Acting
Otto Šimánek
CS, DE, SK cinema · 95 credits
Born
28 April 1925
Died
8 May 1992 (aged 67)
Birthplace
Třešť, Československo
Also known as Oto Šimánek · Otta Šimánek · Ota Šimánek
Otto Šimánek (April 28, 1925 Třešť - May 8, 1992 Prague) was a Czech mime, film and theater actor. He has starred in a number of comedies and several fairy tales. Probably his most famous role was the title role in the series Pan Tau. He trained as an electrician at Tesla in Prague and has so far played the theater only amateuristically. He later got to the Theater on May 5 and also traveled for a few months at the Theater under the Placht of Jindřich Plachta. He gained acting experience in various theaters. He worked in theaters in Zlín, Ostrava and finally in 1958 he was engaged in the Municipal Theaters of Prague, where he lasted until 1990. He played a number of large roles on the stage. The character of the clown Jean Debureau remains unforgettable for the audience in the dramatization of Kožík's novel The Greatest of the Pierots, where he could fully use his love for pantomime. Acting in the Prague theater also meant an opportunity to win film and television roles. He mainly played smaller roles in about forty films. The most famous is probably the role from the movie I'll Get Up Tomorrow and Bake My Tea. His character, Mr. Tau, entered the European and, to some extent, world film consciousness in the co-production series of the same name by director Jindřich Polák and screenwriter Ota Hofman. He also taught pantomime at the Prague Conservatory and DAMU. Among his students was, among others, the actor Petr Čepek. On the site of the pharmacy where Otto Šimánek was born, an ash statue was installed in 2011 depicting an actor in the role of Mr. Tau with a typical hand movement near his hat. The author is Daniel Stejskal.
Known for
Filmography
Podnájem na Champs Ellysèes
1991
Podnájem na Champs Ellysèes
as Georges De Rillettes
Trezor
1989
Trezor
as Adámek
Pan Tau – der Film
as Rudolf Karasek / Josef Novák
Merry Christmas Octopus
as učitel
Lucy, the Menace of Street
as Mall Detective
...and again that Lucy!
as Mall Detective
No Magic from Tomorrow
as Pan Tau
Alarm in the Clouds
as Pan Tau
Tomorrow I'll Wake Up and Scald Myself with Tea
as Patrick White
Three Wishes for Cinderella
as King (voice) (uncredited)
One of Them Is the Murderer
as Adam (voice)
You Are a Widow, Sir
as průmyslník Alfred Keletti
Přísně tajné premiéry
as lupič Mareček
The End of Agent W4C
as Inventor
Crime at the Girls School
as Prop Man (segment "Jak se koupe žena")
Every Young Man
as voják
The Hope
as Fojtar
Fear
as okrskář v Roudné
Tři chlapi po roce
1964
Tři chlapi po roce
as (uncredited)
Světáci
Actor
Chicken on Travels
as Teacher
The Fabulous Baron Munchausen
as Michal Ardan
Black Saturday
as Slávek (voice)
Letiště nepřijímá
as Pilot Dvořák
Všude žijí lidé
as Rehák
Zkouška pokračuje
as Inspicient
Desire
as Brother-in-law (segment "Lidé na zemi a hvezdy na nebi")
The Fabulous World of Jules Verne
as The Man on the Train
Shoesmachine
as laborer