Who doesn’t know the simple truck driver Otík, who has to go to the Turkish for punishment? I assume this character from a comedy The village has a centre no need to present to the public. János Bán played this legendary role 36 years ago.
Janos Ban (67) in his youth he wanted to become a chemical engineer or biochemist and then a lawyer. Eventually, he graduated from the Drama School in Budapest. He made his film debut at the age of twenty-four in a drama Every Wednesday (Minden Wednesday). He was then cast in four little-known Hungarian films. In 1985, Menzel discovered the Hungarian actor in the theater and immediately caught his attention and offered him the lead role of the transporter Otík together with the Slovak actor Marián Labuda.
For a native of Hungary, shooting in what was then Czechoslovakia was very difficult due to the language barrier. Bán himself said of the Czechoslovakian film’s cast: “Otík’s role was very similar to what I created on stage. I had to portray a mentally retarded man with a strange inner world. And with Menzel’s film as best foreign film, we finally made it to Hollywood at the Oscars” .
In what was then Czechoslovakia, this role immediately made him famous, and because of the film The village has a centre also received an Oscar nomination, it is not surprising that several directors took notice of the Hungarian actor. Since then he has become a sought-after actor, not only in cinema but also in theatre. He also appeared in 1988 alongside a famous American actor Arnold Schwarzenegger in American cinema Hot red. From the 1990s to the present, he has appeared in dozens of film and serial roles, but mostly on the Hungarian stage.
János Bán has never married, but has three sons and a daughter from the relationship. He reportedly has a very close relationship with his children. As an actor, he mainly works in theater and last appeared in front of the camera in 2020 in an episodic role in the series A bucket. He performs in a theater in Budapest and teaches young and aspiring actors. He owns a small vineyard near Lake Balaton and in his spare time he is dedicated to winemaking. He himself says he was born a farmer, then an artist, and today he is learning to be a farmer again.
Comedy The village has a centre you can watch it on Nova on December 26th from 8:20pm.
Resources: kisalfold.hu, csfd.cz
