Vlastimil Harapes

Vlastimil Harapes July 24 1946 May 15 2024 was a Czech dancer choreographer and actor He was a soloist at the National Theatre Ballet in Prague and later became its artistic director Harapes was widely recognized for his contributions to ballet and his performances in films such as Marketa Lazarová 1967 and Jak vytrhnout velrybě stoličku 1977 Born in Chomutov Czechoslovakia he trained at the Prague Dance Conservatory and studied ballet in Saint Petersburg Russia His career spanned decades during which he performed internationally and took on roles in theater and television He was also involved in political activism running as an independent candidate in the 2016 Czech Senate election Harapes was married to Hana Zagorová from 1986 to 1992 and had a longterm relationship with Josef Topol which remained private until 2013 He passed away from lung cancer at the age of 77