Who doesn't remember of the amazing adventures of Pan Tau. The serial started in 1967 and ended in 1988 with a movie. 
Pan Tau is a friend of children able to change his appearance into a puppet by tapping with his fingers on his bowler. He won the hearts of children in a flash and as a result of his countless adventures he left an unforgettable impression on those children who were allowed to follow his adventures on TV. Together with his unusual dress and his magic bowler Pan Tau possesses a further distinguishing feature - he doesn't speak.

To the most successful episodes count those where Pan Tau together with Claudia and her grandfather rove through the land as tramps, and of course the climax of the serial with the Urban family who lives on the outskirts of Prag together with three generations. A member of this family (Alphons Urban) has been missing for many years and is the spitting image of Pan Tau. 
After Pan Tau had found the lost one and had brought him back to his family the craziest situations arose, particularly since Alphons appeared double from time to time (of course the double was Pan Tau). Only in these episodes Pan Tau alias Alphons Urban alias actor Otto Simanek was able to speak in this role.
The story round the family Urban comprised a total of 13 episodes, among other things the incomparable actor Vladimir Mensik (1924 - 1988) appeared in these episodes, who also acted in many other movies for children.

Altogether the Pan Tau serial comprises 33 episodes.
 

Added to these was the movie "Pan Tau - The Movie" in 1988.

With Pan Tau the Czech film underlined its leading role in a number of unforgettable movies for children like "Die Besucher", "Luzie, der Schrecken der Strasse", "Drei Haselnüsse für Aschenbrödel", "Die Märchenbraut", "Der fliegende Ferdinand" and "Der Zauberrabe Rumburak". 
Like for many other successful productions of the genre the director Jindrich Polak (1925) and the writer Ota Hofman were behind the successful figure of Pan Tau.
 

Together with his role as Pan Tau Otto Simanek had entrances in movies like "Der Baron von Münchhausen" (61), "Ta nase pisnicka ceska" (67), "Prisne tajne premiery" (67), "Zralé vino" (81) "Die Besucher" (83) and "Chobotnice z druhého patra" (86).

In 1992 the likeable actor died in Prague.