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Hana Hegerová
Hana Hegerová, foto Jovan Dezort IMG 2624a.jpg
Hegerová on 10 February 2006
Born (1931-10-20)20 October 1931
Bratislava, Czechoslovakia
Died 23 March 2021(2021-03-23) (aged 89)
Occupation
  • Singer
  • actress
Years active 1953–2011
Spouse(s) Dalibor Heger (div.)
Children Matúš Heger (1955–2015)
Musical career
Genres Chanson
Instruments Vocals

Hana Hegerová (born October 20, 1931 – died March 23, 2021) was a famous Slovak singer and actress. People often called her the Queen of Czechoslovak Chanson. She became very popular for singing chansons, which are like story-songs. Hana Hegerová was also well-known in German-speaking countries. She lived in Prague, Czech Republic.

Her Life and Career

Hana Hegerová was born Carmen Mária Štefánia Farkašová. Her father, Ján Farkaš, worked as a bank clerk. From 1937 to 1942, she went to ballet school in Bratislava. After finishing school in 1950, she worked as a clerk and a teacher. From 1951 to 1953, she studied theater. In 1957, she joined a theater group in Žilina.

In 1954, Hana Hegerová acted in a film called Frona. She used the name Hana Čelková. In 1957, she started singing in Bratislava. Later, she moved to Prague. She performed at the Rokoko Theatre from 1958 to 1961. Then, from 1961 to 1966, she sang at the Semafor Theater. There, she was in a jazz opera and a film called Kdyby tisíc klarinetů (If a Thousand Clarinets).

Hana Hegerová sang many chansons by Czech and Slovak writers. She also sang Czech versions of famous songs. These included "Mylord" by Édith Piaf and "Ne me quitte pas" by Jacques Brel. She also sang songs by Kurt Weill.

In 1967, Hana Hegerová performed at the famous Paris Olympia theater. She sang songs by Jacques Brel and Charles Aznavour. She also performed at the World's Fair in Montreal.

From 1977 to 1981, during a time called "normalization" in Czechoslovakia, she could not perform much. Her concerts were limited. After the Velvet Revolution in 1989, she started performing more often. She won many music awards during this time. For example, she received the Platinum Disc in 1992. She also won the Czech Gramy award in 1996. In 2002, Czech President Václav Havel gave her a special award called the Medal of Merit.

In August 2011, Hana Hegerová announced she was retiring from music. She said she wanted to stop singing and enjoy a peaceful life. In December 2014, she was in the hospital for heart problems. Hana Hegerová passed away on March 23, 2021.

Music Albums

Films and TV Shows

Hana Hegerová also appeared in several films and TV shows:

Year Title Director(s)
Original English
1954 Frona Frona Jiří Krejčík
1957 Tam na konečné At the Terminus Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos
1960 Přežil jsem svou smrt I Survived Certain Death Vojtěch Jasný
Policejní hodina The Hour of the Cop Otakar Vávra
1962 Zhasněte lampióny Turn Off Lanterns Ján Roháč and Vladimír Svitáček
Neděle ve všední den A Weekday Sunday Félix Máriássy
1963 Naděje The Hope Karel Kachyňa
Konkurs Audition Miloš Forman
1965 Kdyby tisíc klarinetů If a Thousand Clarinets Ján Roháč and Vladimír Svitáček
1966 Dobře placená procházka (TV film) A Well-Paid Walk Miloš Forman and Ján Roháč
1967 Ta naše písnička česká This Is Our Czech Song Zdeněk Podskalský
Sedm žen Alfonse Karáska Seven Wives of Alfons Karásek
1974 Třicet případů majora Zemana Thirty Cases of Major Zeman Jiří Sequens
1988 Lovec senzací Stunner-fisher Martin Hollý
1989 Fabrik der Offiziere [de] (TV series) The Officer Factory Wolf Vollmar
1991 Poslední motýl The Last Butterfly Karel Kachyňa
2006 Kde lampy bloudí Where the Lamps Roam Jakub Kohák
2008 Nestyda Nasty Jan Hřebejk

Awards and Honors

Hana Hegerová received many awards for her singing and acting.

Major Awards

Year Nominated work Award Category Result
1962 "Szeptem" Sopot Festival Contest of Polish Songs – Best Interpretation Silver
"Ošklivá neděle" International contest – Best Song Bronze
The Critics' Prize Won
1968 Unknown Prague City Award Unknown Won
1969 Festwochen Wiesbaden Won
1983 tz Rose July 15–22 Won
1988 Potměšilý host Golden Note Best Album Won
"Levandulová" Best Song (shared with P.Hapka) Won
Herself Best Female Singer Won
2010 Anděl Awards Female Singer of the Year Nominated
Mlýnské kolo v srdci mém Album of the Year Nominated

Lifetime Honors

Special Honors and Achievements
1974 Herself H-D.Genscher Prize Goldene Europa Honored
Académie française Ordre du Mérite de l’Education Artistique – Chevalier Honored
1995 Gramy Awards The Hall of Fame Inducted
2002 Václav Havel Prize The Medal of Merit Honored
2007 MOFFOM Award Lifetime Achievement in Music Film Honored
2012 Prague 1 Assembly Honorary citizenship Honored
2013 Pierre Lévy Prize Ordre national du Mérite – Commandeur Honored
2014 Miloš Zeman Prize Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk – 1st Class Honored
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