She was driving men crazy and women jealous. Her blond shock of hair, piercing eyes, disarming smile, slim figure, and most of all the incredible talent gave her a nickname “Czech Bardot”. Jana Brejchová lived a full life, both professional and personal. She got married four times and acted in more than 100 movies, making her a staple of Czech cinematography. Unfortunately, due to her collapse in 2013, she depends on permanent health assistance in a nursing home. The actress also has a complicated relationship with her sister Hana. Let’s remind ourselves of her life, together with LP-Life.com.
From a secretary to an actress
Jana Brejchová was born in Prague, 20th January 1940. She had a humble childhood with five more siblings. Jana got her first movie role when she was 14-year-old, playing in the drama Red Whitsuntide. At that time she had already started working as a typist and secretary, picking up acting in her free time. More offers kept coming and in 1957, she made a breakthrough with the movie Wolf Trap from director Jiří Weiss, with whom she even attended the Venice International Film Festival.
Only a few may know that even such a great actress as Jana Brejchová was fighting with stage fright and shyness. Even her close friend, Jiřina Jirásková, confirmed:
"When there are more than five people present, Jana won’t talk."
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Jan Werich a Jana Brejchová ve filmu Král a ženaSource: archiv České televize
First marriage at 18
Jana Brejchová said her first "I do" to Miloš Forman, when she was only 18 years old. The marriage lasted 4 years. In 1962, shortly after her divorce from Forman, she married the German actor Ulrich Thein. This marriage left a painful mark on her life. The child she carried was born dead.
Fated marriage with Vlastimil Brodský
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Těhotná Jana Brejchová s Vlastimilem BrodskýmSource: archiv Terezy Brodské
Her third wedding was with her acting colleague Vlastimil Brodský, who enthralled her with his intelligence, wit, and wisdom. Together they played in the movies Darling, Are We a Good Match...?, You Don’t Strike a Woman Even with a Flower, or The End of a Priest. The marriage lasted 17 years, bringing to the world a daughter, Tereza, who also works as an actress. Today it’s mainly her who supports Jana. But not always was their relationship so warm. For a long time, Tereza couldn’t forgive her mother for putting her career above her family. As a child, Tereza had been entrusted to the care of Jana’s eldest sister, Blanka, for several years.
After her divorce from Vlastimil Brodský, Jana maintained a relationship with Jaromír Hanzlík and Jiří Zahajský, whom she eventually married in 1992. The marriage ended with the actor’s death in 2007.
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Jana Brejchová s dcerou Terezou BrodskouSource: David Neff / MAFRA / Profimedia
If you’d like to enjoy your day with some of the movies starring this beautiful actress, there’s plenty to pick from. Among her most popular movies belong Wolf Trap, A Higher Principle, If a Thousand Clarinets, I Killed Einstein, Gentlemen!, Scalpel, Please!, the trilogy Beneath Badger Rock, On the Poacher’s Path, and Behind the Blackthorn. Memorable are also her roles in the legendary musical Night at Karlštejn and in the series Arabela and F. L. Věk. In 2006 she played the movie Beauty in Trouble with Anna Geislerová, who also remembers the actress more than fondly.
"Jana Brejchová is the actress that I always looked up to. I like her diction, her eyes, simply everything. She’s a very intuitive actress, a kind, but also a shy person,"
said Anna Geislerová
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Seriál ArabelaSource: archiv České televize
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Jana Brejchová se soškou Českého lvaSource: Profimedia.cz
Jana Brejchová gained many awards and recognitions. Among others a title of Meritorious Artist, in 2004 a Czech Medal of Merit from Václav Klause for her merits to the art and culture, and in 2010 the Czech Lion Award for Extraordinary Contribution to Czech Cinema.
Complicated relationship with sister Hana
In the last years, Jana Brejchová has been struggling with her health and fighting with a degenerative brain disease that limited her mobility to the bed in the long-term sickness ward in Prague-Motol hospital. Not even in her sickness was she able to improve the relationship with sister Hana, who became famous thanks to a lead role in Loves of a Blonde directed by Miloš Forman.
We wish Jana Brejchová all the best, mainly firm health for the upcoming years.
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