The Unusual Love Story of Vlasta Burian and Nina

The start of Vlasta and Nina’s relationship is full of mystery, with different stories still told today. one story says Františka Červenková bet her friends she could spend the night with the popular comedian. After his show, she supposedly went for an autograph and invited him for a drink. Burian liked her, and a simple meeting turned into a great love.

Another captivating story tells of an accidental collision in the street. Burian was carrying coal and didn’t see a young woman walking by. He bumped into her, covering her with coal. To apologize, he gave her a ticket to his evening performance.Either way,their meeting felt like a scene from a Burian movie – funny and unexpected.

Why “Nina”? It’s said Františka didn’t like her first name, so Burian started calling her Nino. Others say she’d been called that before, but the actor made it his own. This nickname stuck with her forever, and it’s even on her tombstone.

They married six months after they started dating. In October 1919, Burian was 28 and Nina was 26 when they got married. Nina was pregnant, but sadly, she had a miscarriage, and doctors said she couldn’t have children. This tragedy brought them even closer. Burian already had a daughter, Emilka, from a previous relationship with dancer Maria Pírková. Nina welcomed Emilka as her own and raised her with love.

Nina wasn’t just a wife; she became Burian’s manager, advisor, and critic. She joined him on film sets and at theater performances. They had a ritual: Burian wouldn’t start a performance untill he received a kiss from Nina.