Jiřina Šejbalová (17 September 1905 – 23 August 1981) was a Czech

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

of the stage, television, and film. For many years she taught theatre classes at the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts. Born in Prague, Šejbalová came from a family of clerks. After studying at the

Prague Conservatory The Prague Conservatory () is a public music school in Prague, Czech Republic, founded in 1808. Currently, the school offers four- or six-year courses, which can be compared to the level of a high school diploma in other countries. Graduates c ...

, she began her career as an

opera singer Opera is a form of Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a lib ...

at the National Theatre in

Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...

in the mid-1920s. During the 1927-1928 season she abandoned her opera career and began working as a dramatic actress at that house in avant-garde plays directed by

Jiří Frejka Jiří (; ''YI-RZHEE'') is a Czech masculine given name, equivalent to English George. Notable people with the name include: B * Georg Benda (Jiří Antonín Benda), Czech composer, violinist and Kapellmeister * Jiří Baborovský, Czech phys ...

. She became a member of the National Theatre in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

in 1928. She performed as a stage actress at that theatre up until her retirement in 1971. Šejbalová made her first foray into Czech film as the title character in the 1929 movie '' Hanka a Jindra''. She appeared in over 35 Czech

feature film A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole present ...

s over the next five decades, with her last appearance being in the 1978 movie '' Sólo pro starou dámu''. Her two most important films were '' Morálka paní Dulské'' (1958) and '' Zlatá svatba'' (1972). She also appeared is several Czech

television movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

s and television programs from 1961 through 1980. She died in Prague at the age of 75.

Selected filmography

*''

The Mystery of the Blue Room ''The Mystery of the Blue Room'' (Czech: ''Záhada modrého pokoje'') is a 1933 Czechoslovak mystery film, directed by Miroslav Cikán. It is a remake of the German film '' Secret of the Blue Room'' (1932). It stars Karel Hašler, František Ková ...

'' (1933)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sejbalova, Jirina 1905 births 1981 deaths 20th-century Czech women opera singers Czech film actresses Czech stage actresses Czech television actresses Actresses from Prague 20th-century Czech actresses Prague Conservatory alumni