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Václav Havel

Acting

Born October 5, 1936 · Prague, Czechoslovakia [now Czech Republic]

Died December 18, 2011

Biography

Václav Havel (5 October 1936 – 18 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and former dissident. Havel served as the last president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia on 31 December 1992 and then as the first president of the Czech Republic from 1993 to 2003. He was the first democratically elected president of either country after the fall of communism. As a writer of Czech literature, he is known for his plays, essays, and memoirs.

Awards & recognition

  • honorary citizen of Budapest · 2013
  • Eugen Kogon Award · 2012
  • St. George's Order of Victory · 2011
  • Franz Kafka Prize · 2010
  • 1st of June Award · 2009
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  • honorary doctorate from Sciences Po · 2009
  • Quadriga · 2009
  • Giuseppe Motta Medal · 2008
  • Jaroslav Seifert Prize · 2008
  • Karel Čapek Prize · 2008
  • Point Alpha Prize · 2008
  • Honorary doctor of the University of Liège · 2007
  • Annual award ACFK · 2006
  • Bridge Prize of the City of Regensburg · 2006
  • Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 3rd class · 2006
  • Austrian DecorationScience and Art · 2005
  • Monismanien Prize · 2005
  • Light of Truth Award · 2004
  • Order of Brilliant Star · 2004
  • Ambassador of Conscience Award · 2003
  • Collar of the Order of the White Lion · 2003
  • Companion of the Order of Canada · 2003
  • Freedom Award · 2003
  • Gandhi Peace Prize · 2003
  • German National Prize · 2003
  • Grand Cross of the Order of the White Double Cross · 2003
  • Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, 1st class · 2003
  • Presidential Medal of Freedom · 2003
  • honorary doctorate of the University of Lleida · 2002
  • Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic · 2002
  • Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres · 2001
  • Grand Cross with Chain of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary (civil) · 2001
  • Lagun Onari · 2001
  • German citizenship price · 2000
  • Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany · 2000
  • Order of State of Republic of Turkey · 2000
  • Grand Cross of the Order of Vytautas the Great · 1999
  • J. William Fulbright Prize · 1997
  • Order of al-Hussein bin Ali · 1997
  • Princess of Asturias AwardCommunications and Humanities · 1997
  • Prix mondial Cino Del Duca · 1997
  • Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana · 1996
  • Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath · 1996
  • Order of Rio Branco · 1996
  • Order of the Liberator General San Martín · 1996
  • Order of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay · 1996
  • Planetary Consciousness Prize · 1996
  • Catalonia International Prize · 1995
  • Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic · 1995
  • Geuzenpenning · 1995
  • honorary doctor of Victoria University of Wellington · 1995
  • honorary doctorate of the Masaryk University · 1995
  • Philadelphia Liberty Medal · 1994
  • Indira Gandhi Peace Prize · 1993
  • Order of Freedom of the Republic of Slovenia · 1993
  • Order of the White Eagle · 1993
  • Theodor Heuss Award · 1993
  • honorary doctor of the Sorbonne Nouvelle University · 1992
  • Charlemagne Prize · 1991
  • doctor honoris causa from the Paris-Sorbonne University · 1991
  • honorary doctor of the Université libre de Bruxelles · 1991
  • Sonning Prize · 1991
  • Four Freedoms Award – Freedom Medal · 1990
  • Gottlieb Duttweiler Prize · 1990
  • Grand Collar of the Order of the Southern Cross · 1990
  • Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour · 1990
  • honorary citizen of Plzeň · 1990
  • honorary doctor of Comenius University · 1990
  • honorary doctorate of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel · 1990
  • International Simón Bolívar Prize · 1990
  • Olof Palme Prize · 1989
  • Peace Prize of the German Publishers' and Booksellers' Association · 1989
  • Erasmus Prize · 1986
  • honorary doctor of the University of Toulouse-II · 1984
  • Austrian State PrizeEuropean Literature · 1968
  • Čestná medaile T. G. Masaryka
  • Concordia Prize
  • Delta PrizeGlobal Understanding
  • Democracy Service Medal
  • Evelyn F. Burkey Award
  • Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
  • Grand Collar of the Order of Liberty
  • honorary citizen of Prague
  • honorary doctor of the Bar-Ilan University
  • honorary doctor of the Dresden University of Technology
  • honorary doctor of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
  • honorary doctor of the University of Padua
  • honorary doctor of the University of Warsaw
  • honorary doctorate of Haifa University
  • Karel Kramář Medal
  • Medal of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay
  • Order Ecce Homo
  • Order of the Chrysanthemum
  • Order of the Star of Jordan
  • Order of the Three Stars, 1st Class
  • participant in the resistance and resistance against communism
  • Philadelphia Liberty Medal
  • Princess of Asturias Awards
  • Saint George medal
  • Drama Desk AwardOutstanding Play · 1984 · nominated

Filmography5 titles