Dana Vávrová

Vávrová was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia and played her first main film role in Ať žijí duchové! (English: Long Live the Ghosts!) in 1976, having played a minor role in Jak se točí Rozmarýny. In 1979 she played a minor role in the television mini-series Arabela. In 1982, she played the main role as Janina David in the German television mini-series Ein Stück Himmel, and was awarded the Goldene Kamera, the Goldener Gong, and an Adolf Grimme Award. In this mini-series, Joseph Vilsmaier was one of the cinematographers. In parallel with her acting, she attended the Prague Conservatory from 1981 to 1985. After some further roles including the films Amadeus and Pan Tau, she played the main role of Anna Wimschneider in Herbstmilch (English: Autumn Milk) under the directorship of Joseph Vilsmaier, whom she had married in 1986. Together with Werner Stocker, she won the Bayerischer Filmpreis and the Deutscher Filmpreis for this role. In addition to acting, she also directed films, the last one being to complete the Artur Brauner production The Last Train, (German: Der letzte Zug) after Joseph Vilsmaier, who had been directing, was involved in an accident. Vávrová was awarded a Bundesverdienstkreuz. The three daughters of Vávrová and Vilsmaier, Janina Vilsmaier, Theresa Vilsmaier and Josefina Vilsmaier, are also active as actresses. Vávrová's older sister, Hana Heřmánková, is a television presenter in the Czech Republic. Dana Vávrová died of cervical cancer in Munich, Germany on 5 February 2009. She was 41 years old.

1995: Wia die Zeit vergeht (documentary film about the musician Hubert von Goisern) 1996: Hunger – Sehnsucht nach Liebe 2000: Bear on the Run 2006: Der letzte Zug (directed by Dana Vávrová and Joseph Vilsmaier)