Vladimír Franz

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Vladimír Franz, born on 25 May 1959 in Prague, is a Czech composer, painter and academic. He has written music for more than 150 theatre productions since the mid-1980s, and his work includes a symphony, operas, oratorios, a musical, a ballet, film scores and music for documentaries and radio plays. He also paints.

Since 1991 he has taught at Prague’s Faculty of Theatre, part of the Academy of Performing Arts. In 2004 he became Professor of Dramatic Arts. He has won the Alfréd Radok Award six times.

Franz ran for President of the Czech Republic in 2013. He finished fifth in the first round with 6.84% of the vote (351,916) and did not advance to the second round.

He is well known for his extensive tattoos, including facial ones, which drew global media attention during the 2013 election. He has said that tattooing is an expression of free will and personal choice.

Early life: He grew up in Prague and studied at a gymnasium, then studied law at Charles University from 1978 to 1982. He also took private lessons in painting, composition, art history and music history. After graduating, he worked in various jobs, including as a high school teacher. In 1981 he co-founded the theatre Kytka and later focused on music for the stage.