Biography

A Czech theater and film actress born on May 19, 1920, in Prague. She had always been drawn to the arts, ever since childhood. We do not know when or why she decided to pursue acting. Although it was not common at the time for parents to support their children’s acting careers, this was not an issue in Jana’s family. In fact, thanks to her father’s connections, she received private acting lessons from the legendary actor Rudolf Deyl Sr. She began acting with an amateur theater group at Umělecká beseda and later enrolled in the drama department at the Prague Conservatory. In 1939, she received her first professional engagement with Fráňa Francl’s theater troupe and subsequently joined the ensemble at the Vinohrady Theater, where she remained until her emigration. In total, she appeared in 14 films. Her film debut was “Svatební cesta” (1938), in which she played a minor role alongside Adina Mandlová, František Krištof Veselý, and Eva Gerová. Her next role was Amálka in Vlasta Burian’s film “Ulice zpívá” (1939). This was followed by “Přítelkyně pana ministra” (1940), “Advokát chudých” (1941), “Provdám svou ženu” (1941), and the well-known film “Nebe a dudy” (1941), starring Jaroslav Marvan and Jindřich Plachta. Perhaps her best-known film is “Muži nestárnou” (1942). In addition to Zita Kabátová, she starred alongside Jan Pivec, with whom she also appeared in her next film, “U pěti veverek” (1944). In 1943, Jan Pivec became her husband, although their marriage ended in divorce a few years later. After the liberation, she appeared in Průlom (1946), “Týden v tichém domě” (1947), “Nikola Šuhaj” (1947), “Nevíte o bytě” (1947), and “Až se vrátíš...” (1947). Her last film was “Alena” (1947). At the turn of 1948–1949, she married for the second time and soon afterwards emigrated to England, where she settled and presumably started a family. While in England, she met up several times with her friends Adina Mandlová and Sylva Langová. She returned to Czechoslovakia once more in the 1960s, where, among other things, she met Jan Pivec backstage at the National Theatre. However, she never returned to England. She died on May 9, 2007.