Born 11 September 1936, Landovsky was a prominent member of the Czech “New Wave” cinema in the 1960s.  He was also a close friend of the former president of the Czech Republic, the playwright and dissident Vaclav Havel.

After signing the 1977 anti-Communist human rights declaration Charter 77 Landovsky was forced to leave the country for Austria where he played at Vienna's Burgtheater.

He returned to acting in Czech Republic both on screen and on stage after 1989. His hits include The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988) by Philip Kaufman, Kopfstand (1981) by Ernst Josef Lauscher and Empties (2007) directed by Jan Sverak and produced by Biograf. He also played uncredited in the Oscar-winner Closely Watched Trains (1966).