---
name: "Jiří Menzel"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/jiri-menzel"
fi1m_id: "jiri-menzel"
imdb_id: "nm0579954"
tmdb_id: 11720
wikidata_id: "Q352030"
roles: ["Director"]
born: "23 February 1938"
died: "5 September 2020"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_as: "director"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-26T16:33:12.438207+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Jiří Menzel

## Identity

Jiří Menzel

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/jiri-menzel
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** jiri-menzel
- **IMDb ID:** nm0579954
- **TMDB ID:** 11720
- **Wikidata ID:** Q352030
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ji%C5%99%C3%AD_Menzel, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q352030, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0579954/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/11720

Director. Born 23 February 1938 in Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. Died 5 September 2020.

## Details

- **Work:** Director
- **Born:** 23 February 1938, Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]
- **Died:** 5 September 2020
- **Also known as:** Jirí Menzel, Jiri Menzel, 이리 멘젤, 이리 멘첼
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 2: 1 acting, 1 directing
- **Berlin International Film Festival:** 1 Berlin prize (1 won)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ji%C5%99%C3%AD_Menzel, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q352030, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0579954/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/11720

## Biography

Jiří Menzel was a Czech film director, actor and screenwriter. Born in Prague in 1938, he studied directing at the Film and Television School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague.

He made his feature debut with *Closely Watched Trains* (1966), which he directed and co-wrote with Bohumil Hrabal, and in which he appeared as Dr. Brabec. The film won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Menzel was a leading figure in the Czechoslovak New Wave.

His other notable films as director include *Larks on a String* (1990), which won the Golden Bear at Berlin, *My Sweet Little Village* (1985) and *I Served the King of England* (2007). He died in Prague in 2020.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, nytimes.com.*

## On Fi1m (2)

### Performed in (1)

- *Daisies* (1966), Fi1m 85, as Jan (voice) — [page](https://film.one/film/daisies.md)

### Directed (1) — the average rests on these

- *Closely Watched Trains* (1966), Fi1m 82, as Dr. Brabec — [page](https://film.one/film/closely-watched-trains.md)

## Complete filmography (100)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Brouk v hlavě* (2020), Stage Director
- *The Interpreter* (2018), as Ali Ungár
- *Milan Čorba* (2014), Actor
- *The Don Juans* (2013), Director, Writer
- *Signál* (2012), as Prokeš
- *Jiří Menzel: 7 Questions* (2011), Director
- *Vyprávěj* (2009), series, as Professor Sládeček
- *Operation Dunaj* (2009), as Oskar Hazuka · Supervising Art Director
- *Setkání v Praze, s vraždou* (2009), as Hořejší
- *Teddy Bear* (2007), as Romanuv otec
- *I Served the King of England* (2007), Director, Screenplay
- *Slnko v sieti* (2006), series, Actor
- *A bárány utolsó megkísértése* (2006), as Leopold Blum
- *Zimní víla* (2006), as Komorí
- *The Sunken Cemetery* (2002), as Doktor Javorski
- *Útek do Budína* (2002), as hrabě
- *Ten Minutes Older: The Cello* (2002), Director, Screenplay
- *One Moment* (2002), Director
- *As Rita Hayworth's Grandfather Loved* (2001), as Pfarrer
- *All My Loved Ones* (1999), as Stein
- *Pražský písničkář* (1997), series, Actor
- *Hospoda* (1996), series, as MUDr. Prášek - psychiatr
- *Franciska vasárnapjai* (1996), as államtitkár
- *Draculův švagr* (1996), series, Actor
- *Vengeance Is Mine* (1995), as Director
- *Too Loud A Solitude* (1995), as Professor
- *How to Deserve a Princess* (1995), as dvorní malíř
- *Joint Venture* (1995), as Prof. Adamec
- *The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin* (1994), Director
- *Helimadoe* (1993), as Dramaturgy
- *Everything I Like* (1993), as Vasek
- *The Little Apocalypse* (1993), as Stan
- *Dr. Hrabal* (1993), Actor
- *The Beggar's Opera* (1991), Director, Adaptation, Creative Producer, Screenplay
- *The Elementary School* (1991), as Gynecologist MUDr. Kalaban
- *The Gentle Barbarian* (1990), as Doktor
- *Martha and I* (1990), as Doctor Benda
- *Strange Creatures* (1990), Actor
- *The End of Old Times* (1990), Director, Screenplay
- *Larks on a String* (1990), as Convict · Director, Screenplay
- *Audience* (1990), Director
- *Zvonokosy* (1990), as Vincek
- *Stvoření světa* (1989), Actor
- *Run, He Is Coming!* (1987), Actor
- *Dámská jízda* (1987), Actor
- *Die Schokoladenschnüffler* (1986), Director
- *My Sweet Little Village* (1985), Director
- *Albert* (1985), as Dustojník
- *The Snowdrop Festival* (1984), Director, Screenplay
- *Fandy ó Fandy* (1983), Actor
- *Hearty Greetings from the Globe* (1983), as Dr. Jánský
- *Švédská zápalka* (1983), Actor
- *Passing Fancy* (1983), Actor
- *Ferat Vampire* (1982), as Dr. Marek
- *Babička se zbláznila* (1982), Actor
- *Tři v tom* (1981), Director
- *Bulldogs and Cherries* (1981), as Waiter
- *Heart Tremors* (1981), Actor
- *Cutting It Short* (1981), Director, Screenplay
- *Povídka Malostranská* (1981), as Dr. Krumlovský
- *Hra na telo* (1980), Actor
- *Koportos* (1980), as A pap
- *Blue Planet* (1980), as Štěpán Pavlík
- *Those Wonderful Movie Cranks* (1979), Director, Screenplay
- *Minden szerdán* (1979), as János - államtitkár
- *The Apple Game* (1978), as MUDr. Josef John
- *30 Maidens and Pythagoras* (1977), as profesor matematiky Ludolf
- *Secluded, Near Woods* (1976), Director
- *Who Looks for Gold?* (1974), Director, Screenplay
- *Sechse kommen durch die Welt* (1972), as Soldat
- *Straw Hat* (1972), Actor
- *Mandragora* (1971), Stage Director, Director
- *Nevěsta* (1970), Actor
- *The Cremator* (1969), as Dvorak
- *Crime in the Night Club* (1968), as Klaun · Director, Screenplay
- *Capricious Summer* (1968), as Arnoštek · Director, Screenplay
- *Dita Saxová* (1968), as Herbert Lagus
- *Windstorm* (1967), Actor
- *Hotel for Strangers* (1967), as Pot-boy
- *The Return of the Prodigal Son* (1967), as Jirí
- *Daisies* (1966), as Jan (voice) — Fi1m 85, [page](https://film.one/film/daisies.md)
- *Flám* (1966), Actor
- *Closely Watched Trains* (1966), as Dr. Brabec · Director, Screenplay — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/closely-watched-trains.md)
- *Martin Speaking* (1966), Actor
- *Volejte Martina* (1966), Actor
- *Searching* (1966), Actor
- *Crime at the Girls School* (1966), Director, Screenplay
- *Nobody Will Laugh* (1966), Actor
- *Pearls of the Deep* (1966), as Cyclist (segment "Smrt pana Baltazara") · Screenplay, Director
- *Pension pro svobodné pány* (1965), Actor
- *If a Thousand Clarinets* (1965), as Schulze
- *Courage for Every Day* (1965), as Jarduv kolega
- *Hory hory* (1964), Actor
- *A Place in the Crowd* (1964), as (segment "Jak se kalí ocel")
- *Defendant* (1964), as obhájce Frantisek Horácek
- *Dobrá rada je nad zlato* (1964), Actor
- *Something Different* (1963), First Assistant Director
- *Our Dear Mr. Foerster Died* (1963), Screenplay, Director
- *Ceiling* (1962), Actor
- *Blocks of Flats* (1960), Director, Screenplay

## Gallery

- ![Jiří Menzel](https://film.one/media/person/3912412/gallery-d6fe7ca17832.jpg) Jiří Menzel — Jindřich Nosek (NoJin), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/Ji%C5%99%C3%AD_Menzel_III_%282017%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Zlý jelen, Národní divadlo 1989, režie: Jiří Menzel (2025)](https://film.one/media/person/3912412/gallery-077296243dbc.jpg) Zlý jelen, Národní divadlo 1989, režie: Jiří Menzel (2025) — J.Broukal, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/Zl%C3%BD_jelen_ND1989_re%C5%BEie_Ji%C5%99%C3%AD_Menzel.jpg/1280px-Zl%C3%BD_jelen_ND1989_re%C5%BEie_Ji%C5%99%C3%AD_Menzel.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Jiří Menzel](https://film.one/media/person/3912412/gallery-7abc2b40b237.jpg) Jiří Menzel — Image via TMDB
- ![Jiří Menzel](https://film.one/media/person/3912412/gallery-6194c405923a.jpg) Jiří Menzel — Image via TMDB
- ![Jiří Menzel](https://film.one/media/person/3912412/gallery-fe93b22b96b1.jpg) Jiří Menzel — Image via TMDB
- ![Jiří Menzel](https://film.one/media/person/3912412/gallery-1689dd37d6c1.jpg) Jiří Menzel — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### BAFTA Film Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- 1969: Best Film (nominated), for *Closely Watched Trains*

### Berlin International Film Festival — 1 won

- 1990: Golden Bear (won), for *Larks on a String*

### Other awards — 9 won, 3 nominated

- Master Prix 2018: Master Prix (won)
- Sun in a Net Award for Best Actor in Leading Role 2018: Sun in a Net Award for Best Actor in Leading Role (won)
- Artis Bohemiae Amicis Medal 2013: Artis Bohemiae Amicis Medal (won)
- European Film Award – People's Choice Award for Best European Film 2007: European Film Award – People's Choice Award for Best European Film (nominated), for *I Served the King of England*
- Czech Lion for Best Director 2006: Czech Lion for Best Director (won)
- Commander with Star of the Order of Merit of Hungary 2004: Commander with Star of the Order of Merit of Hungary (won)
- Crystal Globe 2003: Crystal Globe (won)
- Czech Lion Award for Unique Contribution to Czech Film 1996: Czech Lion Award for Unique Contribution to Czech Film (won)
- Czech Medal of Merit 1996: Czech Medal of Merit (won)
- Crystal Globe 1968: Crystal Globe (won)
- Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film 1968: Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film (nominated), for *Closely Watched Trains*
- National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Screenplay 1967: National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Screenplay (nominated), for *Closely Watched Trains*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/jiri-menzel