Jiří Bartoška (born 24 March 1947) is a

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places *Czech, ...

theatre, television, and film actor and president of the

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival ( cs, Mezinárodní filmový festival Karlovy Vary) is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival is one of the oldest in the world and has become ...

. His most notable film roles include performances in ''

Sekal Has to Die ''Sekal Has to Die'' ( cs, Je třeba zabít Sekala, pl, Zabić Sekala) is a 1998 Czech film directed by Vladimír Michálek. It was the Czech Republic's submission to the 71st Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, ...

'' (1998), ''

All My Loved Ones ''All My Loved Ones'' () is a 1999 Czech-language film directed by Matej Mináč. It was an international co-production between Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It was Slovakia's official Best Foreign Language Film submission at the 72nd ...

'' (1999), and ''

Tiger Theory Tiger Theory ( cs, Teorie tygra) is a 2016 Czech adventure comedy film directed by Radek Bajgar. It is a debut title for Bajgar. It stars Jiří Bartoška and Eliška Balzerová. Plot The life of Veterinary physician, veterinarian Jan Berger is ...

'' (2016), as well as the television series ''

Sanitka Sanitka (Czech for ''Ambulance'') is a Czech medical drama series, first broadcast in 1984. Eleven episodes were made. It stars Jaromír Hanzlík, Tomáš Juřička and Zlata Adamovská among others. Storyline The story follows a doctor who choo ...

'' (1984) and '' Neviditelní'' (2014).

Biography

Education and career

Bartoška was born in

Děčín Děčín (; german: Tetschen, 1942–1945: ''Tetschen–Bodenbach'') is a city in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 47,000 inhabitants. It is the 7th largest municipality in the country by area. Administrative parts D ...

and went to high school in

Pardubice Pardubice (; german: Pardubitz) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 89,000 inhabitants. It is the capital city of the Pardubice Region and lies on the Elbe River. The historic centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monu ...

. After graduating, he attended the

Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts The Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts ( cs, Janáčkova akademie múzických umění v Brně; abbreviation in Czech: JAMU) is a public university with an artistic focus in Brno, Czech Republic. It was established in 1947 and consi ...

Brno Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...

. He joined the ''Divadlo Husa na provázku'' theatre in Brno and in 1973, moved to northern Czechoslovakia to the ''Činoherní studio Ústí nad Labem'' theatre, where he stayed until 1978. At this point, the actor moved to Prague, where he began a residency at the

Theatre on the Balustrade The Theatre on the Balustrade (Divadlo Na zábradlí) is situated in Prague, Czech Republic. The theatre was founded in 1958. Its founders - Helena Philipová, Ivan Vyskočil (1929), Ivan Vyskočil, Jiří Suchý and Vladimír Vodička named their ...

. In 1991, together with a number of colleagues, Bartoška transferred to the newly established ''Divadlo Bez zábradlí'' theatre. He has also been a successful film and television actor, and has lent his voice to a number of documentary films. Since 1994, Bartoška has been president of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, where he collaborates mainly with film critic and journalist Eva Zaoralová. In 2000, he won a

Czech Lion The Czech Lion Awards ( cs, Český lev) are annual awards that recognize accomplishments in filmmaking and television. It is the highest award of achievement in film awarded in the Czech Republic. The jury is composed of members of the Czech Fi ...

for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in ''

''. He had been nominated for the same award the previous year for his performance in ''

'', though he didn't win.

Political activity

During the Communist era in Czechoslovakia, Bartoška was a signatory of the 1977

Anticharter The Anticharter (Czech/Slovak: Anticharta or officially, ''Za nové tvůrčí činy ve jménu socialismu a míru'' / ''Za nové tvorivé činy v mene socializmu a mieru'' or New Creative Actions in the Name of Socialism and Peace was the 1977 r ...

, in opposition to the

Charter 77 Charter 77 (''Charta 77'' in Czech and Slovak) was an informal civic initiative in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic from 1976 to 1992, named after the document Charter 77 from January 1977. Founding members and architects were Jiří Něm ...

civic initiative co-written by dissident and playwright

Václav Havel Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and former dissident. Havel served as the last president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1992 and then as ...

. In 1989, in a seeming about-face, Bartoška signed ''Několik vět'', a document put forward by Charter 77; he also joined a petition for Havel's release from prison. The same year, he co-founded the

Civic Forum The Civic Forum (Czech: ''Občanské fórum'', OF) was a political movement in the Czech part of Czechoslovakia, established during the Velvet Revolution in 1989. The corresponding movement in Slovakia was called Public Against Violence ( Slovak: ...

political movement with Havel. At a demonstration on 10 December 1989, he announced his candidacy for president of the

Czechoslovak Socialist Republic The Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, ČSSR, formerly known from 1948 to 1960 as the Czechoslovak Republic or Fourth Czechoslovak Republic, was the official name of Czechoslovakia from 1960 to 29 March 1990, when it was renamed the Czechoslovak ...

. In 2016, responding to a number of statements made by president

Miloš Zeman Miloš Zeman (; born 28 September 1944) is a Czech politician serving as the third and current President of the Czech Republic since 2013. He previously served as the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic from 1998 to 2002. As leader of the Czec ...

, as well as the ''Prohlášení čtyř'' document, which criticized the meeting between then-culture minister

Daniel Herman Daniel Herman (born 28 April 1963) is a Czech politician who served as the Minister of Culture of the Czech Republic in Bohuslav Sobotka's Cabinet from 2014 to 2017. He was born in České Budějovice. His mother was a cousin of Hana Brady. ...

and the

Dalai Lama Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Dal ...

, Bartoška and

Vojtěch Dyk Vojtěch Dyk (born 23 July 1985, in Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3&n ...

incited the Czech public to civil unrest.

Personal life

Bartoška and his wife Andrea have a daughter, Kateřina, and a son, Jan.

Selected filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bartoska, Jiri 1947 births Living people People from Děčín Czech male film actors Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Czech male television actors Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts alumni Czech Lion Awards winners