Jan Werich

Jan Werich was a Czech actor, playwright, and writer who also appeared on Broadway, with a 1945 credit in The Tempest. Born in Prague, he attended reálné gymnasium in Křemencova Street between 1916 and 1924, where he first crossed paths with Jiří Voskovec, who would become his most significant artistic collaborator. Werich enrolled at Charles University Law School in 1924 but left before completing his degree in 1927 to pursue a career in the arts.

His theatrical partnership with Voskovec and composer Jaroslav Ježek spanned more than a decade and became the foundation for a series of left-wing political satires performed at the Osvobozené divadlo, or Liberated Theatre, in Prague. The trio drew creative inspiration from Dada, channeling its embrace of the absurd and its rejection of bourgeois convention. Their collaborative output was extensive, beginning with Vest Pocket Revue in 1927 and continuing through productions such as Golem in 1931, the anti-fascist Kat a blázen in 1934, and Pěst na oko in 1938. As the political situation in Czechoslovakia deteriorated in the years before World War II, Werich, Voskovec, and Ježek went into exile in the United States in 1938. It was during this period in America that Werich made his Broadway appearance in The Tempest in 1945. He eventually returned to Czechoslovakia, while Voskovec and Ježek remained in the United States for the rest of their lives.

Back in Prague, Werich formed a new stage partnership with Miroslav Horníček, reviving many of the plays he had originally created with Voskovec in the 1930s and recasting them within the political context of the postwar era. He also collaborated with the celebrated puppeteer Jiří Trnka on modern fairy tales. His career trajectory took him from the ABC Theatre to the City Theatres of Prague and subsequently to the Musical Theatre of Karlin and Nusle, with the 1960s representing a particularly productive period.

Werich's film work was equally substantial. His screen credits date to the early sound era, including Pudr a benzín in 1931 and Hej rup! in 1934. He appeared as Hermann Göring in the 1949 Soviet production Pád Berlína, filmed in Prague, and starred in Císařův pekař a pekařův císař in 1951. The 1954 film Byl jednou jeden král, released in English as Once Upon a Time, There Was a King, required him to make political concessions to satisfy Communist censors. Later film roles included Baron Prášil in 1961, a Czech interpretation of the Baron Munchausen legend, and Až přijde kocour in 1963. He also narrated the 1957 French-Czech animated feature Stvoření světa in rhyming verse and made a cameo in Hudba z Marsu in 1955. His television work included adaptations of plays by Seán O'Casey and original productions through the 1960s and into the 1970s.

In 1967, producer Harry Saltzman originally cast Werich as Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the James Bond film You Only Live Twice. After filming began at Pinewood Studios, producer Albert R. Broccoli and director Lewis Gilbert concluded that Werich did not project sufficient menace for the role, with Gilbert describing his appearance as resembling a benevolent Santa Claus. Despite efforts to make the casting work over several days of shooting, Werich was ultimately replaced by Donald Pleasence.

Werich signed the pro-reform manifesto known as 2000 Words in 1968. Following the Soviet invasion later that year, he and his wife fled to Vienna along with many other Czechs. After extended deliberation, he chose to return to Czechoslovakia in early 1969, reasoning that remaining abroad would effectively end his ability to work. His final meeting with Voskovec took place in Vienna in 1974. In the years that followed, his opportunities for public performance were severely curtailed. He did not sign the Charter 77 proclamation organized by Václav Havel, and under pressure from Communist authorities he publicly declared loyalty to the regime, attending Anti-Charta 77 meetings and signing a petition against the document. He later maintained that he had been deceived into signing, suggesting the original document he had agreed to may have been substituted for a declaration of political allegiance. His last public appearance took place at Prague's Lucerna in 1977. Werich died on October 31, 1980, at the age of 75. The minor planet 2418 Voskovec-Werich, discovered by astronomer Luboš Kohoutek, was named in his honor alongside his longtime collaborator.