Jaroslav Čejka, our most famous mime nicknamed “Mr Slepice”, has been living in seclusion for several years and has been almost forgotten in the world of show business. He had to withdraw from public life years ago due to his health problems. In addition, last year his condition worsened and the former mime is in serious condition.
Jaroslav Čejka, who was born on July 22, 1936, is now 86 years old. The comedian, dancer of the National Theatre, actor and mime starred in a total of 17 films and 7 series, as well as in one video clip for a song “Time Can’t Be Turned Back” with David Koller, where he portrayed himself. Imitating a hen is definitely one of his most famous performances. Thanks to this, he also earned the aforementioned nickname “Mr. Hen”. He also imitated the singer Tina Turner and Charlie Chaplin perfectly. In 2007, he received the Thalia Award for Lifetime Achievement.
As for his social life, it was practically non-existent. All his life he was rather closed to himself and stayed only at home. He took care of his mother until she was 104 years old, and she dictated to him who he could bring home and who he could not. This was also one of the reasons why no one was seen by his side.
Practically all his life he kept a big secret from the world regarding his sexual orientation. Not only had he never had a life partner, he hadn’t even been on a date. It was only years ago after his mother’s death that he admitted he was gay. She died only a few days before his birthday in July 2008 and the funeral was held on his birthday. His only love from his youth remained a certain Mrs. Jindra, whom he met during the war. In an interview in 2013 for aha.cz stated: “That was my first love. She was from Ostrava, slim and very pretty. She followed me to the barracks. I also remember that she had such a pretty red dress.’ He added that, unfortunately, his chosen one at the time was already married.
He cannot do without the help of medical personnel in the last years of his life, because he suffers from Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease and is confined to a hospital bed for a long time. Even in 2020, he was able to communicate at least with the blink of an eye, but last year, a few weeks before his 85th birthday, he stopped perceiving his surroundings completely.
Resources: aha.cz, csfd.cz, cnn.iprima.cz
