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
Happy End
(1967)
Ptáček
Operation: Daybreak
(1975)
Kafka
(1991)
Friend of Kafka
Morgiana
(1972)
Marek
Closely Watched Trains
(1966)
Priest (voice)
The Hit
(1981)
pyrotechnik Jaroslav Ticháček
The Snowdrop Festival
(1984)
Narrator in Radio (voice)
I Served the King of England
(2007)
Hotel Manager Brandejs
Marecek, Pass Me the Pen!
(1976)
Učitel Janda
Full Filmography
Acting
Where an Alibi Is Not Everything
(1961)
witness Jirka Ruml
Ceiling
(1962)
Pepik
Černá dynastie
(1962)
Don't Take Shelter From The Rain
(1962)
On the Tightrope
(1963)
Kája Micka (voice)
A Great Road Ahead
(1963)
Jaroslav Hašek
Transport from Paradise
(1963)
Black Peter
(1964)
Mára (voice)
The Cry
(1964)
Slávek
Bubny
(1965)
Honza (voice)
Courage for Every Day
(1965)
Borek
Pension pro svobodné pány
(1965)
Closely Watched Trains
(1966)
Priest (voice)
Lékař v rozpacích
(1966)
Happy End
(1967)
Ptáček
The Return of the Prodigal Son
(1967)
Zdeněk (voice)
The Nun's Night
(1967)
Karel (voice)
Bedtime Story
(1968)
Bernard Mulligan alias Bertík
Natali
(1968)
Vitalij (voice)
Dita Saxová
(1968)
D.E. Huppert
Ohnice
(1969)
Hádankář Vojta
(1969)
Hvězda
(1969)
Prague Nights
(1969)
(segment "Chlebové střevíčky")
Bellevue
(1969)
inspicient
Bahno
(1969)
Kalif čápem
(1970)
Aesop
(1970)
Parrot Trader
O tlustém pradědečkovi
(1970)
322
(1970)
Peter
Návrat pana Ryšánka
(1971)
The Matches of a Beautiful Dragoon
(1971)
Poručík Rudi Macháček
Chance
(1971)
Revizor
(1971)
Jeden ze soubojů
(1972)
The Harder They Fall
(1972)
Eddie
Morgiana
(1972)
Marek
Konfrontace
(1972)
Poslední dopis
(1973)
Pokus o vraždu
(1973)
Zbojník Ondráš
(1974)
Sen noci svatojánské
(1974)
Quails and King
(1974)
Pacovský (voice)
Výstřely v Mariánských Lázních
(1974)
Princ Chocholouš
(1974)
Půlpenny
(1974)
Operation: Daybreak
(1975)
Miracle
(1975)
Commentary (voice)
Tři muži se žralokem
(1975)
The Motive for Murder
(1975)
Capt. Havránek (segment "Kapsář")
A Girl Fit to Be Killed
(1976)
MUDr Rendl
Marecek, Pass Me the Pen!
(1976)
Učitel Janda
Vilém Rozkoč
(1976)
Fata morgana
(1976)
Tetované časom
(1976)
Engineer
Ball Lightning
(1979)
Knotek
Polská krev
(1979)
Count Boleslaw Barański
Silvestr svobodného pána
(1979)
Petr
Jak je důležité míti Filipa
(1979)
Jack Worthing
A Vampire in High-Rise
(1980)
Tomáš Růžička, přítel Evy
Demokrati
(1980)
Tím pádem
(1980)
Zločin na poště
(1981)
Proč se lidé bojí zajíců
(1981)
Narrator (voice)
Netopýr
(1981)
Eisenstein
Panenka
(1981)
Steve Carella
The Hit
(1981)
pyrotechnik Jaroslav Ticháček
Run, Waiter, Run!
(1981)
Dalibor Vrána
Spor herečky Kvapilové
(1982)
Jaroslav Hilbert
Hráči
(1983)
Icharev
Švédská zápalka
(1983)
Plášť Marie Terezie
(1983)
Jára Cimrman Lying, Sleeping
(1983)
divadelní vědec
Společnost s ručením omezeným
(1983)
Záchvěv strachu
(1984)
Bridal Tour to Jilji
(1984)
Tomáš Krchňák
The Snowdrop Festival
(1984)
Narrator in Radio (voice)
Dissolved and Effused
(1984)
Profesor Žalud
Princezny nejsou vždycky na vdávání
(1985)
Bandité
(1985)
Falsacappa
Žáku Kašíku, nežeň se!
(1985)
Prípad Platfus
(1985)
JUDr. Smutný, prokurátor
Young Wine
(1986)
Experiment Eva
(1986)
Dokonalý muž, dokonalá žena
(1986)
Výsledek testu
(1986)
The Great Movie Robbery
(1986)
Portrét krále komiků
(1987)
Himself
The End of Old Times
(1989)
Duke Alexej
Člověk proti zkáze
(1989)
Karel Čapek
Pasiáns
(1990)
Robert
Aksál
(1990)
Aksál
Audience
(1990)
Vaněk
Dětinské hry dospělých
(1990)
Flames of Royal Love
(1991)
The Beggar's Opera
(1991)
Macheath
Kafka
(1991)
Friend of Kafka
Noc rozhodnutí
(1993)
Big Beat
(1993)
Prokop
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)
Return to Paradise Lost
(1999)
Father
All My Loved Ones
(1999)
Jakub Silberstein
Elixír a Halíbela
(2001)
král
O víle Arnoštce
(2002)
král lesního palouku
ELFilm
(2003)
Konecná stanica
(2004)
Pánská jízda
(2004)
soused Lupínek
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
Hoteliér
(2013)
Cyril and Methodius – The Apostles of the Slavs
(2013)
Little Baby Jesus
(2013)
José
Korunní princ
(2015)
Čaroděj Kruciatus
Angel 2
(2016)
Saint Joseph
Jak básníci čekají na zázrak
(2016)