Miloš Forman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Miloš Forman
Forman in 2009
Born	Jan Tomáš Forman (1932-02-18)18 February 1932 Čáslav, Czechoslovakia
Died	13 April 2018(2018-04-13) (aged 86) Danbury, Connecticut, U.S.
Nationality	American (from 1977) Czech
Occupation	Actor director screenwriter professor
Years active	1953–2011
Spouse(s)	Jana Brejchová ​ ​ (m. 1958; div. 1962)​ Věra Křesadlová ​ ​ (m. 1964; div. 1999)​ Martina Zbořilová ​ ​ (m. 1999)​
Children	4
Relatives	Antonie Formanová (granddaughter) Joseph J. Kohn (half-brother)
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Miloš Forman (born Jan Tomáš Forman; 18 February 1932 – 13 April 2018) was a famous Czech and American film director. He was also a screenwriter, actor, and professor. Forman became well-known in his home country, Czechoslovakia, before moving to the United States in 1968.

He was a key person in a film movement called the Czechoslovak New Wave. His 1967 film, The Firemen's Ball, was seen as a clever and funny look at the government at the time. The film was first shown when there was more freedom in Czechoslovakia. However, it was later banned by the government after the country was invaded in 1968.

Because of this, Forman had to leave Czechoslovakia and move to the United States. There, he continued to make movies and became even more successful. In 1975, he directed One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. This movie starred Jack Nicholson and was a huge hit. It was only the second film in history to win all five major Academy Awards. These awards include Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, and Best Actress.

In 1984, Forman directed Amadeus, a film about the famous musician Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. This movie was also a big success, winning eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Forman himself won another Oscar for Best Director for Amadeus. Throughout his career, he won many important awards for his films.

Miloš Forman's Early Life

Miloš Forman had a very tough childhood. Both his parents died when he was young during World War II. His mother, Anna Formanová, died in 1943. His father, Rudolf Forman, died in 1944. Close relatives and friends helped raise him.

After attending school in Náchod, he went to a boarding school in Poděbrady. Some of his classmates there included Václav Havel, who later became a president, and other future filmmakers.

Forman's Film Career

Miloš Forman started his career by making documentaries in Czechoslovakia. He worked with his friend, cinematographer Miroslav Ondříček. His first important film was Audition, a documentary about singers. He directed several comedies in his home country.

In 1968, while he was in Paris working on his first American film, his home country was invaded. His Czech film studio fired him, so he decided to move to the United States. He settled in New York and later became a film professor at Columbia University in 1978. He helped many young filmmakers, including James Mangold.

Films of the 1960s

Black Peter (1964)

Black Peter was one of the first important films of the Czechoslovak New Wave. It won an award at the Locarno International Film Festival. The movie shows the first few days of a Czech teenager's job as a security guard. He is very shy and finds it hard to confront shoplifters or talk to girls.

Loves of a Blonde (1965)

Loves of a Blonde is another well-known film from the Czechoslovak New Wave. It won awards at the Venice Film Festival and Locarno film festivals. The movie was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1967.

The Firemen's Ball (1967)

The Firemen's Ball was Forman's first film made in color. It is one of the most famous movies from the Czechoslovak New Wave. The film looks like a simple story about a firemen's party that goes wrong. However, many people saw it as a funny but sharp look at the government at the time. Because of this, the film was banned in Czechoslovakia for many years. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.

Films of the 1970s

Taking Off (1971)

Taking Off was the first movie Forman made in the United States. It won a major award at the Cannes Film Festival. The film starred Lynn Carlin and Buck Henry. Even though it won an award, the movie did not do well financially. Forman later said he ended up owing the studio money.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

After Taking Off didn't do well, producers Michael Douglas and Saul Zaentz hired Forman. They wanted him to direct a film based on the popular book One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The movie starred Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher. It was a huge success with both critics and audiences.

This film won Oscars in the five most important categories: Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Picture, and Best Adapted Screenplay. It was one of only three films in history to achieve this. This success made Forman a very respected director.

Hair (1979)

The success of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest allowed Forman to direct his long-planned film version of Hair. This movie, released in 1979, was a rock musical based on a Broadway musical. The film starred Treat Williams, John Savage, and Beverly D'Angelo. While it received good reviews, it did not earn much money.

Films of the 1980s

Ragtime (1981)

Ragtime is a 1981 American drama film directed by Miloš Forman. It is based on the 1975 historical novel by E.L. Doctorow.

Amadeus (1984)

Forman's next big achievement was the film Amadeus. This movie told the story of the famous composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri. It starred Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge, and F. Murray Abraham. The film was praised around the world and won eight Oscars. These included Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for F. Murray Abraham.

Films of the 1990s

Man on the Moon (1999)

Man on the Moon is a film about the life of the famous actor and comedian Andy Kaufman. Jim Carrey played Andy Kaufman and won a Golden Globe for his performance. The movie also starred Danny DeVito, Courtney Love, and Paul Giamatti.

Films of the 2000s

In 2000, Forman also acted in a film called Keeping the Faith. He played a wise friend to a priest in the movie.

Goya's Ghosts (2006)

Goya's Ghosts is a film about the Spanish painter Francisco Goya. This movie was made by American and Spanish companies. It starred Natalie Portman, Javier Bardem, Stellan Skarsgård, and Randy Quaid. The film did not do very well at the box office.

Miloš Forman's Personal Life

Forman gave his 18-year-old sister-in-law Hana Brejchová her first film role in Loves of a Blonde.

Miloš Forman was born in Čáslav, Czechoslovakia. His mother ran a summer hotel. When he was young, he believed his father was Rudolf Forman. Both his parents were part of a Protestant church. During World War II, his father, Rudolf Forman, was arrested for being part of the resistance. He died in a concentration camp in 1944. Forman's mother died in a concentration camp in 1943. Forman said he didn't fully understand what happened to them until he was 16.

After losing his parents, Forman was raised by his uncles and family friends. His older brother, Pavel, was a painter. Forman later found out that his biological father was an architect named Otto Kohn, who survived the Holocaust. This meant Forman had a half-brother, the mathematician Joseph J. Kohn.

When he was young, Forman wanted to work in theater. After the war, he went to a boarding school where his classmates included future president Václav Havel and filmmakers Ivan Passer and Jerzy Skolimowski. He later studied screenwriting in Prague. He moved to the United States in 1968 with his friend Ivan Passer.

Forman was married three times. His first wife was Czech movie star Jana Brejchová. He had twin sons, Petr and Matěj, with his second wife, actress and singer Věra Křesadlová [cs]. Both his sons are involved in theater. He married Martina Zbořilová in 1999, and they also had twin sons, Jim and Andy.

Forman was a professor at Columbia University. In 1996, an asteroid was named after him. He wrote poems and an autobiography called Turnaround in 1994. Miloš Forman died on 13 April 2018, at the age of 86, after a short illness. He is buried in Warren, Connecticut.

Miloš Forman's Work

Films Directed

Documentary Films

Short Films

Television Work

Acting Roles

Theatre Work

Awards and Nominations

Miloš Forman won many awards for his work as a director.

Honors and Legacy

In 1977, Miloš Forman became a citizen of the United States. He led the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1985 and the Venice Film Festival in 2000. In 2007, he was involved in a jazz opera in Prague, which was directed by his son, Petr Forman.

Forman's films One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Amadeus were chosen for the National Film Registry. This means they are considered very important culturally, historically, or artistically.

• 1965: Won a state prize for Loves of a Blonde
• 1997: Received the Crystal Globe award for his amazing contribution to world cinema.
• 1998: Given a Lifetime Achievement award by the Czech Lion Awards for his work in Czech cinema.
• 1995: Awarded the Czech Medal of Merit.
• 2006: Received the Hanno R. Ellenbogen Citizenship Award.
• 2009: Given an honorary degree from Emerson College in the US.
• 2015: Awarded an honorary degree by Columbia University.

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See also

In Spanish: Miloš Forman para niños

• List of Big Five Academy Award winners and nominees
• List of Czech Academy Award winners and nominees