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 *Czech (surnam ...

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 (; ; ) is a city in the north-east of the Czech Republic and the capital of the Moravian-Silesian Region. It has about 283,000 inhabitants. It lies from the border with Poland, at the confluences of four rivers: Oder, Opava (river), Opa ...

, 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; ; (; () was a Russian novelist, short story writer, and playwright of Ukrainian origin. Gogol used the grotesque in his writings, for example, in his works " The Nose", " Viy", "The Overcoat", and " Nevsky Prosp ...

The Government Inspector ''The Government Inspector'', also known as ''The Inspector General'' (, literally: "Inspector"), is a satirical play by Russian dramatist and novelist Nikolai Gogol. Originally published in 1836, the play was revised for an 1842 edition. Base ...

and

The Cherry Orchard ''The Cherry Orchard'' () 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 later that year in Saint Petersburg, via A.F. Marks Pu ...

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...

. He also made guest appearances at the

National Theatre (Prague) The National Theatre () is a historic opera house in Prague, Czech Republic. It 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 ...

.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'' (') is a 1966 Czechoslovakian New Wave coming-of-age comedy film directed by Jiří Menzel and is one of the best-known films of the Czechoslovak New Wave. It was released in the United Kingdom as ''Closely Observed Tr ...

''. He appeared too in the 1966

Czechoslovak New Wave The Czechoslovak New Wave (also Czech/Slovak New Wave) is a term used for the Czechoslovak filmmakers who started making films in the 1960s. The directors commonly included are Miloš Forman, Věra Chytilová, Jan Švankmajer, Ivan Passer, Pave ...

film '' Hotel pro cizince'', by Antonín Máša, playing a vagabond, and in 1968's ''

The Cremator ''The Cremator'' () 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 Czechoslovak entry for the Best Foreign Lang ...

'' by

Juraj Herz Juraj Herz (4 September 1934 – 8 April 2018) was a Slovak 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'', often ci ...

. 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 male poets 20th-century Czech poets 20th-century Czech male writers Czechoslovak male actors Czechoslovak writers