Zuzana Mauréry

Zuzana Mauréry (born 23 September 1968 in Bratislava, then Czechoslovakia) is a celebrated Slovak actress and musical singer whose career spans stage, screen, and television. Coming from a deeply musical family—her father Pavol Mauréry was a long‑time opera soloist at the Slovak National Theatre and her mother Darina Markovičová a choir soprano—she was immersed in the performing arts from an early age, although her own childhood was marked by the austerity of the normalization period after the 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion. The young Zuzana attended a German‑language middle school, took piano and dance lessons, and initially dreamed of becoming a stewardess and studying languages, a wish that was tempered by her parents who steered her toward informatics at the Juraj Hronec Grammar School. Despite this scientific focus, she ultimately pursued her passion for acting at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava (VŠMU), studying alongside notable Slovak talents such as Roman Pomajbo and Dagmar Bruckmayerová. In 1985 she made her theatrical debut at Reduta, the Academy’s studio, and performed with her father in Tchaikovsky’s opera Iolanta, launching a versatile career that would encompass both dramatic roles and musical productions. Over the decades Mauréry has appeared in dozens of films, television series and stage productions, earning six nominations for national movie awards and winning the prestigious Sun in a Net Awards twice. She co‑authored the innovative short film Jsem větší a lepší (2007), which received an international nomination from the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and her own experimental project Almost There (2014) won the best ensemble cast prize at the 13th Annual International Film Festival 24‑hour Film Race in Brooklyn. Her performances have been recognized by the Slovak Film and Television Academy, the Igric Awards, and she has twice been honoured with the Igric national creativity award for Best Female Performance. Beyond her artistic achievements, Mauréry is an active philanthropist, championing environmental preservation in Bratislava, supporting children’s charities such as the Foundation of the Children of Slovakia, and advocating for the elderly through campaigns like Helping Ladybird. She has participated in high‑profile charity concerts, served as a diplomat for the Hanging Gardens of Bratislava project, and in 2010 earned the nickname “Queen of Dance” after winning the TV JOJ dance competition Showdance, underscoring her multifaceted talent and public appeal.