Jan Pivec known unknown

Jan Pivec, an unmistakable titan of Czech acting – and not just because of his equally unmistakable physique. A boy from a respectable but not overly wealthy family in Prague's Vinohrady district, he had only one desire from childhood: to become an actor. The tenacity with which he pursued his dream helped him overcome his disliked studies and hungry years as a travelling actor – and behold, after a successful engagement in Bratislava, Jan found himself on the stage of our premier theatre at the tender age of twenty-seven! He remained loyal to the National Theatre until his retirement, but unfortunately, it cannot be said that it was always loyal to him; in this, his fate was no different from that of many other greats. Despite this ingratitude, however, he portrayed countless immortal theatre roles, including Mephisto, Iago and Falstaff.

Jan Pivec also had to fight hard for his place in film – and he masterfully played characters at both ends of the character spectrum; after all, there can hardly be a more disparate pair than, for example, the eternal lover Stáňa Jarský and “Foxy” Sigismund of Luxembourg. However, we must admit that only a few directors had the courage to entrust him with film or television roles. Fortunately, Otakar Vávra, František Filip, Vladimír Slavínský, and some others did not lack it, and so we can still watch his acting artistry with bated breath today.

We will also learn a lot about his childhood, youth, and final years of life, his hobbies and his views on public and artistic affairs, and we will even get a peek into his private life. And because his personality and mastery have forever been imprinted on the hearts of not only the audience but also his colleagues, in the second, expanded edition of David Laňka's successful book, you can read, among other things, the previously unpublished memories of Jan Skopeček, Antonín Hardt, Josef Větrovec and Rudolf Jelínek. We believe that thanks to the engaging text and photographs mapping his private life and greatest roles, Jan Pivec will come alive before you as an admirable – and yet always characterful – giant of Czech theatre and film.