:Alois Švehlík

{{Infobox person

| name = Alois Švehlík

| image = Alois Švehlík 2019.jpg

| caption = Švehlík in 2019

| alt = black-and-white image of Alois Švehlík looking at camera from slight profile

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1939|07|30|df=y}}

| birth_place = Pardubice, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2025|04|02|1939|07|30|df=y}}

| death_place = Prague, Czech Republic

| occupation = Actor

| years_active = 1972–2025

| spouse = Florentina Švehlíková (m. 1967)

| children = David Švehlík

| signature = ŠVEHLÍK autograph.jpg

}}

Alois Švehlík (30 July 1939 – 2 April 2025){{cite web|last=Fraňková|first=Ruth|url=https://english.radio.cz/actor-and-dubbing-artist-alois-svehlik-died-aged-85-8847299 |title=Actor and dubbing artist Alois Švehlík died, aged 85|website=Czech Radio|date=2 April 2025|access-date=2 April 2025}} was a Czech actor and theatre pedagogue.{{cite web|title=Alois Švehlík |url=http://www.damu.cz/katedry-a-kabinety/katedra-cinoherniho-divadla/pedagogove/alois-svehlik/ |website=damu.cz |date= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140108214900/http://www.damu.cz/katedry-a-kabinety/katedra-cinoherniho-divadla/pedagogove/alois-svehlik/ |access-date=12 June 2021 |archive-date=8 January 2014 |language=cs}}

Life and career

Švehlík was born in Pardubice, then part of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, in 1939. Together with his older brother Jaroslav, he became involved in theatre from an early age. He graduated from technical college in Chrudim in 1958 and after basic military service, worked briefly in a factory, where he met his future wife. Theatre was a constant draw for him, however, and Švehlík attempted to get into DAMU, unsuccessfully. Instead, he joined the Central Bohemian Theatre in Kladno, later doing acting stints in Most, Olomouc, and Liberec.

From the mid-1970s, Švehlík began appearing in film and television roles, including Sokolovo (1974), The Young Man and Moby Dick (1979), and Forbidden Dreams (1986). He gained prominence in the 1990s, appearing in numerous productions, including Černí baroni (1992).

In addition to acting, Švehlík lent his voice to various foreign productions, dubbing such works as The Professionals, Schimanski, Starman, Back to the Future II, The War of the Roses, and As Good as It Gets into the Czech language, winning several awards in the process.{{cite news|title=Kdo nejlépe daboval? Oldřich Vlach s Eliškou Balzerovou

|url=https://www.denik.cz/pardubicky-kraj/kdo-nejlepe-daboval-oldrich-vlach-s-eliskou-balzerovou-20140922.html |newspaper=Deník|publisher=Vltava Labe Media|date=22 September 2014 |access-date=12 June 2021 |language=cs |trans-title=Who Dubbed It Best? Oldřich Vlach with Eliška Balzerová|last=Dvořák |first=Tomáš }}

Since 2004, Švehlík has been teaching drama at DAMU. He was a member of the National Theatre in Prague.

Personal life

In 1967, Švehlík married economist Florentina Švehlíková (née Štěpánová). They had three children, including son David, who is also an actor.{{cite web|title=Alois Švehlík |url=http://old.xantypa.cz/articles_print.asp?idk=870&ida=2693 |website=xantypa.cz |date= |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131203093748/http://old.xantypa.cz/articles_print.asp?idk=870&ida=2693|access-date=12 June 2021 |archive-date = 3 December 2013|language=cs}} Švehlík appeared with his son in various productions in theatre, television, and film, as well as in dubbing and voice acting.

Švehlík died on 2 April 2025, aged 85.

Awards and recognition

František Filipovský Prize for Best Male Performance in dubbing As Good as It Gets (1999)
Theatre News Award for Best Actor in Z cizoty (2004)
František Filipovský Prize for Best Male Performance in dubbing The Secret of Santa Vittoria (2007)
František Filipovský Prize for Lifetime Achievement (2014)

Selected filmography

Film

class="wikitable sortable" \|+ {{Sronly\|List of film appearances, with year, title, and role shown}}
Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" \| Notes
1974 \|Sokolovo \|Sergeant Hynek \|
1977 \|Smoke on the Potato Fields \|Petr Kodet \|
1979 \|The Young Man and Moby Dick \|Líbal \|
1986 \|Forbidden Dreams \|Spy \|
1992 \|Černí baroni \|Captain Honec \|
2007 \|Operace Silver A \|Krupka, Václav's father \|
2011 \|Alois Nebel \|Wachek Sr. \|
2019 \|On the Roof \|Professor Antonín Rypar \|
2022 \|Emergency Situation \|Brukner, war pilot \|
2023 \|The Man Who Stood in the Way \|Ludvík Svoboda \|

class="wikitable sortable"

|+ {{Sronly|List of film appearances, with year, title, and role shown}}

Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

1974

|Sokolovo

|Sergeant Hynek

1977

|Smoke on the Potato Fields

|Petr Kodet

1979

|The Young Man and Moby Dick

|Líbal

1986

|Forbidden Dreams

|Spy

1992

|Černí baroni

|Captain Honec

2007

|Operace Silver A

|Krupka, Václav's father

2011

|Alois Nebel

|Wachek Sr.

2019

|On the Roof

|Professor Antonín Rypar

2022

|Emergency Situation

|Brukner, war pilot

2023

|The Man Who Stood in the Way

|Ludvík Svoboda

Television

class="wikitable sortable" \|+ {{Sronly\|List of television appearances, with year, title, and role shown}}
Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" \| Notes
1976 \|Muž na radnici \|Karel Švehla \|4 episodes
1977 \|Žena za pultem \|David, taxi driver \|1 episode
1979 \|Inženýrská odysea \|Jiří Strnad \|
1980 \|Thirty Cases of Major Zeman \|Kornet \|1 episode
1981 \|Okres na severu \|Vízner \|5 episodes
1984 \|Sanitka \|Chief Magistrate of Prague \|1 episode
1988 \|Panoptikum města pražského \|Guard \|1 episode
1990 \|Dobrodružství kriminalistiky \|Ervin Gladstone, manufacturer \|1 episode
2013 \|Burning Bush \|Chief Horyna \|3 episodes
2017 \|Maria Theresia \|Philipp Ludwig Wenzel von Sinzendorf \|2 episodes

class="wikitable sortable"

|+ {{Sronly|List of television appearances, with year, title, and role shown}}

Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

1976

|Muž na radnici

|Karel Švehla

|4 episodes

1977

|Žena za pultem

|David, taxi driver

|1 episode

1979

|Inženýrská odysea

|Jiří Strnad

1980

|Thirty Cases of Major Zeman

|Kornet

|1 episode

1981

|Okres na severu

|Vízner

|5 episodes

1984

|Sanitka

|Chief Magistrate of Prague

|1 episode

1988

|Panoptikum města pražského

|Guard

|1 episode

1990

|Dobrodružství kriminalistiky

|Ervin Gladstone, manufacturer

|1 episode

2013

|Burning Bush

|Chief Horyna

|3 episodes

2017

|Maria Theresia

|Philipp Ludwig Wenzel von Sinzendorf

|2 episodes

Dubbing

class="wikitable sortable" \|+ {{Sronly\|List of dubbed productions, with year, title, and role shown}}
Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" \| Notes
1998 \|As Good as It Gets \|Melvin Udall \|
2002 \|Dempsey and Makepeace \|Gordon Spikings \|

class="wikitable sortable"

|+ {{Sronly|List of dubbed productions, with year, title, and role shown}}

Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

1998

|As Good as It Gets

|Melvin Udall

2002

|Dempsey and Makepeace

|Gordon Spikings