Otto Šimánek

Known for ActingBorn 1925-04-28Died 1992-05-08Třešť, Československo

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.Read more

Movies & web series

Údolie večných karaván

Začít znova

Šlechetný cowboy Sandy

Tři chlapi po roce

Objev na Střapaté hůrce

Spadla s měsíce

Všude žijí lidé

Dům na Ořechovce

The Train of Childhood and Expectation

The Black Dynasty

Bambi

Ta naše písnička česká

Arabela

Podnájem na Champs Ellysèes

Young Wine

Dva muži hlásí příchod

Sňatky z rozumu

Bejvávalo

A Prayer for Katerina Horovitzova

Polka jede do světa

Hříšní lidé města pražského

Mature Wine

Shoesmachine

Wine Working

No Magic from Tomorrow

The Visitors

Three Wishes for Cinderella

Malý pitaval z velkého města

Poslední růže od Casanovy

Lucy, the Menace of Street

Where an Alibi Is Not Everything

The Fabulous Baron Munchausen

Ohnivé ženy se vracejí

The Octopuses from the Second Floor

Pan Tau

Every Young Man

The Fabulous World of Jules Verne

Bakaláři

F. L. Věk

The Phantom of Morrisville

Přísně tajné premiéry

Who Wants to Kill Jessie?

Merry Christmas Octopus

Malý Bobeš ve městě

Chicken on Travels

Policejní hodina

You Are a Widow, Sir

...and again that Lucy!