Naďa Urbánková Explained

Naďa Urbánková
Birth Name:Naděžda Balabánová
Birth Date:30 June 1939
Birth Place:Nová Paka, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
Death Place:Prague, Czech Republic
Nationality:Czech

Naďa Urbánková (born Naděžda Balabánová; 30 June 1939 – 3 February 2023) was a Czech singer and actress.

Life and career

Born in Nová Paka, Urbánková grew up in Borovnička and graduated as a nurse at the Higher Medical School in Trutnov.[1] After some experience in amateur dramatics, she made her professional stage debut in 1959 in the Pardubice Theatre. After marrying the actor she moved to Prague, where she worked at Magician's Lantern and was part of the CSSPT (the).

Urbánková had her breakout in 1964, when she started a ten-years-run in the stage company of the Semafor theatre, and made her film debut in the successful musical If a Thousand Clarinets. In the 1960s and 1970s, she appeared in Closely Watched Trains, Larks on a String and Seclusion Near a Forest. As a singer, her major hits were "Závidím" (Czech cover of "Il ragazzo della via Gluck") and "Drahý můj" (Czech cover of "A Dear John Letter"), in duet with Jiří Grossmann. She was later part of the 's Country Beat band.[2] Starting from 1972, she won five Golden Nightingales in a row.[3]

Urbánková died on 3 February 2023, from complications from cancer and COVID-19, at the age of 83.

Notes and References

  1. News: Zemřela zpěvačka a herečka Naďa Urbánková. Bylo jí 83 let . 10 February 2023 . . 4 February 2023 . cs.
  2. News: Štefl . Jiří . Zemřela Naďa Urbánková. "Závidět může člověk jen život," říkala o boji s rakovinou . 10 February 2023. Czech Radio. 4 February 2023 . cs.
  3. News: Na svoj hrob videla Naďa Urbánková († 83) z okna: Speváčka si svoj pohreb do detailov premyslela! . 10 February 2023 . . 9 February 2023 . sk.