Olga Haasova

Olga Haasová Wiki: Milan Kundera’s Wife, Age, Children, Family, Biography, Career & More

 

Olga Haasová was a Czech singer and actress who was best known as the first wife of Milan Kundera, one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. She was also the niece of Hugo Haas, a famous actor and filmmaker, and the daughter of Pavel Haas, a composer who died in Auschwitz. She had a successful career on stage, performing in various operettas and musicals in Brno and other cities. She was the muse behind Kundera’s play “The Owners of the Keys” and influenced his early literary works. She died on December 11, 2022, at the age of 85.

Early Life and Education

Olga Haasová was born on November 1, 1937, in Brno, Czechoslovakia. She came from a family of artists and intellectuals. Her father was Pavel Haas, a Jewish composer who studied with Leoš Janáček and created several operas, symphonies, and chamber music. Her mother was Soňa Haasová, a pianist and music teacher. Her uncle was Hugo Haas, a renowned actor, and director who starred in many Czech films and later moved to Hollywood.

Haasová had a tragic childhood, as her father was arrested by the Nazis in 1939 and deported to the Theresienstadt concentration camp in 1941. He was later transferred to Auschwitz, where he was killed in the gas chamber in 1944. Olga and her mother survived the war by hiding in various places with the help of friends.

She showed an early talent for music and singing. She attended the Brno Conservatory, where she studied voice and piano. She graduated in 1959 and joined the opera company of the Reduta Theatre in Brno.

Career

Olga Haasová had a long and fruitful career as a singer and actress. She performed in many operettas and musicals at the Reduta Theatre from 1960 to 1990, with a brief interruption in the late 1960s when she moved to Prague with her husband Milan Kundera. She also appeared in other theatres in Brno, such as the Municipal Theatre and the Satirical Theatre Večerní Brno. She guest-starred in theatres in Ostrava and Olomouc as well.

Some of her most notable roles included Kristina in Čapek’s “The Makropulos Affair”, Augusta Panicetti in Gordi Kramer’s “When It’s Sunday in Rome”, Dolly Levi in “Hello, Dolly!”, Anna Glavari in “The Merry Widow”, Hanna Glawari in “The Count of Luxembourg”, Rosalinda in “Die Fledermaus”, Eliza Doolittle in “My Fair Lady” and Maria von Trapp in “The Sound of Music”. She was praised for her beautiful voice, expressive acting and charming personality.

Olga Haasová was the first wife of Milan Kundera

Haasová also devoted herself to preserving and promoting the legacy of her father Pavel Haas. She organized concerts, exhibitions, and publications featuring his works. She also recorded some of his songs for radio and television.

Milan Kundera’s Death Cause

Milan Kundera was a renowned Czech-born French author who died on July 11, 2023, in Paris, his longtime publisher Gallimard said. He was 94 years old and had been suffering from a long illness.

Kundera was best known for his novel The Unbearable Lightness of Being, which explored the themes of love, identity, politics, and fate in the backdrop of the 1968 Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. The novel was adapted into a 1988 film starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Juliette Binoche.

Milan Kundera died at 94

Kundera was also the author of other acclaimed works such as The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, The Joke, Immortality, and Slowness. He wrote in both Czech and French, and his books have been translated into dozens of languages.

Marriage with Milan Kundera

Olga Haasová married Milan Kundera in 1956 when they were both students at the Brno Conservatory. They met through their mutual friend Ludvík Vaculík, a writer and dissident. Kundera was impressed by Olga’s beauty, intelligence, and artistic talent. He dedicated his first novel “The Joke” to her and used her as an inspiration for his play “The Owners of the Keys”, which depicted their relationship and their involvement in the Prague Spring of 1968.

Olga Haasová’s Husband Milan Kundera

However, their marriage did not last long. They separated in 1970 and divorced in 1973. The reasons for their breakup are not clear, but some sources suggest that they grew apart due to their different personalities, careers, and political views. Kundera left Czechoslovakia in 1975 after his books were banned by the Communist regime. He settled in France with his second wife Věra Hrabánková, whom he married in 1967.

Boyfriend & Relationships

Haasová remained in Czechoslovakia and continued her career on stage. In 1972, she met Vladimír Smrčka, a scenographer and painter who worked at the Reduta Theatre. They became life partners and lived together until his death in 2017.

Olga did not have any children. She was very close to her mother Soňa, who died in 2000 at the age of 93. She also maintained contact with her uncle Hugo Haas, who died in 1968 in Los Angeles.

Death

Olga Haasová died on December 11, 2022, in Brno. She was 85 years old. The cause of her death was not disclosed, but she had been suffering from health problems for some time. She was buried at the Central Cemetery in Brno, next to her father Pavel Haas, and her partner Vladimír Smrčka.

 

Her death was mourned by her colleagues, friends and fans. The National Theatre in Brno paid tribute to her on its Facebook page, calling her “a long-time soloist of the opera company, a remarkable personality and a great artist”. The theatre also announced that it would dedicate a performance of “The Makropulos Affair” to her memory.

BIO/WIKI

Name	Olga Haasová
Birth date	November 1, 1937
Birthplace	Brno, Czechoslovakia
Death date	December 11, 2022
Death place	Brno, Czechia
Age	85 years old
Occupation	Singer & Actress
Spouse	Milan Kundera (1956-1973)
Partner	Vladimír Smrčka (1972-2017)
Parents	Pavel Haas and Soňa Haasová
Relatives	Hugo Haas (uncle)

10 Facts About Olga Haasová

• Olga Haasová was the first wife of Milan Kundera, one of the most influential writers of the 20th century.
• She was a singer and actress who performed in many operettas and musicals at the Reduta Theatre in Brno and other theatres in Czechoslovakia.
• Haasová was the daughter of Pavel Haas, a Jewish composer who was killed by the Nazis in Auschwitz, and the niece of Hugo Haas, a famous actor and filmmaker who moved to Hollywood.
• Olga married Milan Kundera in 1956 when they were both students at the Brno Conservatory. They met through their mutual friend Ludvík Vaculík, a writer and dissident.
• She inspired Kundera’s play “The Owners of the Keys”, which depicted their relationship and their involvement in the Prague Spring of 1968.
• Olga divorced Milan Kundera in 1973 after they had separated in 1970. Kundera left Czechoslovakia in 1975 and settled in France with his second wife Věra Hrabánková.
• Haasová met Vladimír Smrčka, a scenographer and painter, in 1972. They became life partners and lived together until his death in 2017.
• Haasová devoted herself to preserving and promoting the legacy of her father Pavel Haas. She organized concerts, exhibitions and publications featuring his works. She also recorded some of his songs for radio and television.
• She died on December 11, 2022, in Brno. She was 85 years old. She was buried at the Central Cemetery in Brno, next to her father Pavel Haas, and her partner Vladimír Smrčka.
• Olga was praised for her beautiful voice, expressive acting, and charming personality. She was remembered as “a long-time soloist of the opera company, a remarkable personality, and a great artist” by the National Theatre in Brno.