Václav Kotva (20 January 1922 – 3 November 2004) was 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, ...

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 Radnice () is a town in Rokycany District in the Plzeň Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,800 inhabitants. Administrative parts The village of Svatá Barbora is an administrative part of Radnice. Geography Radnice is located about no ...

, and began acting professionally in

Ostrava Ostrava (; pl, Ostrawa; german: Ostrau ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic, and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 280,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four rive ...

, at the regional Petra Bezruče Theatre, 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 remained so during the 1970s. Kotva remained active at the Činoherní klub until the 1990s. He won critical acclaim for his roles in classical Russian drama, including

Gogol Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol; uk, link=no, Мико́ла Васи́льович Го́голь, translit=Mykola Vasyliovych Hohol; (russian: Яновский; uk, Яновський, translit=Yanovskyi) ( – ) was a Russian novelist, ...

The Government Inspector ''The Government Inspector'', also known as ''The Inspector General'' ( rus, links=no, Ревизор, Revizor, literally: "Inspector"), is a satirical play by Russian dramatist and novelist, Nikolai Gogol. Originally published in 1836, the pla ...

and

The Cherry Orchard ''The Cherry Orchard'' (russian: Вишнёвый сад, translit=Vishnyovyi sad) is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by ''Znaniye'' (Book Two, 1904), and came out as a separate edition ...

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

. He also made guest appearances at the

National Theatre (Prague) The National Theatre ( cs, Národní divadlo) in Prague is known as the alma mater of Czech opera, and as the national monument of History of the Czech Republic, Czech history and art. The National Theatre belongs to the most important Czech cu ...

.Profile
at fdb.cz

Film and TV

* 1973: Wolz - Leben und Verklärung eines deutschen Anarchisten (DEFA - Regie: Günter Reisch) Kotva made dozens of appearances in Czechoslovak movies and television.Profile
at the Česko-Slovenská filmová databáze His film debut in 1966 came with a role as a railway supervisor in

Jiří Menzel Jiří Menzel () (23 February 1938 – 5 September 2020) was a Czech film director, theatre director, actor, and screenwriter. His films often combine a humanistic view of the world with sarcasm and provocative cinematography. Some of these films ...

's Oscar-winning ''

Closely Watched Trains ''Closely Watched Trains'' ( cs, Ostře sledované vlaky) is a 1966 Czechoslovak film directed by Jiří Menzel and is one of the best-known products of the Czechoslovak New Wave. It was released in the United Kingdom as ''Closely Observed Trains' ...

''. He appeared too in the 1966

Czechoslovak New Wave The Czechoslovak New Wave (also Czech New Wave) is a term used for the Czechoslovak filmmakers who started making movies in the 1960s. The directors commonly included are Miloš Forman, Věra Chytilová, Ivan Passer, Pavel Juráček, Jiří Menze ...

film '' Hotel pro cizince'', by

Antonín Máša Antonín Máša (22 July 1935 – 4 October 2001) was a Czech film director and screenwriter. His movie ''Hotel for Strangers'' competed in Cannes Film Festival. Life Máša was born in Višňová (Příbram District), Višňová on 22 July ...

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

The Cremator ''The Cremator'' ( cs, Spalovač mrtvol) is a 1969 Czechoslovak dark comedy horror 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 ...

'' by

Juraj Herz Juraj Herz (4 September 1934 – 8 April 2018) was a Czechoslovak film director, actor, and scene designer, associated with the Czechoslovak New Wave movement of the 1960s. He is best known for his 1969 horror/black comedy ''The Cremator'', ofte ...

. 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.

References

External links

*
Václav Kotva
at th
Czech-Slovak Film Database
(Czech) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kotva, Vaclav 1922 births 2004 deaths People from Rokycany District Czech male stage actors Czech male film actors Czech male television actors Czech poets Czech male poets 20th-century Czech poets 20th-century male writers Czechoslovak male actors Czechoslovak writers