František Dibarbora was one of the most popular Slovak actors. From childhood he was a sportsman; as a young footballer he started at ŠK Bratislava club and in 1940 he played in the Slovak national team as an ice-hockey goalkeeper. He completed the acting study programme at the Academy of Music and Drama in Bratislava in 1938. He was among the leading representatives of Slovak cabaret and he directed vaudeville, later performing across Slovakia. He had a talent for both music and motion, and he successfully used those skills in the operetta ensemble of the Slovak National Theatre. He was active in the New Scene theatre (Nová scéna) and was a member of the Slovak National Theatre drama ensemble until 1982, having acted in a number of plays: Jožko Púčik and His Career (Jožko Púčik a jeho kariéra, 1955), Ivanov (1961), Antigona and the Others (Antigona a tí druhí, 1962), The Cherry Orchard (Višňový sad, 1967), The Beggar Adventure (Žobrácke dobrodružstvo, 1970), The Clown Comedy (Šašovská komédia, 1976), The Attempt to Fly (Pokus o lietanie, 1980), etc. He also directed in theatre and television.
In 1938 he made his debut in the Czech film by the director Jan Bor − The Undefeated Army (Neporažená armáda). The first more significant role in which he acted as the character Hermann Thiele, a German commander, was in The Wolf Holes (Vlčie diery, directed by Paľo Bielik, 1948). For his acting he was awarded a National Film Award in 1949. Later he played several minor roles in films such as Katka (directed by J. Kadár, 1949), Dam (Priehrada, directed by P. Bielik, 1950), Quadrille (Štvorylka directed by J. Medveď, K. Krška, 1955). He played the role of Ján Sekáč, a football fan, in a fairly popular comedy directed by Ján Lacko called Fans in offside (Skalní v ofsajd, 1960), as well as a number of significant roles in the films such as Friday, the Thirteenth… (V piatok, trinásteho… directed by P. Bielik, 1953), He Wished for Nothing (Pán si neželal nič, directed by P. Solan, 1970) and a comedy directed by Jozef Režucha − Beware, Jozefína Is Coming (Pozor, ide Jozefína... 1976). He performed in television shows, movies, series and television productions such as Geľo Sebechlebský (1963), An Eye for an Eye (Oko za oko, 1965), The Eleventh Commandment (Jedenáste prikázanie, 1977), The Escape from Gold Country (Útek zo zlatej krajiny, 1977), The Hired Clown (Najatý klaun, 1980), The Tenth Man (Desiaty chlap, 1981), and more. For many years he presented the New Yearʼs Eve entertainment programs on Slovenský rozhlas radio; however, he also gave his voice to a number of distinctive characters in original radio plays as well as dramatizations of literary works. He was a teacher in the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava. He died of the injuries he suffered in a car accident on the Prístavný most bridge in Bratislava.
Renáta Šmatláková, Slovak Film Institute