capek was born bedriska ‘ishka’ lavecka (anglicised to 'irene') to parents anna and emil lavecka in prague, czechoslovakia on december 28, 1924. she lived with her parents until 1931, when her mother died from typhoid and her father, a travelling salesman and recovering world war 1 serviceman, placed her in the care of her grandmother. she was transferred to the care of a prague orphanage in 1936 following the death of her grandmother, and to a nearby english boarding school soon after.