Biography
Jiří Šlitr was a Czech composer, pianist, singer, actor and painter. Born on 15 February 1924 in Zálesní Lhota, he studied law at Charles University in Prague before pursuing music professionally. In 1948 he co-founded the Czechoslovak Dixieland Jazz Band, and from the late 1950s he formed a long-running creative partnership with Jiří Suchý at the Semafor Theatre in Prague.
Šlitr composed music for numerous films of the Czechoslovak New Wave, including Black Peter (1964) and Daisies (1966, with Jiří Šust). He also appeared as an actor in several productions and wrote songs and stage works for Semafor. He died in Prague on 26 December 1969.
