Jiří Kodet

Jiří Kodet hailed from a prominent Czech theatrical lineage, being the son of renowned actress Jiřina Steimar and sculptor Jan Kodet. Following the divorce of his parents, his mother remarried car racer Jaroslav Juhan, who later emigrated. This tumultuous family background affected Kodet's education; he faced expulsion from grammar school and had to apply twice before gaining admission to the Theater Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts (DAMU).

Kodet left DAMU before completing his degree and launched his acting career at the East Bohemian Theatre in Pardubice from 1961 to 1962. He then joined the Artistic Military Ensemble in Prague, where he performed from 1962 to 1964, touring extensively across Czechoslovakia alongside future colleagues Jiří Hrzán and Petr Skoumal. In 1963, he caught the attention of director Jan Kačer, who invited him to join the Petr Bezruč Theatre in Ostrava, where he worked until 1965. The following year, he became a prominent member of the Prague Drama Club, which included several artists from his Ostrava days. In 1991, he was welcomed into the drama company of the National Theatre in Prague.

While he initially took on minor roles in film and television, it was later in his career that Kodet gained recognition for significant performances, particularly in director Jan Hřebejk's acclaimed films, including "Divided We Fall" and the immensely popular "Cosy Dens," which became a highlight of his filmography.