Jan Novotný

Biography

Studied drama at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, graduating in 1979. He worked for a season at the West Bohemia Theatre in Cheb, the following four seasons (1980–84) he was a member of the Victorious February Theatre in Hradec Králové. He was subsequently engaged at the S. K. Neumann Theatre in Prague, from 1988 to 1990 at the Zdeněk Nejedlý Realistic Theatre. During his time in Cheb, he began working with the stage director Jan Grossman, who had a crucial influence on him. Their co-operation continued while he was in in Hradec Králové and at the S. K. Neumann Theatre in Prague. In 1990 he joined Grossman at the Na zábradlí Theatre. He has been a member of the National Theatre Drama since 1993. At the present time, he can be seen in the roles of Brighella (The Servant of Two Masters), Osip (The Government Inspector), the Lord of the Hall of Time (The Ninth Heart), Arthur Andersen and the Security Officer in Lucy Prebble’s Enron. He is also the artistic director of the Strašnice Theatre in Prague, has appeared in films, television productions and series, and worked as a voice-over artist.