Famous Czech People

Legendary Czech ice hockey player Jaromír Jágr is known as one of the finest right wingers of his time. A 2-time World Champion and an Olympic gold medalist, he is also known for his stints with NHL teams such as the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Boston Bruins.

Ivan Reitman is a screenwriter and film and TV producer and director. He is a co-owner of The Montecito Picture Company. He attended McMaster University, where he studied music. After being fired from his first job at a TV channel, he went on to produce stage productions. Later on, he began producing films as well. 

Model, actress, and author, Paulina Porizkova, became the first woman from Central Europe to be featured on the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue in 1984. She began modeling as a teenager and became a top model in Paris during the early 1980s. She eventually began acting as well. Also a writer, she has written a few books.

Antonín Dvořák was a Czech composer who achieved worldwide recognition for his works. His life and career inspired the 1980 historical biographical film Concert at the End of Summer, in which Dvořák was played by actor Josef Vinklář. Canadian children's author Ian Krykorka has based many of his works on some of Antonín Dvořák's operas.

Hailed as one of the greatest logicians since Aristotle, Kurt Gödel was Austrian-born American mathematician, logician, and philosopher, who earned international stardom for his incompleteness theorem. Also credited with developing a technique called Gödel numbering, he later started working on Mathematical Platonism, a philosophical theory that failed to attract wide acceptance.

Born to professional tennis players, Czech-American tennis legend Ivan Lendl has eight Grand Slam titles under his belt. Known for his topspin groundstrokes, he later turned coach and was responsible for three Grand Slams of Andy Murray. Lendl also has a few Celebrity Tour golf wins in his kitty.

Miloš Forman was a Czech and American screenwriter, film director, actor, and professor. He is remembered for directing the 1975 psychological comedy drama film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, which became the second film to receive all five major Oscars. During his career, Forman won two Oscars, a César Award, and three Golden Globe Awards among other prestigious awards.

With a career-high singles ranking of 28, Czech tennis player Petra Kvitová is quite a sensation. She also won a bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She was the first player born in the 1990s to score a Grand Slam tournament win. In 2015, she was named the sixth-highest-paid female athlete by Forbes.

Petr Čech is a Czech retired football player who is currently serving as a performance and technical advisor for the popular English club Chelsea. During his playing career, Čech played as a goalkeeper and is often counted among the greatest goalkeepers of all time. Petr Čech is also considered the greatest goalkeeper in the history of the Premier League.

Milan Kundera is a Czech writer who became a naturalized French citizen in 1981 after going into exile in France in 1975. Although his Czechoslovak citizenship was revoked four years after going into exile, he received Czech citizenship in 2019, thanks to his achievements as a writer. He is the recipient of several prestigious awards, such as the Jerusalem Prize.

Karolína Kurková is a Czech-American actress and model best known for being a former Victoria's Secret Angel. Praised by the bigwigs of the modeling industry for her skills as a model, Kurková was counted among the world's highest-paid models by 2007. Also known for her humanitarian work, Kurková was honored by Women Together, a non-profit organization, in 2006.

Ferdinand Porsche was an Austrian-German automotive engineer. He is credited with founding one of the most popular car companies in the world, Porsche AG. He is also credited with creating the Lohner-Porsche mixed hybrid, the first gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle. During World War II, Porsche was a prominent contributor to the German war effort.

Adam Ondra is a Czech rock climber who specializes in bouldering and lead climbing. Widely regarded as the leading climber of his generation, Adam is the first and only male athlete so far to win World Championship titles in both lead climbing and bouldering in the same year. Adam Ondra is considered the greatest professional rock climber of all time.

Vaclav Havel was a Czech statesman, poet, playwright, and author. He is best remembered for his service as the President of the Czech Republic from 1993 to 2003. He also served as the President of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until its dissolution in 1992. Havel was a recipient of several awards including the Gandhi Peace Prize and Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Dominik Hašek is a Czech retired ice hockey player who played as a goaltender. He is counted among the greatest goaltenders and is credited with leading his national team to its first Olympic gold medal. In 2014, he was made an inductee of the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 2017, Hašek was mentioned in the 100 Greatest NHL Players list.

Josef Bican was an Austrian-Czech footballer who played as a forward. According to Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation, Bican scored more than 950 goals in 624 official matches, which makes him the second-most prolific goalscorer of all time in recorded history. In 2000, Josef Bican was honored with the Golden Ball by the IFFHS. 

Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor reigned as the king of Bohemia from 1346 until his death in 1378. In 1355, he became the first king of Bohemia to be crowned Holy Roman Emperor. Later, he was crowned king of Burgundy in 1365, making him the sole king of the Holy Roman Empire and all its kingdoms.

Jana Novotná was a tennis player best remembered for winning the 1998 Wimbledon singles title. She was also renowned as a doubles player as she won 12 Grand Slam doubles titles, achieving the Career Grand Slam twice in the process. Novotná also competed in other important tournaments like the Olympics where she won two silver medals and one bronze medal. 

Jiří Procházka is a Czech mixed martial artist and the current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. He first achieved national prominence in 2011 when he won the gold medal at the Czech National Championships for Muay Thai. Jiří Procházka also won the inaugural Czech GCF Light Heavyweight Championship title as well as the inaugural Rizin FF Light Heavyweight Championship title.

Tomáš Berdych is a Czech retired tennis player. Renowned for his powerful serve and forehand, Berdych is often counted among the best players to have never won a grand slam title. One of the most popular players to have emerged from the Czech Republic, Tomáš Berdych helped his team win the Davis Cup in 2012 and 2013.  

Silvia Saint is a Czech former pornographic actress who appeared in over 300 pornographic films. She achieved popularity in 1996 when she was named Penthouse Pet of the Year in the magazine's Czech edition. As a pornographic actress, Silvia Saint won many awards, including an AVN Award. In 2012, she was made an inductee of the AVN Hall of Fame.

Little Caprice is a Czech model, pornographic actress, and producer. Over the course of her career, Caprice has received many nominations for the prestigious AVN Award and has won the award on a couple of occasions. She has also received a couple of XBIZ Awards in her career so far.

Petr Korda is a Czech retired tennis player best known for winning the Australian Open singles in 1998. He also won the Australian Open doubles in 1996 as well as the 1994 Hopman Cup for his country. In July 1998, Petr Korda tested positive for doping. He retired the following year shortly before he was to serve a 12-month ban.

Bedrich Smetana was a Czech composer remembered for his opera, The Bartered Bride. Considered the father of Czech music, Smetana was a prodigy whose first public performance came at age six. He then went on to establish himself as one of the most important composers of Czech music. Smetana has been honored with a Walk of Fame star in Vienna.

The First Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, Alexander Dubček, was no stranger to politics as a child, being the son of a Communist Party member. He resisted the Nazi occupation, while his liberal policies later led Soviet authorities to invade Czechoslovakia. He eventually died in a car crash.

The son of former footballer Jiří Rosický, Tomáš Rosický is known as The Little Mozart for setting the tone of the game on the field. He has represented teams such as Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal and has scripted history as the fourth-highest goal-scorer of his country.

Jan Žižka was a Czech general and military leader. Today, he is regarded as a national hero in the Czech Republic for his role in the Battle of Grunwald and the Hussite Wars. Renowned for his innovative and unorthodox war tactics, Jan Žižka pioneered the usage of gunpowder.  He has been immortalized in video games, novels, and films.

Leos Janacek was a Czech composer, musical theorist, folklorist, and teacher. He is credited to have created an original, modern musical style inspired by Moravian and other Slavic folk music. He was deeply influenced by folklore and by the works of his contemporary and friend,  Antonín Dvořák. The Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra is named in his honor. 

Miloš Zeman is a Czech politician and the current President of the Czech Republic. An influential politician, Zeman served as the Prime Minister of the country from 1998 to 2002. Miloš Zeman achieved popularity as the leader of the Social Democratic Party and is credited with reviving the party into one of the major political forces in the Czech Republic.

Kristýna Plíšková is a Czech tennis player who holds the record for the highest number of aces served in a WTA Tour match, which she set while playing against Monica Puig Marchán at the 2016 Australian Open. Kristýna Plíšková has won one singles title on the WTA Tour so far.

Karolína Plíšková is a Czech tennis player best known for her powerful forehand and serve. A former world No. 1, Plíšková has reached the finals of two Grand Slam singles events so far. Karolína Plíšková has also helped her team win the prestigious Fed Cup on three occasions.

Barbora Krejčíková is a Czech tennis player best known for winning the 2021 French Open singles title. A successful doubles player, Krejčíková has won four Grand Slam doubles titles and three Grand Slam mixed doubles titles so far. Barbora Krejčíková also represented her country in the 2020 Olympic Games where she won the gold medal in the women's doubles event.

Marketa Irglova is a Czech-Icelandic musician, singer-songwriter, and actress. She is best known for starring in the 2007 Irish musical drama film Once, which earned Irglová numerous prestigious awards, such as an Oscar under the Best Original Song category for her song, Falling Slowly. 

Winner of four Olympic golds, three of which came from the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, Czech long-distance runner Emil Zatopek came to be known as the Czech Locomotive and The Bouncing Czech for his speed. He lost his Communist Party membership for criticizing the 1968 Soviet takeover of Czechoslovakia.

Czech professional tennis-player Kateřina Siniaková won Grand Slam titles at 2018 Wimbledon Championships, 2018 French Open, 2021 French Open and 2022 Australian Open; and a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in women’s doubles, all with compatriot Barbora Krejčíková. They became world No. 1 in doubles on October 22, 2018. Siniaková also won the 2018 Fed Cup with the Czech team.

Vladimir Kulich is a Czech-Canadian actor best known for his portrayal of Buliwyf in the 1999 American historical action film, The 13th Warrior. He has also appeared in popular TV series like Vikings. Prior to his acting career, Vladimir Kulich played professional ice hockey and tried his hand at many other things, including a whitewater river rafting business.

Austrian architect Adolf Loos is often compared to American architect Frank Lloyd Wright in terms of his contribution. Loos believed architecture shouldn’t contain the extra elements and ornaments promoted by Art Nouveau. Mostly known for his residential projects, he built modern buildings such as the Goldman and Salatsch Building.

Jarmila Kratochvílová is a Czech retired track and field athlete known for winning gold medals in the 800m and 400m events at the 1983 World Championships and setting a world record in the process in the 400m event. In 1983, she also set a world record in the 800m event. Kratochvílová also won a silver medal at the 1980 Olympics.

Albrecht von Wallenstein was a Bohemian statesman and military leader best remembered for his role in the Thirty Years' War. During the war, he served as the supreme commander of the armies of Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II.  By the time of his death, Wallenstein was one of the most influential and richest men in the Holy Roman Empire.

Lucie Šafářová is a Czech retired tennis player best known for her achievements in major doubles events such as Grand Slams. The former world No. 1 in doubles, Šafářová won five Grand Slam doubles, including two Australian Open and two French Open. Lucie Šafářová also earned a bronze medal for her country at the 2016 Olympics along with Barbora Strýcová.

Barbora Strycova is a Czech retired tennis player best known for winning the 2019 Wimbledon in the women's doubles event. She also won the bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games along with Lucie Šafářová. Strycova was an important member of the Czech Republic team that dominated the Fed Cup for almost a decade; she won six Fed Cup titles.