Věra Hanslíková

Biography

Věra Hanslíková was a Czech stage and film actress born in Prague on May 4, 1913. She came from an old Prague merchant family. After graduating from the French lyceum in Nîmes, she worked in her father's shop. Before launching her acting career, she was a well-known swimmer and a front-crawl champion, holding three swimming records at the time. Additionally, she won the City of Prague gold medal in archery, paddled canoes, and skied. Věra pursued amateur acting in secret, with only her mother's knowledge, as her father strongly opposed her acting career. It was only after his death that she joined the theater. She initially performed in Brno and Plzeň. Following her performance in the play "Dvě ženy pana Frazera" at Prague's Na Slupi venue, she was hired by the Anna Sedláčková Theater. Later, she performed briefly at the Uranie Theater and the Pražské Okružní Theater. She also went on tours with the drama ensemble of the Městská divadla pražská (Municipal Theaters of Prague), where she reportedly gained her most valuable experience, transitioning from an amateur to a professional actress. From there, she joined the guest performances of the Vinohrady Theater, which staged plays in the countryside. Shortly after, she was accepted into the J. K. Tyl Theater (today’s Karlín Theatre), performing with the Vinohrady Theater acting troupe. Prior to the film "Experiment" (1943), she had already been cast in two minor roles, one of which was in the movie Host do domu (1942). She played another supporting role in "Bláhový sen" (1943). Her most prominent film role came in "Paklíč" (1944), where she played the housekeeper Anežka, sharing the screen with stars like Oldřich Nový and Jiřina Steimarová. Following the end of the war, she performed at the Municipal Theater in Karlovy Vary. However, she was fired from the theater in 1948 for political reasons. That same year, her husband was imprisoned, where he reportedly committed suicide. Věra disputed that cause of death. At the time, she was pregnant with their child. She still managed to appear in a few more films, such as "Rudá záře nad Kladnem" (1955), "Tam na konečné" (1957), "Padělek" (1957), "Kohout plaší smrt" (1961), "Kde alibi nestačí" (1961), "Dva z onoho světa" (1962), "Mezi námi zloději" (1963), "Škola hříšníků" (1965), "Alibi na vodě" (1965), "Sváteční jezdec" (1969), "Touha zvaná Anada" (1971), "Smrt si vybírá" (1972), and "Dvacátý devátý" (1974). Despite her efforts to return to a full-time acting life, it was in vain. She ultimately spent the rest of her working years as a shop assistant. Věra Hanslíková passed away on January 1, 2004, at the age of 90.