Actor Otakar Jirák, Czech voice of Alf and Obelix, has died at 77

Czech actor, entertainer and presenter Otakar Jirák (1949–2026) has died. Audiences remember him above all for his deep, unmistakable voice and for iconic characters of Czech dubbing and television.

The voice of beloved characters

Jirák voiced the alien Alf in the sitcom of the same name, Manny the mammoth in the Ice Age series, Obelix in Asterix and the Vikings, and Tigger from Winnie the Pooh. For many years he worked on children’s programmes for Czech Television, above all on “Studio Kamarád”, where he played and voiced Hele from the famous duo Jů and Hele.

He is also remembered for striking film roles, such as the eccentric Uncle František in the film adaptation of “Saturnin” (1994). He appeared in the TV series “Ordinace v růžové zahradě”, “Slunečná” and “Ať žijí rytíři!”. In recent years, after prolonged health problems, he withdrew from public life. The motto of his death notice reads: “Small in stature, but huge thanks to his heart, kindness and empathy.”

From puppet theatre to TV series

The actor was born in Debř near Mladá Boleslav. After graduating from the puppetry faculty of the Prague academy DAMU, he worked at Karel Makoň’s theatre (1969–1971), Alfréd Ctibor Turba’s circus (1973–1980), Boris Hybner’s GAG (1980–1985) and the Provisional Theatre of Fr. R. Čech (1985–1990), to which he returned in 1998–2000. In 1991–1995 he performed as a guest at Prague’s Semafor theatre, and in 2003–2009 he was a permanent member of the Municipal Theatre in Mladá Boleslav.

He first appeared in front of a TV camera in 1976 in Ján Roháč’s film “Three Beetles”, where he performed alongside Bolek Polívka and Josef Dvořák. His other work includes “Arabela se vrací”, “Casa rosa”, “Život na zámku”, “O perlové panně”, “Byl jednou jeden polda III”, “Anynka a čert” and “Velká kočičí pohádka”. His best-known role in recent years was Chief Physician Pantoflíček in “Ordinace v růžové zahradě”.

After a five-year break, Jirák returned to the stage of the Mladá Boleslav theatre as Richard Načeradec in the successful musical comedy “Muži v offsidu”.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz