Adina Mandlová

Who was Adina Mandlová?

Adina Mandlová was a Czech actress, sex-symbol of the 1930s and a European movie star.

The most controversial, involved in a lot of scandals, drinking alcohol, undertaking love affairs and then almost lynched... Adina Mandlová is a legend. According to one source, her true first name was Jarmila, but she had more front names and later she chose Adina, probably because it was chosen by her father for his favourite child. She was born in Mladá Boleslav and after her father died when Adina was only 7 years old, she grew up in an unstable family. After changing several schools, she eventually became a model girl. Her film career started in 1932 thanks to a second-rate movie Děvčátko, neříkej ne!, where she performed...a model girl. Later she attracted Hugo Haas, who began to keep close company with her and and recommended her to respected directors like Vávra or Frič. By the way, at that time she refused a role in Machatý's scandalous movie Extáze, which was probably her life's fault, because the performer of the title role, [Hedy Kiesler, later succeeded in Hollywood as Hedy Lamarre. However, during a short time Mandlová became an unofficial Number One among Czech actresses.