He graduated from DAMU, after which he played for three seasons at the Vinohrady Theatre (then the Czechoslovak Army Theatre). He then anchored at the Drama Club until 1992, where his performances won him critical acclaim. He briefly performed at the National Theatre, but left the theatre permanently in August 1994.
He became popular with the public mainly thanks to his appearances in film and television. His first major film role was given to him in 1962 by director Brynych in the film Transport from Paradise (1962). This was followed by the roles of the expectant father in The Scream (1963) and the writer Hašek, whom he played in The Great Journey (1963). In the film Man Against Destruction (1989) he played the main role of the writer Karel Čapek. From 1990 to 1995 he performed in accompanying programmes at exhibitions (Herbert Masaryk, T. G. Masaryk - Man and Art) organised by the Masaryk Democratic Movement.
In 2006 he was nominated for the Czech Lion in the category of supporting actor.
After an eight-year relationship with Nadia Urbánková, he was married to actress Libuša Šafránková from 1976 (until her death in June 2021). They have a son Josef (* 1977), who has 4 children - two sons with his first wife Denisa Grimmová, a director, sons Josef (* 2006) and Antonín (* 2009) and a daughter Laura and a son Benjamin with his second wife Ludmila.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Josef Abrhám, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Kafka
(1991)
Friend of Kafka
Closely Watched Trains
(1966)
Priest (voice)
Happy End
(1967)
Ptáček
Morgiana
(1972)
Marek
Full Filmography
Acting
Where an Alibi Is Not Everything
(1961)
witness Jirka Ruml
Ceiling
(1962)
Pepik
Don't Take Shelter From The Rain
(1962)
Černá dynastie
(1962)
Transport from Paradise
(1963)
A Great Road Ahead
(1963)
Jaroslav Hašek
On the Tightrope
(1963)
Kája Micka (voice)
The Cry
(1964)
Slávek
Black Peter
(1964)
Mára (voice)
Courage for Every Day
(1965)
Borek
Bubny
(1965)
Honza (voice)
Pension pro svobodné pány
(1965)
Closely Watched Trains
(1966)
Priest (voice)
Lékař v rozpacích
(1966)
Happy End
(1967)
Ptáček
The Nun's Night
(1967)
Karel (voice)
The Return of the Prodigal Son
(1967)
Zdeněk (voice)
Bedtime Story
(1968)
Bernard Mulligan alias Bertík
Dita Saxová
(1968)
D.E. Huppert
Natali
(1968)
Vitalij (voice)
Bellevue
(1969)
inspicient
Hádankář Vojta
(1969)
Prague Nights
(1969)
(segment "Chlebové střevíčky")
Ohnice
(1969)
Hvězda
(1969)
Bahno
(1969)
322
(1970)
Peter
Aesop
(1970)
Parrot Trader
Kalif čápem
(1970)
O tlustém pradědečkovi
(1970)
The Matches of a Beautiful Dragoon
(1971)
Poručík Rudi Macháček
Revizor
(1971)
Chance
(1971)
Návrat pana Ryšánka
(1971)
Morgiana
(1972)
Marek
Konfrontace
(1972)
Jeden ze soubojů
(1972)
The Harder They Fall
(1972)
Eddie
Pokus o vraždu
(1973)
Poslední dopis
(1973)
Půlpenny
(1974)
Výstřely v Mariánských Lázních
(1974)
Sen noci svatojánské
(1974)
Zbojník Ondráš
(1974)
Quails and King
(1974)
Pacovský (voice)
Princ Chocholouš
(1974)
Operation: Daybreak
(1975)
The Motive for Murder
(1975)
Capt. Havránek (segment "Kapsář")
Miracle
(1975)
Commentary (voice)
Tři muži se žralokem
(1975)
Marecek, Pass Me the Pen!
(1976)
Učitel Janda
A Girl Fit to Be Killed
(1976)
MUDr Rendl
Tetované časom
(1976)
Engineer
Fata morgana
(1976)
Vilém Rozkoč
(1976)
Ball Lightning
(1979)
Knotek
Jak je důležité míti Filipa
(1979)
Jack Worthing
Silvestr svobodného pána
(1979)
Petr
Polská krev
(1979)
Count Boleslaw Barański
A Vampire in High-Rise
(1980)
Tomáš Růžička, přítel Evy
Demokrati
(1980)
Tím pádem
(1980)
Run, Waiter, Run!
(1981)
Dalibor Vrána
The Hit
(1981)
pyrotechnik Jaroslav Ticháček
Panenka
(1981)
Steve Carella
Zločin na poště
(1981)
Netopýr
(1981)
Eisenstein
Proč se lidé bojí zajíců
(1981)
Narrator (voice)
Spor herečky Kvapilové
(1982)
Jaroslav Hilbert
Jára Cimrman Lying, Sleeping
(1983)
divadelní vědec
Švédská zápalka
(1983)
Hráči
(1983)
Icharev
Plášť Marie Terezie
(1983)
Společnost s ručením omezeným
(1983)
Dissolved and Effused
(1984)
Profesor Žalud
Bridal Tour to Jilji
(1984)
Tomáš Krchňák
Záchvěv strachu
(1984)
The Snowdrop Festival
(1984)
Narrator in Radio (voice)
Prípad Platfus
(1985)
JUDr. Smutný, prokurátor
Princezny nejsou vždycky na vdávání
(1985)
Žáku Kašíku, nežeň se!
(1985)
Bandité
(1985)
Falsacappa
Young Wine
(1986)
Experiment Eva
(1986)
Dokonalý muž, dokonalá žena
(1986)
The Great Movie Robbery
(1986)
Výsledek testu
(1986)
Portrét krále komiků
(1987)
Himself
Člověk proti zkáze
(1989)
Karel Čapek
The End of Old Times
(1989)
Duke Alexej
Audience
(1990)
Vaněk
Pasiáns
(1990)
Robert
Aksál
(1990)
Aksál
Dětinské hry dospělých
(1990)
The Beggar's Opera
(1991)
Macheath
Flames of Royal Love
(1991)
Kafka
(1991)
Friend of Kafka
Big Beat
(1993)
Prokop
Noc rozhodnutí
(1993)
Angelic Eyes
(1994)
Dirigent
Unexpected Encounters
(1994)
Evzen
Městem chodí Mikuláš
(1995)
Pohádka o Faustovi
(1995)
Faust
Halt, Or I'll Miss!
(1998)
Brandejs
Proces s vrahy Martynové
(1998)
All My Loved Ones
(1999)
Jakub Silberstein
Return to Paradise Lost
(1999)
Father
Elixír a Halíbela
(2001)
král
O víle Arnoštce
(2002)
král lesního palouku
ELFilm
(2003)
Pánská jízda
(2004)
soused Lupínek
Konecná stanica
(2004)
Restaurace U Prince
(2005)
král Filip I.
Černá karta
(2005)
Beauty in Trouble
(2006)
Evuen Benes
I Served the King of England
(2007)
Hotel Manager Brandejs
Kouzla králů
(2008)
král Dobromil
Fispan's Apple
(2009)
Král Ferdinand
Odcházení
(2011)
Vilém Rieger
Little Baby Jesus
(2013)
José
Cyril and Methodius – The Apostles of the Slavs
(2013)
Hoteliér
(2013)
Korunní princ
(2015)
Čaroděj Kruciatus
Jak básníci čekají na zázrak
(2016)
Angel 2
(2016)
Saint Joseph