Otto Šimánek
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Male
Birthday
1925-04-28
Day of Death
1992-05-08 (67 years old)
Place of Birth
Třešť, Československo
Otto Šimánek
Biography
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
Acting
(1991)
Podnájem na Champs Ellysèes
as Georges De Rillettes
(1989)
Trezor
as Adámek
(1988)
Pan Tau – der Film
as Rudolf Karasek / Josef Novák
(1987)
Merry Christmas Octopus
as učitel
(1987)
(1987)
(1987)
Kde bydlí štěstí
as zlatník
(1986)
(1986)
(1986)
(1985)
(1985)
(1985)
(1984)
...and again that Lucy!
as Mall Detective
(1984)
Lucy, the Menace of Street
as Mall Detective
(1983)
(1983)
(1983)
(1982)
(1982)
Kamenný orchestr
as Matas
(1981)
(1979)
No Magic from Tomorrow
as Pan Tau
(1979)
(1978)
(1978)
Alarm in the Clouds
as Pan Tau
(1977)
Tomorrow I'll Wake Up and Scald Myself with Tea
as Patrick White
(1977)
(1976)
(1976)
(1975)
(1975)
Honza a Růžová panenka
as táta
(1973)
Three Wishes for Cinderella
as King (voice) (uncredited)
(1972)
(1971)
You Are a Widow, Sir
as průmyslník Alfred Keletti
(1971)
(1971)
(1971)
One of Them Is the Murderer
as Adam (voice)
(1970)
(1969)
Men About Town
as muž
(1969)
(1969)
(1968)
(1968)
Přísně tajné premiéry
as lupič Mareček
(1968)
(1968)
(1967)
(1967)
(1967)
(1967)
The End of Agent W4C
as Inventor
(1966)
(1966)
Crime at the Girls School
as Prop Man (segment "Jak se koupe žena")
(1966)
(1966)
(1966)
(1966)
Every Young Man
as voják
(1966)
(1966)
(1965)
A Prayer for Katerina Horovitzova
as krejčí
(1965)
(1965)
(1964)
The Hope
as Fojtar
(1964)
Fear
as okrskář v Roudné
(1964)
(1964)
(1964)
Tři chlapi po roce
as (uncredited)
(1964)
(1963)
(1963)
(1963)
(1963)
(1962)
The Fabulous Baron Munchausen
as Michal Ardan
(1962)
(1962)
Chicken on Travels
as Teacher
(1962)
(1962)
(1962)
(1962)
(1961)
Black Saturday
as Slávek (voice)
(1961)
Where an Alibi Is Not Everything
as Moravec
(1961)
(1961)
(1960)
(1960)
Všude žijí lidé
as Rehák
(1960)
Letiště nepřijímá
as Pilot Dvořák
(1960)
Zkouška pokračuje
as Inspicient
(1959)
(1959)
(1958)
The Fabulous World of Jules Verne
as The Man on the Train
(1958)
Desire
as Brother-in-law (segment "Lidé na zemi a hvezdy na nebi")
(1958)
(1958)
(1956)
(1954)
Shoesmachine
as laborer
(1954)
(1949)