A Playwright, prose-writer, one of the founders of Czech avant-garde
theatre and a theatre and film actor. He was undoubtedly one of the
greatest Czech actors of the 20th century. He became known to the
general public together with his partner and life-long friend Jiří
Voskovec during the second half of the nineteen twenties.
Both
partners studied law, but they were drawn to the theatre and film. From
1927 until 1938 they appeared as an author-actor duo in the Osvobozeném
Theatre in Prague and became idols of the young generation of that
time. When the theatre was closed in 1938 they both went into exile in
the USA where they survived the Second World War. They attempted to
return after 1945 but only Werich remained permanently; Voskovec
decided to emigrate a second time. After returning from exile Jan
Werich performed at various Prague theatres, most often in partnership
with the actor Miroslav Horníček.
Jan Werich was a universal
actor and filmed a number of feature films. During the interwar period
he appeared in the films Powder and Gas (1931), (Your) Money or (your)
Life (1932), Heave-ho (1934) and The World Belongs to Us (1937), the
last two are included in the Czech film gold fund. After returning from
exile he played the main role in the immortal Czech comedy The Emperor
and the Golem (1951) and in the fairytale Once Upon a Time There Was a
King (1955) and he also appeared in several smaller roles in other
films.
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