He has served as the Czech Ambassador to Sweden (1996-1998), the Republic of Ireland (1999-2003), Russia (2010-2012),[1] and the United States (2005-2010).

[2] From 1 September 2003 to 12 October 2005, he was Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister for Bilateral Relations.

He has been a senior advisor to the law firm Squire Patton Boggs in Prague since 2016.

[3] Kolář was married to Jaroslava Kolářová and has two sons,[4] including Ondřej, who served as mayor of the Prague 6 district from 2014 to 2022 before becoming an MEP in 2021.

[5] In January 2020, Kolář's wife died,[6] and he subsequently entered into a relationship with TV presenter Světlana Witowská.