Pavel Landovský

Pavel Landovský (11 September 1936 – 10 October 2014), nicknamed Lanďák, was a Czech actor, playwright, and director. He was a prominent dissident under the communist regime of former Czechoslovakia.

Pavel Landovský
Pavel Landovský, 2011
Born(1936-09-11)11 September 1936
Havlíčkův Brod, Czechoslovakia
Died10 October 2014(2014-10-10) (aged 78)
Kytín, Czech Republic
Alma materAcademy of Performing Arts in Prague
Occupations
  • Actor
  • playwright
  • director
SpouseHelena Albertová (1962–1973)[1]
ChildrenJakub Landovský[2]
AwardsMedal of Merit

Biography

Landovský was born in Havlíčkův Brod in 1936, and after finishing his studies at the secondary technical school of mechanical engineering, he tried four times to enter the Faculty of Theatre in Prague, without success. He started his acting career as a supernumerary actor in the regional theatre in Teplice and continued to perform in regional theatres in Šumperk, Klatovy, and Pardubice. The first play that he wrote, Hodinový hoteliér, premiered at the Činoherní klub theatre in Prague on 11 May 1969.

In 1971, the communist regime banned him from film and television. He continued acting at Činoherní klub and other theatres. Landovský was one of the initiators of the human rights petition Charter 77 and along with Václav Havel and Ludvík Vaculík, was one of the three official spokesmen for the resulting civil rights movement.[3] He was subsequently banned from working at the theatre. Constantly harassed by the secret police (Státní bezpečnost), during the winter of 1978–79, Landovský was accosted at night by an agent, severely beaten, and had his leg broken.[4] Feeling compelled to leave for his safety, when he was offered a position in the ensemble of the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria, he accepted. While there, he participated in productions by Peter Zadek, among others.

After the Velvet Revolution, Landovský was able to return to Prague in January 1990. There he began to act again, performing regularly at the Theatre on the Balustrade, the National Theatre, Divadlo v Dlouhé, and Divadlo Hybernia between 1990 and 2008. He played one of the lead characters in Audience—written by his friend Václav Havel, who had recently been elected president of Czechoslovakia— at Činoherní klub. The play was directed by Jiří Menzel.[5]

Landovský acted in a number of famous Czech films, including Closely Watched Trains, Marketa Lazarová, Adelheid, and Černí baroni.

Towards the end of his life, the actor suffered from diabetes and, after having had a stroke, used a wheelchair. He died at home in Kytín on 10 October 2014 from a heart attack, aged 78.[6][7][8]

Selected filmography
Film
Year Title Role Notes
1957 Dědeček automobil Wedding guest with trumpet
1969 Každý mladý muž Lance corporal
Slečny přijdou později Butler Pavka
Closely Watched Trains Thief Uncredited
1967 Znamení raka Hyneček Hása
Svatba jako řemen Driver
Marketa Lazarová Smil
Soukromá vichřice Standa Kocian
Zázračný hlavolam Constable
Piknik Burda
1968 Klec pro dva Youth
Pension pro svobodné pány Nájemník
Muž, který stoupl v ceně Tajný
Rakev ve snu viděti Zdeněk Stýbr
1969 End of a Priest Watcher
Utrpení mladého Boháčka Tonda Boháček
Flirt se slečnou Stříbrnou Vašek
Já, truchlivý bůh Apostol Certikidis
1970 Adelheid Guardsman Jindra
Case for a Rookie Hangman Cop
1971 Svatby pana Voka Emperor Rudolph II
The Tricky Game of Love Servant (segment "Náusnice")
Touha Sherlocka Holmese Zabiják
1972 Slaměný klobouk Officer Emil
1981 Ragtime Solomon Peretz
Kopfstand Stunk
Den Tüchtigen gehört die Welt Jakob Králíček
1983 Hunderennen Ladislav Lapák
1984 Lieber Vater Concierge
1985 The Cop and the Girl Scrapyard guard
1988 The Unbearable Lightness of Being Pavel
1989 Die goldenen Jungrau Festival director
Follow Me Professor Pavel Navrátil
1991 V žáru královské lásky Father
1992 Černí baroni Major Haluška
1993 Válka barev Airport administrator
1994 Amerika Robinson
1995 Hazard Demo
1997 An Ambiguous Report About the End of the World Reeve
Cesta pustým lesem Kokesch
1998 Stůj, nebo se netrefím! Petřina
2000 Andel Exit Machata
2001 Mach, Šebestová a kouzelné sluchátko Mr. Prucha
Bez tváře Bus driver
2005 Kousek nebe Starej
2007 Empties Řezáč
Chyťte doktora Cyril Záruba
2008 Shameless Bedřich, Oskar's father
2009 Stínu neutečeš Granddad Rehor
2011 Westernstory Trubec
2012 Bastardi 3 Grandfather
2016 Smrtelné historky Grandfather (final film role)

References
  1. "Helena Albertová". slovnikceskeliteratury.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  2. "ČSSD zkusí známé jméno, do boje o primátora Prahy nasadí mladého "Lanďáka"" [The CSSD will try a well-known name, deploy a young "Lanďák" to fight for the mayor of Prague]. idnes.cz (in Czech). 2 May 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  3. "Pavel Landovský" (in Czech). Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  4. Eda Kriseová (1993). Václav Havel: The Authorized Biography. St. Martins Press. pp. 165–166. ISBN 0-88687-739-3.
  5. Whitney, Craig R. (13 January 1990). "When the Playwright's the President, Now That's Really a Premiere". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  6. Spáčilová, Mirka (11 October 2014). "Neurvalý, osamělý, ale ke všem rovný. Zemřel herec Pavel Landovský". iDNES.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  7. "Czech Actor Pavel Landovsky Dies at 78". ABC News.com. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
  8. Pavel Landovsky, Actor and Vocal Czech Dissident, Dies at 78
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