Jan Werich
Biography
Between 1916 and 1924, Werich attended "reálné gymnasium" (equivalent to high school) in Křemencova Street in Prague (where his future business partner, Jiří Voskovec, also studied). He studied law at the Charles University Law School from 1924 to 1927, from which he made an early departure to begin his artistic career and forge one of the most important partnerships of his life. For more than 10 years he worked in theatre Jiří Voskovec and Jaroslav Ježek. Their partnership was a platform for their numerous left-wing political satires, most notably in the Osvobozené divadlo (Liberated Theatre). The trio's work took inspiration from Dada, with its love of the absurd, a reaction against bourgeois values and the horrors of World War I. In 1955 he begun working in cinema, and 1960s were a peak in his actor career. From the creation of the ABC Theatre he moved to the City Theatres of Prague and then to the Musical Theatre of Karlin and Nusle. Werich was originally cast by producer Harry Saltzman to play Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the 1967 James Bond film You Only Live Twice. Upon his arrival at the Pinewood set, both producer Albert R. Broccoli and director Lewis Gilbert felt that he was a poor choice, resembling a "poor, benevolent Santa Claus".
Known For
Dr. Spiegler
Assignment K
kapitán holandské lodi
Baron Prášil
Emperor Rudolf II / Matheus Kotrba, The Baker
Císařův pekař – Pekařův císař
Vypravěč
Fimfárum Jana Wericha
Narrator
Fimfárum 2
Brave Frost (voice)
Dva mrazíci
král Já I.
Byl jednou jeden král...
(voice)
Fimfárum – Do třetice všeho dobrého
Narrator (voice)
Stvoření světa
Tonda
Peníze nebo život
Narrator (voice)
Pražská strašidla
Hermann Goering
Падение Берлина
Nadšený divák
Hudba z Marsu
Hej-Rup!
Těžká Barbora
Pudr a benzin
kamelot
Svět patří nám
Oliva
Až přijde kocour
Narrator
Osudy dobrého vojáka Švejka
Crisis
Ferdinand Kaplan
U nás v Kocourkově
Sam Adams
Uspořená libra
strážný Holofern
Balada z hadrů
Dědeček
Drahý zesnulý
Silvestr 1957
Narrator (voice) (archive footage)
Až opadá listí z dubu
Sgt. Constantin
La Vingt-cinquième Heure
Kočár nejsvětější svátosti
statkář Grigorij Stěpanovič Smirnov
Medvěd
léčitel Wohu
Magnetické vlny léčí
Jindřich VIII.
Král a žena
Narrator (voice)
Křik
Fedor Akimič Rjebrotěsov
Slzy, které svět nevidí
Narrator (voice) (archive footage)
Lakomá Barka
Don Marzio
Italienisches Capriccio
Himself
To jsou Bratři v triku
(archive footage)
Pan Tau – der Film
Narrator (voice)
O zlaté rybce
Self
Czechoslovakia: Portrait of a Tragedy
Pouť noci silvestrovské
Psohlavci
Narrator (voice)
Osudy dobrého vojáka Švejka – Švejkova budějovická anabase
Narrator (voice)
Osudy dobrého vojáka Švejka – Z Hatvanu na hranice Haliče
Narrator (voice)
Osudy dobrého vojáka Švejka – Švejkovy nehody ve vlaku
Commentary (voice)
Vzorný kinematograf Haška Jaroslava
Self (archive footage)
Jan Werich: Když už člověk jednou je…
(archive footage)
Jonáš a Melicharová
Narrator (archive footage) (voice)
Královna Koloběžka první
Večer s Jaroslavem Haškem
Jan Werich
Herecké Vánoce
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
50
Gender
Male
Birthday
1905-02-06
Place of Birth
Praha - Československo
Also Known As
Ян Верих