1960s
She hoped to study languages or art history at university, but she lacked the so-called "confidential files" (issued by Communist Party of Czechoslovakia). Eventually she was able to enroll at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava to study theater.
During college she had supporting roles in two black-and-white films, Marching Is Not Always Fun (1960), and Midnight Mass (1962). The film Young Ages (1962) also marked her television debut. Her big break came when she was cast in the lead (as "Diana") in Vojtěch Jasný's The Cassandra Cat, in which a magic cat reveals the true nature of everyone he sees. It premiered at the 1963 Cannes Film Festival, taking two major awards, the C.S.T. Prize and Special Jury prize. The film also won awards at various international festivals in Spain, Greece, Colombia, and Italy.
In December 1963, A Face at the Window (directed by Peter Solan) opened with her cast alongside leads Ladislav Chudík and Štefan Kvietik, both of whom had a significant impact on her career. The following year Chudík invited her to join the ensemble of the Slovak National Theatre, over the objections of some of the senior actors who thought she was too young and inexperienced for such a prominent national stage. She did bring some experience to this opportunity, however, because she had previously spent one season at the Bratislava main stage New Scene. Thanks to the influence of Magda Husáková-Lokvencová, wife of Czech President Gustáv Husák, she appeared in four productions.
Her debut rule at the national playhouse was as Ophelia in Hamlet. In 1967 she received the Janko Borodáč award on the basis of two roles, Helena in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Florelle in Lope de Vega's comedy The Dancing Master.
She also became more prominent in feature films, including A Jester's Tale, which drew international attention when it brought director Karel Zeman two awards at the San Francisco IFF '64 (for Best Film and Best Direction), and also first prize at Addis Ababa IFF '64 in Ethiopia.
Her other feature films include St. Elizabeth Square (1965), Master Executioner (1966), Trailer People (1966), The Dragon's Return (1967) and There's No Other Way (1968). During this period, Vášáryová also launched her television career, receiving Most Popular Actress in Brno in 1967, and winning the first edition of the national TV contest Golden Croc in 1968.[X]
