Josef Somr

Josef Somr (14 April 1934 – 16 October 2022) was a Czech actor. He was noted for starring in the Oscar-winning 1966 film Closely Watched Trains, as well as in The Joke.

Early life Somr was born in Vracov, Czechoslovakia, on 14 April 1934. He studied at the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts, graduating in 1956. Film critic John Simon described Somr's performance as "so spontaneous, unconcerned, and complete ... that it affects our entire sensorium – finger tips, nostrils, and palate no less than eyes and ears". The film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in April 1968. Somr subsequently played scientist Ludvík Jahn in the lead role of The Joke (1969) by Jaromil Jireš. He went on to feature in Poslední propadne peklu under director Ludvík Ráža in 1982.

According to Michal Bregant – who headed the Czech Film Archive – Somr preferred acting in theatre, He was 88 years old.

Selected filmography Closely Watched Trains (or Closely Observed Trains) (1966) Valley of the Bees (1967) The Joke (1969) Což takhle dát si špenát (1977) Those Wonderful Movie Cranks (1978) Fešák Hubert (1984) Jak básníci neztrácejí naději (2004) I am all good (2008)