Dana Vávrová (; 9 August 1967 – 5 February 2009) was a Czech-German film actress and director. She was one of the most popular German actresses throughout 1980s and early 1990s. After her role in Herbstmilch as Anna Wimschneider in 1989, she became a household name in
Cinema of Germany
The film industry in Germany can be traced back to the late 19th century. German cinema made major technical and artistic contributions to early film, broadcasting and television technology. Babelsberg Studio, Babelsberg became a household synon ...
.
Biography
Vávrová was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia and played her first main film role in ''Ať žijí duchové!'' (English: ''Long Live the Ghosts!'') in 1976, having played a minor role in ''Jak se točí Rozmarýny''. In 1979 she played a minor role in the television mini-series Arabela. In 1982, she played the main role as
Janina David
Janina Dawidowicz (born 19 March 1930 in Kalisz, Poland), better known as Janina David, is a Holocaust survivor and a British writer and translator.
Biography
Janina David was born as the only child to a Jewish Polish family, and moved with them t ...
in the German television mini-series ''
Ein Stück Himmel
''Ein Stück Himmel'' is a German television series based on Janina David's autobiography ''A Square of Sky: A Jewish Childhood in Wartime Poland''.
See also
*List of German television series
The following is a list of television series prod ...
'', and was awarded the
Goldene Kamera
The Goldene Kamera ("Golden Camera") is an annual German film and television award, awarded by the Funke Mediengruppe. The award show is usually held in early February in Hamburg, but has also taken place in Berlin in the past.
The gold-plate ...
, the Goldener Gong, and an
Adolf Grimme Award
The Grimme-Preis ("Grimme Award"; prior to 2011: Adolf-Grimme-Preis) is one of the most prestigious German television awards. It is named after the first general director of Nordwestdeutscher Rundfunk, Adolf Grimme. In this mini-series,
Joseph Vilsmaier
Joseph Vilsmaier (, 24 January 1939 – 11 February 2020) was a German film director who began his career as a technician and cameraman. He is internationally known for films such as ''Comedian Harmonists (film), Comedian Harmonists''.
Life
Bo ...
was one of the cinematographers. In parallel with her acting, she attended the
Prague Conservatory
The Prague Conservatory or Prague Conservatoire ( cs, Pražská konzervatoř) is a music school in Prague, Czech Republic, founded in 1808. Currently, Prague Conservatory offers four or six year study courses, which can be compared to the level ...
from 1981 to 1985. After some further roles including the films ''
Amadeus
Amadeus may refer to:
*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791), prolific and influential composer of classical music
*Amadeus (name), a given name and people with the name
* ''Amadeus'' (play), 1979 stage play by Peter Shaffer
* ''Amadeus'' (film), ...
'' and
Pan Tau
Pan Tau (Czech for "Mr. Tau") is a character created for a children's television series. There were 33 episodes in 3 series made by the Czechoslovak Television (ČST) in cooperation with Barrandov Studios and the West German TV network Westdeuts ...
, she played the main role of Anna Wimschneider in '' Herbstmilch'' (English: ''Autumn Milk'') under the directorship of Joseph Vilsmaier, whom she had married in 1986. Together with Werner Stocker, she won the
Bayerischer Filmpreis
The Bavarian Film Awards (german: Bayerischer Filmpreis) have been awarded annually since 1979 by the state government of Bavaria in Germany for “exceptional achievement in German filmmaking.” Along with the German Film Awards, these are the ...
and the
Deutscher Filmpreis
The German Film Award (), also known as Lola after its prize statuette, is the national film award of Germany. It is presented at an annual ceremony honouring cinematic achievements in the German film industry. Besides being the most important ...
for this role.
In addition to acting, she also directed films, the last one being to complete the Artur Brauner production ''The Last Train'', (german:
Der letzte Zug
''The Last Train'' (german: Der letzte Zug) is a 2006 German film directed by Joseph Vilsmaier and Dana Vávrová, and starring Gedeon Burkhard, Lale Yavas, and Lena Beyerling.
The film depicts the fate of some of the last remaining Jews in Berlin ...
) after Joseph Vilsmaier, who had been directing, was involved in an accident.
Vávrová was awarded a
Bundesverdienstkreuz
The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...
.
The three daughters of Vávrová and Vilsmaier, Janina Vilsmaier, Theresa Vilsmaier and Josefina Vilsmaier, are also active as actresses. Vávrová's older sister, , is a television presenter in the Czech Republic.
Dana Vávrová died of
cervical cancer
Cervical cancer is a cancer arising from the cervix. It is due to the abnormal growth of cells that have the ability to invade or spread to other parts of the body. Early on, typically no symptoms are seen. Later symptoms may include abnormal ...
in Munich, Germany on 5 February 2009. She was 41 years old.
Filmography
Actress
*1977: ''
Long Live Ghosts!
''Long Live Ghosts!'' ( cs, Ať žijí duchové!) is a 1977 Czechoslovak children's film directed by Oldřich Lipský.
Cast
* Dana Vávrová - Leontýnka Brtník of Brtník
* Jiří Sovák - the knight Brtník of Brtník
* Vlastimil Brodský
...
'' (Director:
Oldřich Lipský
Oldřich Lipský (4 July 1924 – 19 October 1986) was a Czechs, Czech film director and screenwriter, brother of actor Lubomír Lipský.
All his films were comedies, frequently employing themes of Dadaism, farce and magical realism. He was a fr ...
) - Leontýnka Brtník z Brtníku
*1977: ''Jak se točí Rozmarýny'' (Director: Věra Plivová-Simková) - Zuzana
*1979: ''Vražedné pochybnosti'' (Director:
Ivo Toman
Ivo Toman (born 23 February 1966 in Frýdek-Místek) is a Czech entrepreneur and author of a number of motivational books and recordings. He founded the International Society Taxus International in the Czech Republic and expended it to Slovakia, ...
) - Jana
*1979: ''Kulový blesk'' (Director: Zdeněk Podskalský, Ladislav Smoljak)
*1980: ''Koncert na konci léta'' (Director:
František Vláčil
František Vláčil (19 February 1924, Český Těšín – 27 January 1999, Prague) was a Czech film director, painter, and graphic artist.
Between 1945 and 1950, he studied aesthetics and art history at Masaryk University in Brno. Later he w ...
Václav Vorlíček
Václav Vorlíček (3 June 1930 – 5 February 2019) was a Czech film director. He studied filmmaking at FAMU from 1951 to 1956, and began directing feature films since the early 1960s. His filmography includes several comedies made in collaborat ...
) - Little Red Riding Hood
*1980: ''Svítalo celou noc''
*1982: ''
Ein Stück Himmel
''Ein Stück Himmel'' is a German television series based on Janina David's autobiography ''A Square of Sky: A Jewish Childhood in Wartime Poland''.
See also
*List of German television series
The following is a list of television series prod ...
'' (TV Mini Series, Director:
Franz Peter Wirth
Franz Peter Wirth (22 September 1919 in Munich – 17 October 1999 in Berg, Upper Bavaria) was a German film director and screenwriter. His film '' Helden'' was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1958.
Selected fi ...
)
*1983: ''Kluk za dvě pětky'' (Director:
Jaromír Borek Jaromír, Jaromir, Jaroměr is a Slavic male given name.
Origin and meaning
Jaromír is a West Slavic given name composed of two stems ''jaro'' and ''mír''.
The meaning is not definite:
*Polish ''jary'' (archaic) = „spry, young, strong“; ''m ...
) - Eliska
*1984: ''Levé křídlo'' (Director:
Jiří Hanibal Jiří (; ''YI-RZHEE''), the Czech is a masculine given name, equivalent to English George, may refer to:
Given name
B
* Jiří Antonín Benda
* Jiří Baborovský
*Jiří Barta
*Jiří Bartoška
* Jiří Bicek
* Jiří Bobok
*Jiří Bubla
*Jiř ...
) - Zdena
*1984: ''
Amadeus
Amadeus may refer to:
*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791), prolific and influential composer of classical music
*Amadeus (name), a given name and people with the name
* ''Amadeus'' (play), 1979 stage play by Peter Shaffer
* ''Amadeus'' (film), ...
'' (Director:
Miloš Forman
Jan Tomáš "Miloš" Forman (; ; 18 February 1932 – 13 April 2018) was a Czech and American film director, screenwriter, actor, and professor who rose to fame in his native Czechoslovakia before emigrating to the United States in 1968.
Forman ...
)
*1984: ''Bambinot'' (TV Mini Series, Director: Jaroslav Dudek)
*1984: ''My všichni školou povinní'' (TV Mini Series, Director:
Ludvík Ráža
Ludvík Ráža (3 October 1929, in Mukachevo – 4 October 2000, in Prague) was a Czechoslovak film director. He directed the film ''Poslední propadne peklu'' in 1982.
References
External links
*
1929 births
2000 deaths
20th-century C ...
)
*1988: ''
Derrick
A derrick is a lifting device composed at minimum of one guyed mast, as in a gin pole, which may be articulated over a load by adjusting its guys. Most derricks have at least two components, either a guyed mast or self-supporting tower, and a ...
'' (TV Series) - Bettina Rudolf
*1988: ''
Pan Tau
Pan Tau (Czech for "Mr. Tau") is a character created for a children's television series. There were 33 episodes in 3 series made by the Czechoslovak Television (ČST) in cooperation with Barrandov Studios and the West German TV network Westdeuts ...
'' (Director:
Jindřich Polák
Jindřich Polák (5 May 1925 – 22 August 2003) was a Czech film and television director. He is known for his science fiction productions, but worked in many different genres.
Filmography
Television series
References
External links
*
...
) - Alena
*1989: '' Herbstmilch'' (Director: Joseph Vilsmaier) - Anna Wimschneider
*1991: ' (Director:
Joseph Vilsmaier
Joseph Vilsmaier (, 24 January 1939 – 11 February 2020) was a German film director who began his career as a technician and cameraman. He is internationally known for films such as ''Comedian Harmonists (film), Comedian Harmonists''.
Life
Bo ...
)
*1992: ''Der Nachbar'' (Director:
Götz Spielmann
Götz Spielmann (born 11 January 1961) is an Austrian director and scriptwriter.
Life and career
Spielmann was born in Wels, Austria, and grew up in Vienna. After High School, he lived in Paris for several months. From 1980 to 1987 he studied fi ...
) - Michaela
*1993: ''
Stalingrad
Volgograd ( rus, Волгогра́д, a=ru-Volgograd.ogg, p=vəɫɡɐˈɡrat), geographical renaming, formerly Tsaritsyn (russian: Цари́цын, Tsarítsyn, label=none; ) (1589–1925), and Stalingrad (russian: Сталингра́д, Stal ...
'' (Director: Joseph Vilsmaier) - Irina
*1993: ' (Director: Radu Gabrea) - Lissy
*1995: ''Pizza Arrabiata'' (Director: Jochen Richter) - Laura
*1995: '' Schlafes Bruder'' (Director: Joseph Vilsmaier) - Elsbeth
*1997: ''
Comedian Harmonists
The Comedian Harmonists were an internationally famous, all-male German close harmony ensemble that performed between 1928 and 1934 as one of the most successful musical groups in Europe before World War II. The group consisted of Harry Frommerm ...
'' (Director: Joseph Vilsmaier) - Ursula Bootz
*2000: ''
The Conception of My Younger Brother
''The Conception of My Younger Brother'' ( cs, Početí mého mladšího bratra) is a 2000 Czech drama film directed by Vladimír Drha. It was entered into the 22nd Moscow International Film Festival.
Cast
* Dana Vávrová as Marie
* Jirí Bar ...
'' - Marie
*2000: ''Der Bär ist los'' (Director: Dana Vávrová) - Briefträgerin
*2002: '' The Damned'' - Michaela Holubová
*2002: ''August der Glückliche'' (TV Movie, Director: Joseph Vilsmaier)
*2003: ''Raus ins Leben'' - Tatjana Berkhoff
*2004: ''Der Vater meines Sohnes'' (TV Movie, Director: Dagmar Damek) - Stella Fröhlich
*2004: ' (Director: Joseph Vilsmaier) - Susanne
*2004: ' (Director: Stefan Betz) - Helena
*2006: ''Ein Hauptgewinn für Papa'' (TV Movie, Director: Bodo Fürneisen) - Anja Lohse
*2007: ''
Lamento
''Lamento'' (English: "Lament") is a song by Peruvian singer-songwriter Gian Marco released by Sony Music Latin and Crescent Moon Records in 2003 as the third single of his sixth studio album A Tiempo.
Background and release
The song is a slow ...
'' (Director: René Sydow, Daniel Hedfeld) - Christiane Reitz
*2008: ' (TV Movie, Director: Joseph Vilsmaier) - Lilli Simoneit (final film role)
Director
*1995: ''Wia die Zeit vergeht'' (documentary film about the musician
Hubert von Goisern
Hubert von Goisern (born Hubert Achleitner, 17 November 1952) is an Austrian singer-songwriter and world musician. With his mix of rock music and elements of traditional Volksmusik he has become a prominent exponent of the so-called New Volksmus ...
) – Regie: Dana Vávrová
*1996: ''Hunger – Sehnsucht nach Liebe'' – Regie: Dana Vávrová
*2006: ''
Der letzte Zug
''The Last Train'' (german: Der letzte Zug) is a 2006 German film directed by Joseph Vilsmaier and Dana Vávrová, and starring Gedeon Burkhard, Lale Yavas, and Lena Beyerling.
The film depicts the fate of some of the last remaining Jews in Berlin ...