Menu

Known For

Ilja Prachař is known for:

  • Witchhammer
    A ruthless inquisitor spins the superstitions of local peasants into religious heresy, finding cause to accuse dozens of innocent men and women of witchcraft. The inquisitor targets nobles and merchants, whose property and goods are then confiscated. After suffering an array of medieval tortures, most of the accused confess—only to be burned alive at the stake as helpless villagers watch. With its bold and striking cinematography, the film captures scenes of both daring nudity and brutal torture.
  • All My Good Countrymen
    The title "All My Good Countrymen" is not without irony as this epic tale of Czech village life from shortly after the end of the Second World War concentrates on the activities of a group of friends who are not beyond reproach in siding with a politically corrupt regime for material advancement. Are these the "good countrymen" of the title or does it refer to the rest of the village who scorn these petty authority figure with silent contempt?
  • The Cremator
    Kopfrkingl enjoys his job at a crematorium in Czechoslovakia in the late 1930s. He likes reading the Tibetan book of the dead, and espouses the view that cremation relieves earthly suffering.

Related Actors

These actors are frequently suggested for roles along with Ilja Prachař.

Top Casting Suggestions

Not suggested for any roles yet.

Biography

Ilja Prachař ( April 30, 1924, Malenovice – August 10, 2005, Prague ) was a Czech actor and playwright. He was born in Malenovice near Zlín as the middle of three sons of František Prachar (1899–2001), an official of the district health insurance company in Zlín, and his wife Ludmila (1901–1981). The elder brother Drahomír (1922–2008) later worked in a foreign trade company, the younger Kamil (1931–2020) became a theater actor and worked almost his entire professional career in the theater in Cheb . In Zlín and Malenovice, the parents actively engaged in associational life and performed volunteer theater. His wife Jana (*1937) is a puppeteer, his son David (*1959), grandson Jakub (*1983), granddaughter Mariana (*1994) and great-granddaughter Alžběta Malá (*1997) are acting. He began his acting career as a member of the drama group of the Army Art Ensemble of Vít Nejedlý (1945–1947), in the Workers' Theater in Zlín (1947–1952) and in the theater in Ostrava (1952–1954). From 1954 he performed at the S. K. Neumann Theater in Prague and from 1959 to 1990 at the Vinohrady Theatre. His best-known film role is probably the greedy and miserly landowner Trautenberk in the evening series Krkonošské pohádyky. He is the author of several plays and television scripts. Already in 1951, he received the State Prize for the play " Hádajú se o rozumné " and for his acting he was awarded the award for outstanding work (1967), the title of meritorious artist (1983) and the František Filipovský Award for lifetime mastery in dubbing (1997). Ilja Prachař was a member of the Communist Party . In November 1989, he gave a speech at the Summer Speech as a representative of the actors from the Vinohrady Theatre . In his personal life, Ilja Prachař was a big supporter of the football club Slavia . At the turn of the 1980s and 1990s, he was even the chairman of the civic association of the Friends of Slavia for seven years.