Czech Pavel Trávníček played in the slowak debut of a director known to Václav Vorlíček before 3nfc. Václav Vorlíček had noticed him and called his friend, when he was looking for someone to fit the role of the prince in 3nfc. Vorliček's acquaintance told him, yes, Trávníček played in my film, but actually he still attends the fimschool JAMU in Brno. Nevertheless Vorlíček called the young Czech, and invited him to show him the script. Trávníček was keen on it, and Vorlíček was enthusiastic about the young man. The only problem was, that the "prince" could not ride a horse. But some horserinding-lessons remedied that. In the Czech edition of the film, Pavel is dubbed by Petr Svojtka. This was, as Lubomír explained in the guestbook, absolutely neccesary, because of the very bad Brno-accent, the student Trávníček had in these days.

But his accent got better and since the 1980s Pavel himself often dubbed, e.g. Richard Roundtree in "City Heat", Steve Guttenberg in "The Bedroom Window" (a remake of Hitchcock's "Rear Window", 1987), 1988 Alec Baldwin in "Working Girl", Chuck Norris in "Sidekicks" (1992), 1996 Jeff Goldblum in "Independence Day" and 2002 Obelix in "Mission Cleopatra".

Besides he dubs Hawkeye (Alan Alda) for the Czech edition of M*A*S*H. Alda's cynic humor pleases Trávníček, but the American actor is hard to synchronize, Trávníček reports in the Czech TV-paper "Televize", because he "is very sehr energetic and cabable of blowing off an unbelievable fast cascade of bombast jokes. I was busy standing the pace."

Pavel besides acting is interested in music. He has grown up in a very musical family, whose head would have liked all children to become professional musicians. Only Pavels sister Marta realized her father's dream, studied flute and gave concerts. Today she only teaches. Pavel explains that with her great stagefright when performing. Her brother had to learn piano, then his grandfather gave him a trumpet. Pavel even studied music in Brnó, but went over to acting, his father could support only after he saw, that money could be earned with that. In Pavel's opinion you cannot conceal anything while making music, that this is possible when acting, and that you get many parts - also in TV - if you know the right persons.

Indeed, he performed in many fairytale movies, sometimes together with Libuše, e.g. "Prince and Eveningstar", "The Saltprince" and "The Third Prince". They all are quite nice, but cannot nearly reach 3nfc, I think. His todays perfomrance on TV is surprisingly that of a showmaster. Supposing I understood everything correctly, on DO-RE-Mi nobodies present their musical talent and are rated by a jury. Pavel uses to sing in his show, a skill he had to train within his studies (telling to have hated particularly the singing lessons). Apparently studying has helped, because our prince has published a CD. Turning up their noses, the two clerks in the Supraphon store in Prague warned me, that it is not very good and pretended, not to have it, when I asked, if they got it there.

If you want to try it anyway: it is called "Zpívá Pavel Trávníček ("Pavel Travniček sings") and can be ordered in teh Czech Republic at Bonton. Pavel sings songs of Jiří Schneider with titles like "Táta" (Daddy) or "Tráva zelená" (green gras).

By the way: It was a long time ago that our prince was independent. After two broken marriages with Simona Stašová and Helena Ditrtová and two sons, Adam and Pavel, he got married a third time at the age of 49 in summer 2000.

The wedding with blonde Lucii Vrbová, a 23-year-old employee of his own Skelet-Theater was taken in the Czech Republic as the wedding of the century. The celebration took place near Prague in the luxury hotel S.E.N. About 200 guests, some of them celebrities had been invited and the party costed the bridegroom 1 milion Koruns (about 33.000 €). A man who can afford a manor in Mnichovicích near Prague for seven million, should not come down handsomely at his wedding. But this marriage, too, did not last. Lucii is reported to have behaved "not really nicely" after the wedding, we heard from our Prague-Correspondant, Mona. Marraige only lasted half a year.

But our Prince still isn't available for us lower creatures ;-). Since 2007 he is dating 37-year-younger Monika Fialková. In the Czech Republic he must be known as Prince Charming, because women fall for him. Like on this occasion: Visiting an opening-party of some new pub he brought his girlfriend but later was seen flirting heavily with a model. Our Pavel might not be able to stand young, attractive ladies. Some time ago we read in some interview: "Jsem velmi kladný k ženám". which means "I am very positive towards women." (Thanks to Mona for collecting these boulevard news).

Sadly Pavel could not keep up his success in movies half as good as Popelka could. When the regular five-year-contract with the Prague City Theatre was over, he founded Agency Marcus and 1998 his own theatre, the "Skelet". The name reminds the oustanding meaning of comedy: Comedy is for theater what the skeleton is for the body: the supporting structure. So on Divadlo Skelet only comedies are shown, in which our prince performed leading parts in somewhat weird costumes.

Since then Pavel Trávníček moved around in Prague with his Skelet several times. 2002 it was in Opletalova Street (see picture) near Saint Wenceslas square and the National Museum. Then he moved for a short period into Blaník, a big cinema at Saint Wenceslas square, but this became too expensive. Since 2006 Skelet was a part of "Theatre Illusion Biograf" in Vinohradská. Trávníček bought the former cinema "Bio Illusion" after their bankruptcy and filled it with his vision of not only showing films, but playing theatre and organising other cultural events there like multimedia-shows, artists' campaigns and so on.

As our Prague-correspondant Mona reported, he had to leave again in 2007 after - if you like to believe into the Czech boulevard - he did not pay the rent for several months. But he is still in good spirits and believes optimistically, that his theatre will live on. Trávníček and his team are looking for a new home, yet again.

For some time past Pavel is occasionally seen in Germany. His last visit took him in May 2009 to Moritzburg castle, where he was interviewed by a group of children, who were on a cultural trip through the German and Czech regions along the river Elbe (see on the left). (Many thanks to Heiko Cinibulk, Saxonia Entertainment!)

After all Pavel Trávníček has some wise words for his fans. When asked, if he was a romantic person, he once answered: "A romantic attitude is a good attitude to life. For in life it is always more interesting, what you want, then what you already have. Like the saying: "You kill your dreams by realising them." If a person stops dreaming, he stops being a child." Pavels own dreams are very likeable: He would like to have a bower at the sea...

You can see some big photos from 2008 in a norwegian online-paper (Thanks to Jim O.!!)

Filmography:

Quellen:

• 2009er photo above left: Heiko Cinibulk/MDR
• big photos pavel6.jpg, pavel7.jpg and pavel8.jpg by courtesy of Heiko Cinibulk/MDR
  Pavel Travnicek visits Moritzburg castle for an interview with a group of children within the project "Arche Europa" on April, 25th 2009
• Václav Vorlíček on 2002er Czech DVD "Tri oríšky pro Popelku", Zlatý Fond České Kinematografie 2002, translated to German by Renata Susewind
• Jan Rychetský: Odrostlý princ chce stále zustat dítetem, in: Blesk Magazín, (http://www.bleskmag.cz/8036/00013593.htm), Übersetzung Uwe Kessler (Danke, Uwe!)
  Svatba století in: Televize 41/00; http://www.televize.cz/2000041/00418237.htm, Übersetzung von Reinhardt Werner (Danke!!)
• Holger Ebermann: Pavel Travnicek in: Der Tschechisch-Slowakische SerienIndex http://www.geocities.com/phonik2/travnicek.html
• Holger Ebermann: Přítelkyne z domu smutku in: Der Tschechisch-Slowakische SerienIndex, online unter http://www.geocities.com/phonik2/pritelkyne.html
• Pavel Trávníček in: http://www2.webpark.cz/booboo/Actors1968_89.htm
• www.skelet.cz
• http://www.sonymusicbonton.cz/ukaz_cd.php?cd=94
• Fotos des Divadlo Skelet von Kathrin Richter
• andere Fotos von http://www.bleskmag.cz/8036/00013593.htm
• Hochzeitsfotos von http://www.televize.cz/2000041/00418237.htm
• Eva Pilarová in: http://www.slav.cz/slavici/ples2002/pilarova/
• Princ Trávníček je principálem (a chce být králem...) in: TV Plus 16/2006, online unter http://www.televize.cz/scripts/detail.php?id=22430
• Tereza Spáčilová: BIO ILLUSION Otevřený životopis jednoho kina in: Instinkt č.08 - 23.02.2006, online unter: http://www.instinkt-online.cz/obsah/default.asp?rok=2006&cislo=08&id=14