Film makers : Zdenek Sverak – Screenwriter

     Aside from his writing for film and television, Zdenek Sverak, who once planned to become a teacher, is a playwright, novelist and actor. A graduate of a teacher's training college, where he read Czech language and literature, Sverak began his career teaching with his wife in the Zatec region of what was then Czechoslovakia. Since correcting homework did not allow him enough time to write novels, he had to concentrate on short stories. He contributed to various magazines, wrote stories for young people, fairy tales for children and scripts for television.
     In 1962, Sverak joined the Czech Radio Army Service, where he worked as a live commentator for important sporting events of the communist era. Around that time he created, with his colleagues Jiri Sebanek and the jazz musician Karel Velebny, a now legendary series of 'live broadcasts' from the imaginary 'Spider's Tavern', designed to playfully mystify their listeners.

     And thus a character of an unjustly ignored Czech hero, Jara Cimrman, came to life. In 1966, Zdenek Sverak and a few colleagues set up a small theatre named after the fictitious hero. This has become one of Prague's most popular venues. As the leading author and actor, Sverak is still actively associated with it.

     His film acting debut came in 1968, when he appeared as a lawyer in Jiri Menzel's CRIME IN THE MUSIC HALL. Immediately after that Menzel cast Sverak in his censored film LARKS ON A STRING (1969). Sverak's distinctive comic talent found place in supporting roles in a number of Czech comedies, in which he was usually also involved as a scriptwriter. His leading roles include: the exhausted dentist Burda in the tragicomedy WHAT'S THE MATTER, DOCTOR (1984), and the hopelessly enamoured engineer Hnyk in AS GOOD AS POISON (1985), both directed by Vit Olmer. The crowning achievements of his acting career are, without doubt, his performances in ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, ACCUMULATOR 1 and KOLYA, all directed by his son, Jan.

     During the seventies, Zdenek Sverak and his friend and colleague Ladislav Smoljak, were well known as the scriptwriters of a whole series of highly successful Czech comedies: JACHYM, THROW HIM IN THE WORKS (1974), MARECEK, PASS ME THE PEN (1975) both directed by Oldrich Lipsky; A COTTAGE BY THE WOODS (1975) directed by Jiri Menzel, BALL LIGHTNING (1978) directed by Zdenek Podskalsky and Ladislav Smoljak, and the satirical musical THE HIT (1980) also directed by Podskalsky. The long established Sverak-Smoljak team was the driving force behind the feature films JARA CIMRMAN: LYING, SLEEPING (1983); DISSOLVED AND RELEASED (1984) and the dramatic chronicle THE SEASON WITHOUT SECURITY (1987), all of which built on the poetic concept of the Cimrman Theatre.

     Zdenek Sverak wrote LONG LIVE THE GHOSTS (1977), THE THREE VETERANS (1983), both directed by Oldrich Lipsky, the nostalgic comedy WAITER, RUN! (1980) directed by Ladislav Smoljak, the adaptation of Voinovich's THE LIFE AND EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES OF PRIVATE IVAN CHONKIN, is two popular Oscar® nominated comedies MY SWEET LITTLE VILLAGE (1985) directed by Jiri Menzel, and ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, and also KOLYA and DARK BLUE WORLD. He has written the screenplays for three Oscar nominees and one Oscar winner - something of a screenwriter's record.