| NET WORTH: | $15.8 Million |
|---|---|
| Source of Wealth: | Director, Producer, Writer, Actor |
| Born: | February 18, 1932 |
| Died: | April 13, 2018 |
| Spouse: | Martina Zborilova |
| Children: | 4 |
| Birth Name: | Jan Tomas Forman |
| Height: | 5ft. 10in. (1.78m) |
Milos Forman was a Czech-American film director, producer, writer, and actor. He was best known as an important figure in Czechoslovak New Wave. He directed the American drama film, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in 1975, which received widespread acclaim and five Academy Awards including for Best Picture and for Forman Best Director.
Early Life
Jan Tomas Forman was born on February 18, 1932 in Čáslav, Czechoslovakia. His parents were Anna Švábová Forman, and professor Rudolf Forman where he believed as his biological father when he was still young.
Forman was raised by his two uncles and family friends. His older brother was a painter, and emigrated to Australia after the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia. He then discovered that his biological father was the Jewish architect Otto Kohn, and is the half-brother of the mathematician Joseph J. Kohn.
After the war, he attended the King George boarding school in Poděbrady, and later on studied screenwriting at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. In summer 1968, he left Europe for United States during the Warsaw Pact Invasion of Czechoslovakia.
Career
Forman's first important production was "Audition", which is a documentary about competing singers. He has directed several Czech comedies in Czechoslovakia, and decided to move to the United States after he was fired by his employer in a Czech studio.
Later after he moved to New York City, he became a professor of film at Columbia University in 1978, and co-chair of Columbia's film department. He directed the 1964 film, Black Peter which is one of the first and most representative of Czechoslovak New Wave and won the Golden Leopard award. The film Loves of a Blonde in 1965, is one of the best known movies of the Czechoslovak New Wave. The movie won awards at the Venice and Locarno film festivals, and was nominated in 1967 for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
The Firemen's Ball in 1976 was Forman's first color film and also considered as one of the best known movies of the Czechoslovak New Wave. In 1970s, Forman directed several films including his first movie made in the United States, "Taking Off". The film was unsuccessful, which made Forman to struggle in finding work. He was hired by producers Michael Douglas and Saul Zaentz despite the failure of his film. He was given the chance to direct the adaptation of the cult novel "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" of Ken Kesey.
The 1996 biographical film, The People vs. Larry Flynt brought Forman another directing Oscar nomination, and although the film was critically acclaimed it only grossed $20 million at the box office.
Personal Life
Forman's first wife was Jana Brejchová, a Czech movie star. The two got divorced in 1962. His second wife was Věra Křesadlová, a Czech actress. The two had twin sons, and got separated in the year 1969. On November 28, 1999, Forman married Martina Zbořilová. The couple also had a twin sons, Jim and Andy born in 1999.
Forman died at Danbury Hospital near his home in Warren, Connecticut on April 13, 2018, at the age 86.
Net Worth
Forman was a Czech filmmaker, and will be remembered as one of the greatest directors of all time. He has an estimated net worth of $15.8 million at the time of his death.
