The prince from "Cinderella" Would you recognize him today?
You could easily call him the prince charming of an entire generation: Pavel Trávníček, the prince from "Three Hazelnuts for Cinderella", provides insights into his life more than half a century later.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Since its premiere in 1973, "Three Hazelnuts for Cinderella" has been a permanent part of the Christmas program.
- Pavel Trávníček became famous for the role of the prince. He later also appeared in fairy tale films and worked successfully as a dubbing actor for international stars such as Alec Baldwin.
- The actor married four times and became a father again at the age of 66 - his wife's first child.
- Even decades after the film, Trávníček is moved by the cross-generational enthusiasm for the classic.
Christmas without "Three Hazelnuts for Cinderella"? Unimaginable for many. Since its premiere in 1973, the Czech-East German film has been an integral part of the festive season.
And what would the fairy tale be without its charming and slightly annoying prince? Pavel Trávníček, now 74 years old, played this iconic role at the age of 23 and shaped the image of the spoiled prince charming for millions of viewers.
Does Pavel Trávníček still watch "Cinderella" himself? He said in an interview with spot on news: "I don't watch the movie directly, but whenever we're preparing for Christmas - we're cooking fish soup for Christmas - I look at the screen and think: That's not really me."
"Cinderella" dies three years ago
Trávníček remembers one moment from the filming in particular: "It really is the last scene of the movie. We were in the carriage with Cinderella, about to set off, and the director urged us to start. But suddenly the horse was gone. There was a dip and all you could see were the horse's ears."
Another anecdote from his "Cinderella" time: Trávníček's voice had to be dubbed in the Czech original because of his strong dialect.
The actor has fond memories of his film partner Libuše Šafránková, who died in 2021: "I always think of her fondly. We were very close friends. She was very talented and also very beautiful. I always say: a Cinderella like her only comes into the world every 100 years." The actress who played "Stepmother" Carola Braunbock also passed away in 1978.
"Fate to make a movie like this"
Trávníček himself remained faithful to acting. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, he took on further prince roles, including in "Snow White and Rose Red" and "The Third Prince".
In 2018, he appeared in the German film satire "Der grosse Rudolph" about the Munich fashion designer Rudolph Mooshammer. In addition to acting, he made a name for himself as a dubbing artist. He has lent his voice to stars such as Alec Baldwin, Steve Guttenberg and Jeff Goldblum.
Is it a curse or a blessing to always be associated with this role? "It's fate if you manage to make such a successful movie. Then it's part of it that you're always associated with this role. It's also the case that the movie role doesn't even have a name. It's 'just' the prince. So it's my destiny to be addressed as Prince by everyone."
Third son at the age of 66
In his private life, Trávníček wrote several fairy tales of his own. The actor has been married for the fourth time since 2015. At the age of 66, he became the father of a third son - a late but great stroke of luck, as he says. He shared glimpses of his family life on Instagram until 2021.
"None of us would have thought back then that the movie would be so successful," Trávníček once said in an interview. "It makes me incredibly proud that the enthusiasm continues to this day across generations."
