Vlastimil Harapes

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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 long-term relationship with Josef Topol, which remained private until 2013. He passed away from lung cancer at the age of 77.