---
name: "Miloš Forman"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/milos-forman"
fi1m_id: "milos-forman"
imdb_id: "nm0001232"
tmdb_id: 3974
wikidata_id: "Q51525"
roles: ["Director"]
born: "18 February 1932"
died: "13 April 2018"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_fi1m_score: 88
average_as: "director"
average_over: 2
updated: "2026-10-04T19:49:15.743531+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."
---

# Miloš Forman

## Identity

Miloš Forman

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/milos-forman
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** milos-forman
- **IMDb ID:** nm0001232
- **TMDB ID:** 3974
- **Wikidata ID:** Q51525
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milo%C5%A1_Forman, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q51525, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001232/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/3974

Director. Born 18 February 1932 in Čáslav, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]. Died 13 April 2018.

## Details

- **Work:** Director
- **Born:** 18 February 1932, Čáslav, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]
- **Died:** 13 April 2018
- **Active:** 1975–1986
- **Also known as:** Milos Forman, 밀로스 포만
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 3: 1 acting, 2 directing
- **Frequently works with:** [Jack Nicholson](https://film.one/person/jack-nicholson.md), [Saul Zaentz](https://film.one/person/saul-zaentz.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 2 Oscars (2 won · 1 nominated)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 88, as director, over 2 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1970s 86 (1), 1980s 73 (2)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milo%C5%A1_Forman, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q51525, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001232/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/3974

## Fi1m on Miloš Forman

> Miloš Forman gives unruly people room to be funny, vain and difficult. We value the attention he pays to everyone around them, even when *One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest* takes the rebel's side too readily.

In *One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest* (1975), Louise Fletcher's Nurse Mildred Ratched makes an objection look like bad behaviour before anyone has considered it. We found her calm frightening because she seems so unlikely to reconsider. Jack Nicholson's Randle Patrick McMurphy enjoys making trouble, but Forman keeps the other men on the ward worth watching. That attention to people around the star is a strong reason to value him.

His Czech films, *Black Peter* (1964), *Loves of a Blonde* (1965) and *The Firemen's Ball* (1967), established his close interest in ordinary behaviour. He used non-professional actors and encouraged improvisation, looking for the small responses that make a gathering believable. His recurring collaborators included cinematographer Miroslav Ondříček and co-writers Ivan Passer and Jaroslav Papoušek. Forman's attention to faces helped him keep individuals worth noticing within a group.

The move to American features began with *Taking Off* (1971), followed by the breakthrough of *One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest*. Adaptations including *Amadeus* (1984) followed, then the portrait of performer Andy Kaufman in *Man on the Moon* (1999). Some critics found the American storytelling more conventional and missed the intimacy of the Czech films. Yet the ward in *Cuckoo's Nest* remains full of men with concerns of their own, even when Nicholson has our attention.

Brad Dourif makes Billy Bibbit's vulnerability difficult to laugh away; William Redfield gives Dale Harding a prickly intelligence. Will Sampson's Chief Bromden has weight without competing for attention. Forman's skill is in allowing these performances to remain distinct while Nicholson supplies so much of the film's energy. McMurphy's vanity and impatience also matter: the rebellion would be less interesting if its leader were easier company.

The weakness is that the film's account of mental illness is too simple, and it favours McMurphy too heavily in his contest with Ratched. Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman's screenplay gives Nicholson the greater invitation to win us over. The actors make these people complicated, but they cannot make the film's account of the institution equally convincing. Start with *Cuckoo's Nest*, but watch Fletcher as closely as Nicholson.

## Biography

Miloš Forman was a Czech-American film director, screenwriter and actor. Born Jan Tomáš Forman on 18 February 1932 in Čáslav, Czechoslovakia, he studied at the Film Faculty of the Academy of Arts in Prague. He began directing in the 1960s and became a leading figure in the Czechoslovak New Wave with films including *Loves of a Blonde* (1965) and *The Firemen's Ball* (1967).

After emigrating to the United States in 1968, Forman directed *One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest* (1975), which won five Academy Awards including Best Director. He received a second Oscar for Best Director for *Amadeus* (1984). Other notable films include *Hair* (1979), *Ragtime* (1981), *The People vs. Larry Flynt* (1996) and *Man on the Moon* (1999). He died on 13 April 2018 in Danbury, Connecticut.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, britannica.com.*

## On Fi1m (3)

### Performed in (1)

- *Heartburn* (1986), Fi1m 55, as Dimitri — [page](https://film.one/film/heartburn.md)

### Directed (2) — the average rests on these

- *Amadeus* (1984), Fi1m 91, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/amadeus.md)
- *One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest* (1975), Fi1m 86, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/one-flew-over-the-cuckoos-nest.md)

## Complete filmography (42)

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

- *Beloved* (2011), as Jaromil
- *Mark Donskoy, King and Jester* (2011), Actor
- *A Walk Worthwhile* (2009), Director
- *It Is Hell with the Princess* (2009), as čert Elrebub
- *Goya's Ghosts* (2006), Director, Screenplay
- *Nomad: The Warrior* (2005), Producer
- *Way Past Cool* (2003), Executive Producer
- *An Interview with Milos Forman* (2002), as Themself
- *Keeping the Faith* (2000), as Father Havel
- *Man on the Moon* (1999), Director
- *The People vs. Larry Flynt* (1996), Director
- *Dreams of Love* (1992), Producer
- *Why Havel?* (1991), as voice
- *New Year's Day* (1990), as Lazlo
- *Valmont* (1989), Director
- *An Afternoon in the Park* (1987), Thanks
- *Heartburn* (1986), as Dimitri — Fi1m 55, [page](https://film.one/film/heartburn.md)
- *Amadeus* (1984), Director — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/film/amadeus.md)
- *Some of Us Had Been Threatening Our Friend Colby* (1983), Executive Producer
- *Before the Nickelodeon: The Cinema of Edwin S. Porter* (1982), as Reader - The Biddle Brothers (voice)
- *Ragtime* (1981), Director
- *Hair* (1979), Director
- *One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest* (1975), Director — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/one-flew-over-the-cuckoos-nest.md)
- *Male of the Century* (1975), Idea
- *Visions of Eight* (1973), Narrator, Director
- *Taking Off* (1971), Director, Writer
- *I Miss Sonia Henie* (1971), Director, Writer
- *The Nail Clippers* (1969), Screenplay
- *The Firemen's Ball* (1967), Director, Screenplay
- *A Well Paid Walk* (1966), Director, Screenplay
- *Loves of a Blonde* (1965), Director, Story, Screenplay
- *Black Peter* (1964), Screenplay, Director, Story
- *Audition* (1964), Story, Screenplay, Director
- *There behind the forest* (1962), First Assistant Director
- *Ceiling* (1962), Actor
- *Laterna magika II* (1960), Director, Writer
- *Puppies* (1958), Story, Screenplay, First Assistant Director
- *Vintage Car* (1957), Assistant Director
- *Silvery Wind* (1956), Actor
- *Nechte to na mně* (1955), Screenplay
- *Slovo dělá ženu* (1953), Actor
- *Milos Forman: Portrait*, Actor

## Gallery

- ![A letter by Milos Forman to Milan Kohout praising his book. (2013)](https://film.one/media/person/102325/gallery-da1e75adfa5f.jpg) A letter by Milos Forman to Milan Kohout praising his book. (2013) — Milan Kohout, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/A_letter_by_Milos_Forman_to_Milan_Kohout.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Ladislav Županič (uprostřed) s Václavem Havlem a Milošem Formanem v Hudebním divadle v Karlíně na setkání při příležitosti 40. výročí vzniku divadla Semafor, 30 (1999)](https://film.one/media/person/102325/gallery-1099e4e3c1cc.jpg) Ladislav Županič (uprostřed) s Václavem Havlem a Milošem Formanem v Hudebním divadle v Karlíně na setkání při příležitosti 40. výročí vzniku divadla Semafor, 30 (1999) — Skrnik, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/Havel-Zupanic-Forman_1999-50._vyroci_Semaforu_%28divadlo_Karlin%2914042018.jpg/1280px-Havel-Zupanic-Forman_1999-50._vyroci_Semaforu_%28divadlo_Karlin%2914042018.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Reykjavík International Film Festival (RIFF), 2009. Honorary life-time achievement award for director Miloš Forman. From left to right: Hrönn Marinósdóttir, fes](https://film.one/media/person/102325/gallery-c2dc9919391e.jpg) Reykjavík International Film Festival (RIFF), 2009. Honorary life-time achievement award for director Miloš Forman. From left to right: Hrönn Marinósdóttir, fes — Alinoe, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d1/Hr%C3%B6nn_Marin%C3%B3sd%C3%B3ttir%2C_Milo%C5%A1_Forman%2C_and_%C3%93lafur_Ragnar_Gr%C3%ADmsson_%28Reykjavik%2C_2009%29.jpg/1280px-Hr%C3%B6nn_Marin%C3%B3sd%C3%B3ttir%2C_Milo%C5%A1_Forman%2C_and_%C3%93lafur_Ragnar_Gr%C3%ADmsson_%28Reykjavik%2C_2009%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Miloš Forman](https://film.one/media/person/102325/gallery-63fad601a9ab.jpg) Miloš Forman — che (Please credit as "Petr Novák, Wikipedia" in case you use this outside Wikimedia projects.), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Milos_Forman.jpg/1280px-Milos_Forman.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Miloš Forman](https://film.one/media/person/102325/gallery-fda2a5b22430.jpg) Miloš Forman — Image via TMDB
- ![Miloš Forman](https://film.one/media/person/102325/gallery-584e2fd653e5.jpg) Miloš Forman — Image via TMDB
- ![Miloš Forman](https://film.one/media/person/102325/gallery-f917e5936089.jpg) Miloš Forman — Image via TMDB
- ![Reykjavík International Film Festival (RIFF), 2009. Honorary life-time achievement award for director Miloš Forman. From left to right: Hrönn Marinósdóttir, fes](https://film.one/media/person/102325/gallery-a2e7808679b8.jpg) Reykjavík International Film Festival (RIFF), 2009. Honorary life-time achievement award for director Miloš Forman. From left to right: Hrönn Marinósdóttir, fes — Alinoe, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Milo%C5%A1_Forman_%28Reykjavik%2C_2009%29_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Miloš Forman](https://film.one/media/person/102325/gallery-c0e35f1c45a0.jpg) Miloš Forman — Image via TMDB
- ![Miloš Forman](https://film.one/media/person/102325/gallery-5a5276acb9e3.jpg) Miloš Forman — Image via TMDB
- ![Miloš Forman](https://film.one/media/person/102325/gallery-516b92f25eed.jpg) Miloš Forman — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 2 won, 1 nominated

- 1997: Best Director (nominated), for *The People vs. Larry Flynt*
- 1985: Best Director (won), for *Amadeus*
- 1976: Best Director (won), for *One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest*

### BAFTA Film Awards — 2 won

- 1977: Best Direction (won), for *One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest*
- 1977: Best Film (won), for *One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest*

### Golden Globes — 1 won

- 1984: Best Director (won), for *Amadeus*

### Berlin International Film Festival — 1 won

- 1997: Golden Bear (won), for *The People vs. Larry Flynt*

### Other awards — 6 won

- honorary citizen of Prague 2017: honorary citizen of Prague (won)
- Directors Guild of America Award 2012: Directors Guild of America Award (won)
- European Film Academy Achievement in World Cinema Award 1997: European Film Academy Achievement in World Cinema Award (won), for *The People vs. Larry Flynt*
- Czech Medal of Merit 1995: Czech Medal of Merit (won)
- Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Director 1984: Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Director (won), for *Amadeus*
- David di Donatello for Best Foreign Director 1976: David di Donatello for Best Foreign Director (won), for *One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest*

*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/milos-forman