Alois Švehlík

Alois Švehlík (30 July 1939 – 2 April 2025) was a Czech actor and theatre pedagogue.

Early 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.

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

Personal life and death In 1967, Švehlík married economist Florentina Švehlíková (née Štěpánová). They had three children, including son David, who is also an actor. 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, at the age of 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) Medal of Merit (2025)

Selected filmography

Film

Television

Dubbing