Nora Cífková

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Nora Cífková , married Nora Cífková-Novotná , later Věra Cífková-Novotny (born February 21, 1920 in Prague , Czechoslovakia ; † January 25, 2017 in Gisborne , Victoria , Australia ), was a Czechoslovak-Australian actress . She ended her brief acting career in 1946.

Life

Cífková came from a distinguished Prague family and attended the lower grammar school on Dušní ulice in Prague's old town . By Jaroslav Hilbert , a family friend, she came to the theater play; he recommended her training at the drama school of the Prague National Theater . After finishing school, Cífková enrolled at the Prague Conservatory with Anna Iblová and Jiří Plachý.

In 1938 she dropped out of studies after three years to work as a professional actress. At first she played at the Oldřich Nový New Theater . In the same year, Cífková received her first film role as a supporting actress in the comedy Jarka a Věra , directed by Václav Binovec. In 1939 she moved to the Anna Sedláčková Theater (DAS), newly opened by Andula Sedláčková. From 1942 to 1945 she was employed at the Intimate Theater in the Haus des Kunstverein on Prague's Lesser Town . She received her first leading role as Klára in the 1940 film Minulost Jany Kosinové , directed by JA Holman . Cífková's most important film role was that of Comtesse Hortensia in the film adaptation of Božena Němcová's main work Babička ( Czech for The Grandmother ) by František Čáp ; but it was also her last film appearance before the end of World War II and her penultimate ever.

During this time, Cífková appeared on stage in the pieces Zaplaťte, slečno , Zlaté mládí , Hadrián z Římsů and Pán se šedivými skráněmi . Her fine and introverted portrayal was not well received by some critics, and her appearances were described as "lackluster". In addition to several guest appearances during the German occupation , Cífková also performed in front of Czech forced laborers in Wroclaw and Katowice .

In addition to her acting activities, Cífková often worked for the Prague Radio. There she could be heard in the radio play Babička under the direction of Bohuš Hradil , designed various broadcast formats - sometimes together with Karel Höger - and worked as a reciter .

Cífková's mother died in a concentration camp because of her participation in the National Resistance . After the end of the war, Cífková was seen for the last time in The 13th Revier (13th revír) as Hlavsová in a film role in 1946 ; the film, which began during the occupation of Holman with Jaroslav Marvan and Lída Baarová in the leading roles, was finished after the end of the war by Martin Frič , with Dana Medřická taking over the role of Fróny instead of the imprisoned Baarová .

In the same year, Cífková emigrated to Great Britain before the Communists , where she trained as a beautician and worked in Elizabeth Arden's London salon . Because of her father's serious illness, Cífková finally returned to her homeland in 1950, but was not allowed to return to Great Britain. In her second marriage she married Vladimír Novotný. After the crackdown on the Prague Spring , the family emigrated with their two sons from Prague to Australia in 1968 , where Cífková took the name Věra Cífková-Novotny . Cífková lived in the small town of Gisborne near Melbourne until her death . After the Velvet Revolution , she returned to the Czech Republic for visits, most recently in 2006.

Filmography

  • 1938: Jarka a Věra
  • 1939: Lízino štěstí
  • 1939: Srdce v celofánu
  • 1940: Minulost Jany Kosinové
  • 1940: Babička
  • 1946: The 13th Revier (13th revir)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Cífková, Nora
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Cífková-Novotná, Nora; Cífková-Novotny, Věra
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Czechoslovak-Australian actress
DATE OF BIRTH February 21, 1920
PLACE OF BIRTH Prague , Czechoslovakia
DATE OF DEATH January 25, 2017
Place of death Gisborne , Victoria , Australia