Alois Švehlík (30 July 1939 – 2 April 2025) was a Czech actor and theatre pedagogue.

Early life and career

Švehlík was born in

Pardubice Pardubice (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 92,000 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 monument (Czech Repub ...

, then part of the

Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was a partially-annexation, annexed territory of Nazi Germany that was established on 16 March 1939 after the Occupation of Czechoslovakia (1938–1945), German occupation of the Czech lands. The protector ...

, in 1939. Together with his older brother Jaroslav, he became involved in theatre from an early age. He graduated from technical college in

Chrudim Chrudim () is a town in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 24,000 inhabitants. It is the second largest town of the region. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#M ...

in 1958 and after basic military service, worked briefly in a factory, where he met his future wife. Theatre was a constant draw for him, however, and Švehlík attempted to get into

DAMU The Department of Dramatic Theatre (, abbreviated DAMU) is one of three departments at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (alongside the Film and TV school and the Department of Music). The academy was opened in 1945 immediately after th ...

, unsuccessfully. Instead, he joined the Central Bohemian Theatre in

Kladno Kladno (; ) is a city in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 70,000 inhabitants. It is the largest city in the region and has a rich industrial history. Administrative division Kladno consists of six municipal parts ...

, later doing acting stints in Most,

Olomouc Olomouc (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 103,000 inhabitants, making it the Statutory city (Czech Republic), sixth largest city in the country. It is the administrative centre of the Olomouc Region. Located on the Morava (rive ...

, and

Liberec Liberec (; ) is a city in the Czech Republic. It has about 108,000 inhabitants, making it the fifth largest city in the country. It lies on the Lusatian Neisse River, in a basin surrounded by mountains. The city centre is well preserved and is pr ...

. From the mid-1970s, Švehlík began appearing in film and television roles, including '' Sokolovo'' (1974), '' The Young Man and Moby Dick'' (1979), and '' Forbidden Dreams'' (1986). He gained prominence in the 1990s, appearing in numerous productions, including '' Černí baroni'' (1992). In addition to acting, Švehlík lent his voice to various foreign productions,

dubbing Dubbing (also known as re-recording and mixing) is a post-production process used in filmmaking and the video production process where supplementary recordings (known as doubles) are lip-synced and "mixed" with original production audio to cr ...

such works as '' The Professionals'', ''

Schimanski Horst Schimanski is a fictional homicide detective with a leading role in the German crime television series ''Tatort'', as well as the spin-off ''Schimanski''. Portrayed by Götz George, the character made his debut in the 1981 episode and ap ...

'', '' Starman'', ''

Back to the Future II ''Back to the Future Part II'' is a 1989 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis from a screenplay by Bob Gale; both wrote the story. It is a sequel to the 1985 film ''Back to the Future'' and the second installment in the '' ...

'', '' The War of the Roses'', and ''

As Good as It Gets ''As Good as It Gets'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by James L. Brooks from a screenplay he co-wrote with Mark Andrus. It stars Jack Nicholson as a misanthropic, bigoted and obsessive–compulsive novelist, Helen Hunt ...

'' into the Czech language, winning several awards in the process. Since 2004, Švehlík has been teaching drama at DAMU. He was a member of the National Theatre in Prague.

Personal life and death

In 1967, Švehlík married economist Florentina Švehlíková (née Štěpánová). They had three children, including son

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

, who is also an actor. Švehlík appeared with his son in various productions in theatre, television, and film, as well as in dubbing and voice acting. Švehlík died on 2 April 2025, at the age of 85.

Awards and recognition

* František Filipovský Prize for Best Male Performance in dubbing ''

'' (1999) * Theatre News Award for Best Actor in ''Z cizoty'' (2004) * František Filipovský Prize for Best Male Performance in dubbing ''The Secret of Santa Vittoria'' (2007) * František Filipovský Prize for Lifetime Achievement (2014)

Selected filmography

Film

Television

Dubbing

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Svehlik, Alois 1939 births 2025 deaths People from Pardubice Academic staff of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague Recipients of the Thalia Award Czech male film actors Czech male stage actors Czech male television actors Czech male voice actors