Acting

Nataša Gollová

Born 27 February 1912 · Brno, Czechoslovakia · Died 29 October 1988 at 76

Nataša Gollová was a Czech film and stage actress. She was born on February 27, 1912, in Brno into an esteemed family. Her father, F. X. Hodáč, had an illegitimate daughter, Marcella, with the actress Andula Sedláčková. Marcella later became an actress as well. Nataša graduated from the gymnázium Elišky Krásnohorské and continued her studies at Charles University, though she did not graduate. She dedicated her time to playing the piano, horseback riding, and studying languages. She studied acting and dance privately. For some time, she spent time in Paris. Nataša secured her first engagement in 1934 at the Olomoucké divadlo, where she stayed for one season. The following year, she moved to the Slovenské národné divadlo, where she performed alongside her former boyfriend, actor František Vnouček. Together, they moved to Prague later that same year and began performing at the Vinohradské divadlo. Nataša worked there until 1944, and František until 1945. The couple broke up before the end of the war. Because of her role in a German movie under the name Ada Goll and her romantic relationship with a German, Willy Söhnel, she was prosecuted after the war. Her volunteering in Terezín at the end of the war, where she contracted typhus, did not help her either. Ultimately, the prosecution against her was dropped. The first film she made, in 1932, was „Kantor Ideál. In the beginning, she played serious roles, even though her acting type was rather comedic. Her second film, „Bezdětná“ (1935), did not receive very good reviews. More positive reviews came in 1939 with the films „Studujeme za školou“, „Příklady táhnou“, and the legendary films „Kristian“, „Eva tropí hlouposti“, and „Dívka v modrém“. Until the end of the war, she also starred in projects such as „Roztomilý člověk“ (1941), „Hotel Modrá hvězda“ (1941), and „Šťastnou cestu“ (1943). She frequently filmed with her close friend, Adina Mandlová. From 1946, she performed at the Jihočeské divadlo, Divadlo na Fidlovačce, and she remained at the Městská divadla pražská until the end of her theatrical career. She did not appear in film again until 1951 in the movie „Císařův pekař – pekařův císař“. For the rest of her life, she received only smaller roles. Better-known films from this period include „Spalovač mrtvol“ (1968) or „Drahé tety a já“ (1974). She made her final film, „Chladna z rána“, in 1983. In 1947, she married director Karel Konstantin, with whom she remained until his death in 1962. At the end of her life, she struggled with alcohol and often drank heavily. She died at the Care home Sulická on October 29, 1988, at the age of 76.