscow Art Theatre 17 January 1904 in a production directed by Constantin Stanislavski. Chekhov intended this play as a comedy and it does contain some elements of farce; however, Stanislavski insisted on...

 by Anton Chekhov

Anton Chekhov

Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...

. He also made guest appearances at the National Theatre (Prague)

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...

.

Film and TV

Kotva made dozens of appearances in Czechoslovak movies and television. His film debut in 1966 came with a role as a railway supervisor in Jiří Menzel

Jirí Menzel

Jiří Menzel is a Czech film director, theatre director, actor, and screenwriter. His films often combine a humanistic view of the world with sarcasm and provocative cinematography...

's Oscar-winning Closely Watched Trains

Closely Watched Trains

Closely Watched Trains is a 1966 Czechoslovak film directed by Jiří Menzel. It was released in the United Kingdom as Closely Observed Trains. It is a coming-of-age story about a boy working at a train station in German-occupied Czechoslovakia during World War II. The film is based on a story by...

. He appeared too in the 1966 Czechoslovak New Wave

Czechoslovak New Wave

The Czechoslovak New Wave is a term used for the early films of 1960s Czech directors Miloš Forman, Věra Chytilová, Ivan Passer, Jaroslav Papoušek, Jiří Menzel, Jan Němec, Jaromil Jireš, Vojtěch Jasný, Evald Schorm and Slovak directors Juraj Herz, Juraj Jakubisko, Štefan Uher, Ján Kádár, Elo...

 film Hotel pro cizince, by Antonín Máša

Antonín Máša

Antonín Máša was a Czechoslovak film director and screenwriter. He directed seven films between 1966 and 1990.-External links:...

, playing a vagabond, and in 1968's The Cremator

The Cremator

The Cremator is a 1969 Czechoslovak horror comedy/drama film directed by Juraj Herz, based on a novel by Ladislav Fuks. The screenplay was written by Herz and Fuks. The film was selected as the Czechoslovakian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 42nd Academy Awards, but was not...

by Juraj Herz. Kotva's sole leading role came in Svatej z Krejcárku (1969), in which he played a shoemaker named Lájošek. The majority of his roles, and those for which he is best known in Czech cinema, featured Kotva as a supporting actor, often playing shy, introverted and odd personalities.

External links

• Václav Kotva at the Czecho-Slovak Movie Database (Czech)