Josef Hlinomaz (1914-1978)

Personality in Film art, Art section

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Actor and artist Josef Hlinomaz was born on 9th October 1914 in Prague. His family moved to Dobříš shortly after his birth and two years later to Příbram. His father Václav Hlinomaz (1873, Příbram – 1941, Příbram) was directing teacher, music composer and culture life organiser. He established music school and was chairman of Příbram Philharmonic Orchestra where he performed as a solo violinist. He led his four children (three of them were from his first marriage) towards music and culture.

Josef Hlinomaz performed amateur theatre in Příbram’s sports hall since his childhood. He was impacted by films projected in Tůma’s Cinema in Pražská Street for the rest of his life. After finishing Grammar School in Příbram, he decided to become a Geography and Art teacher. The subject was thought at ČVUT (Czech Technical University in Prague) and focused mainly on technical drawing, architecture and building construction. Hlinomaz ended up his studies after two years and decided to study Acting at State Conservatory. He graduated in 1940 and began to work in Municipal Theatre in Kladno (1941-1942). Then he worked in theatres in Pardubice (1942-1943), Prague and Pilsen.

When Nazis closed down theatres during World War II., he moved back to Příbram and returned to painting which he did for business. He acted and pained until his premature death in 1978.

In his artistic expression in the 1940s, he had imitated world’s leading modern artists and later found his own characteristic style of art he himself called “surneonaivism“. In that style, he used many colours, brushes, fantasy, sense of exaggeration and narrator talent.

Hlinomaz gained experience in many theatres: Municipal Theatre in Kladno (1945 – 1946), Realistické divadlo (1946 – 1947), Divadlo satiry (1947 – 1948), National Theatre (1949 – 1950), Pražská estráda (1951 – 1954), Divadlo satiry (1954 – 1957) and as actor ensemble of Barrandov Film Studio (1958 – 1978). He played 140 roles and his most important roles were gunman Grimpo in Limonádový Joe (1964), innkeeper Palivec in Dobrý voják Švejk (1956), fighter Čongr in movie Lidé z maringotek (1996) or TV role in Chalupáři serial.

Hlinomaz is author of many feuilletons and two books (Neuvěřitelný návrat and Majoucta aneb jsem malující šašour). In both books he thinks back on Příbram as a love of his life.

He died on heart attack on 8th August 1978 during his vacation in Split, Croatia.

Author: Hana Ročňáková