Václav Kotva

• Name — Václav Kotva • Born — 20 January 1922 • Birthplace — Radnice, Czechoslovakia • Died — 3 November 2004 • Place of death — Prague, Czech Republic • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 1966–2004

After graduation in the 1950s Kotva became a teacher. As a practising Christian, Kotva was regarded as politically suspect and potentially disloyal by the Czechoslovak communist administration; he was permitted to teach only in remote rural regions.

Kotva participated in amateur theatre in his hometown, Radnice, and began acting professionally in Ostrava, at the regional Petra Bezruče Theatre, in 1959. In 1965 he moved to Prague, becoming a founding member of the Činoherní klub theater there. The Činoherní klub became a centre of Czech cultural life during the 1960s and remained so during the 1970s. Kotva remained active at the Činoherní klub until the 1990s. He won critical acclaim for his roles in classical Russian drama, including Gogol's The Government Inspector and The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov. He also made guest appearances at the National Theatre (Prague).