Helena Růžičková, née Málková (13 June 1936, Prague – 4 January 2004, Pilsen) was an unforgettable Czech actress, comedian, dancer and ballet dancer who left her mark on the hearts of many generations with her extraordinary talent and unmistakable spirit. She originally graduated as a dental laboratory technician, but her life’s journey soon led her to theatrical and movie screens.
It’s been 20 years since Helena Růžičková left us, but it’s as if she’s still here. She keeps coming back to us through movies, TV roles, and most importantly, through the memories of those who knew her. Her close friend and co-author of 10 books, Mária Formáčková, remembers her every day.
“I consider it a gift of fate that Helena came into my life,” says Formáčková. They met early in her journalistic career and their paths have not parted since. Helena impressed her immediately with her openness, naturalness and generosity. “She immediately offered to tickle me and it took some time to get used to it,” she recalls.
Helena was known for her straightforward nature and uncompromising attitude to life. She was kind, but at the same time she could be very sharp. When she was disappointed in someone, she would ruthlessly remove that person from her life. Her mother Dragica’s Serbian origins, which her father brought to Czechoslovakia in the 1930s, shaped her southern character, which she often emphasized.
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