Dagmar Bláhová

Dagmar Bláhová (also credited as Dášha Bláhová; born 5 March 1949) is a Czech actress. She appeared in foreign film and after emigrating to Australia during the Communist era, where she appeared in many television and film roles, she returned to her birth country in 1998 and again started appearing natively in film roles. She became notable on Australian television in 1985 for her role in soap opera Neighbours as original character Maria Ramsay.

Personal life Bláhová was born in Radčice, Czechoslovakia. When she began her acting career, Czechoslovakia was under communist rule, so citizens were restricted in their movements outside the country, however, Bláhová's popularity in Europe enabled her to perform around the continent. She met her future husband Juraj while she was touring in London. He had an Australian passport, having lived in the country for three years, and he could not return to Czechoslovakia with Bláhová. Bláhová co-created the play Adam and Eve in which she had a starring role. The play was performed over 200 times in 15 countries from 1972 until 1980. She won the Best Performance Award at the Nancy International Theatre Festival in 1975. She then moved into television and film roles. She become known for her roles in Věra Chytilová's comedy films The Apple Game and Calamity. In 1978, she was named as one of the 20 best actors in the world by a panel of Paris cinema critics, following her role in The Apple Game. Bláhová wrote, directed and starred in a pantomime called The Devil and Katya, which was performed at the Playbox Theatre in 1982. She also had guest roles in Cop Shop and the television film Learned Friend. Bláhová won the Best Performance by an Actress in a Principal Role in a One-off Drama accolade at the 1984 Penguin Awards for her work on the film. Bláhová later bemoaned the lack of comedic roles offered to her, something that she was used to in Czechoslovakia. Instead she was asked to play "poor migrants" or "teary, tragic women." Luigo Acquisto's independent film Hungry Heart, and the 1987 comedy-horror film Howling III, in which she plays a Russian ballerina who becomes a werewolf. She also appeared in the 1988 television film The Tourist (also known as Sands of the Bedouin), followed by a starring role in the futuristic rock epic Sons of Steel alongside Robert Hartley, Jeff Duff and Mark Hembrow.

Bláhová later returned to Czechoslovakia and continued to act on screen and in theatre productions. In 2009, Bláhová appeared in the Czech television serial Velmi křehké vztahy as Eliška Tůmová. In 2023, Bláhová's noval Fables from the Other World was published.

Filmography + Film and television performances Year Title Role Notes 1972 And Give My Love to the Swallows Julinka Czech: ...a pozdravuji vlaštovky 1976 The Apple Game Anna Símová Czech: Hra o jablko 1978 Leave Me Alone Czech: Nechci nic slyšet 1981 Calamity Majka 1981 Hoodwink Specialist's Wife As Dascha Blahova; uncredited 1981 A Country Practice Sandra Myers Episodes: "In General Practice (Parts 1 & 2)" 1984 A Country Practice Tania Menzel Recurring role 1985 Neighbours Maria Ramsay Main cast 1985 Displaced Persons Anna Television film 1986 Funeral Going Helena Television film 1987 Hungry Heart Mrs Bono 1987 Howling III Olga Gork 1988 The Tourist Laila Ibrahaim Television film 1989 Sons of Steel Honor 1990 Muka obraznosti 1994 Nexus 2.431 1998 Vykání psovi 1998 Traps 2000 Canone inverso – Making Love Secretary Sophie 2001 Returning in Autumn Czech: Podzimní návrat 2004 Když chcípne pes 2004 The Prince & Me Lady In Waiting 2007 Catch the Doctor! Serafina Pustinová Czech: Chyťte doktora 2009 Velmi křehké vztahy Eliška Tůmová