Otto Šimánek

Acting Apr 28, 1925 May 8, 1992 (aged 67) Třešť, Československo

Otto Šimánek (April 28, 1925 Třešť - May 8, 1992 Prague) was a Czech mime, film and theater actor. He has starred in a number of comedies and several fairy tales. Probably his most famous role was the title role in the series Pan Tau.

He trained as an electrician at Tesla in Prague and has so far played the theater only amateuristically. He later got to the Theater on May 5 and also traveled for a few months at the Theater under the Placht of Jindřich Plachta. He gained acting experience in various theaters. He worked in theaters in Zlín, Ostrava and finally in 1958 he was engaged in the Municipal Theaters of Prague, where he lasted until 1990.

He played a number of large roles on the stage. The character of the clown Jean Debureau remains unforgettable for the audience in the dramatization of Kožík's novel The Greatest of the Pierots, where he could fully use his love for pantomime. Acting in the Prague theater also meant an opportunity to win film and television roles. He mainly played smaller roles in about forty films. The most famous is probably the role from the movie I'll Get Up Tomorrow and Bake My Tea.

His character, Mr. Tau, entered the European and, to some extent, world film consciousness in the co-production series of the same name by director Jindřich Polák and screenwriter Ota Hofman. He also taught pantomime at the Prague Conservatory and DAMU. Among his students was, among others, the actor Petr Čepek.

On the site of the pharmacy where Otto Šimánek was born, an ash statue was installed in 2011 depicting an actor in the role of Mr. Tau with a typical hand movement near his hat. The author is Daniel Stejskal.

121 Acting Credits

Otto Šimánek

Acting

Three Wishes for Cinderella

The Fabulous Baron Munchausen

The Fabulous World of Jules Verne

Tomorrow I'll Wake Up and Scald Myself with Tea

Arabela

Arabela

Who Wants to Kill Jessie?

You Are a Widow, Sir

The Visitors

Lucy, the Menace of Street

Men About Town

Pan Tau

Pan Tau

Pan Tau – der Film

The Octopuses from the Second Floor

The End of Agent W4C

Hříšní lidé města pražského

The Phantom of Morrisville

Fear

Death Is Called Engelchen

Alarm in the Clouds

...and again that Lucy!

Merry Christmas Octopus

Desire