Václav Neckár
Václav Neckář made his feature film debut in Closely Watched Trains. He has a limited resume since then that nevertheless stretches into the second decade of the 21st century. His infrequent appearances on the screen during a career taking him from the mid-1960s to the present day may possibly be explained by accusations made against him in 2007 of being a member of the ŠtB: the Secret Police of the former state of Czechoslovakia.
Josef Somr
Closely Watched Trains was Josef Somr’s second feature film and launched him into a career with more than 200 credits as of 2016. In addition to that impressive film career, Somr has been a mainstay of Czech theater, having been awarded the Thalia Lifetime Achievement Award for his stage work in 2014.
Vlastimil Brodský
Vlastimil Brodský had already enjoyed two decades in the movie business before taking on the role of the Nazi collaborator in Closely Watched Trains. His career would extend just barely into the 21st century and be capped by winning the prestigious Czech Lion Award for Best Actor for his final film Autumn Spring.
Jitka Zelenohorská
Jitka Zelenohorská had appeared in a variety of smaller roles in the five years leading to Closely Watched Trains. As the telegraph operator in the train station, Zelenohorská is the central figure in the arguably the film’s most iconic sequence as her thighs and rear end become the target for a sexually fused bit of fun with rubber stamps.
