Biography
Theodor Pištěk (25 October 1932 – 3 December 2025) was a Czech costume designer and painter. Born in Prague, he worked extensively in film from the 1960s onwards, designing costumes for more than 100 productions. He is best known for his work on Miloš Forman’s Amadeus (1984), for which he received the Academy Award for Best Costume Design.
Pištěk studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague. He collaborated repeatedly with Forman, also designing costumes for Valmont (1989), which earned him a César Award, and The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996). Other notable credits include Three Wishes for Cinderella (1973), Marketa Lazarová (1967), Valmont (1989), the television miniseries Dune (2000) and Children of Dune (2003).
After the Velvet Revolution he designed new uniforms for the Prague Castle Guard. He also maintained a parallel career as a photorealist painter and exhibited widely.
