Literature · Politics · Film · 1936–2011
Born: 5 October 1936 · Died: 18 December 2011 · Age at death: 75
Václav Havel died aged 75. He was born on 5 October 1936 and died on 18 December 2011.
Dissident playwright who led the Velvet Revolution and became the last president of Czechoslovakia and first of the Czech Republic
Did you know?He spent several years in prison for his political activism before leading the peaceful Velvet Revolution in his country.
Havel is one of history's rare playwrights who became a head of state. His absurdist plays mocked the empty language of communist bureaucracy. As a dissident he co-founded Charter 77 and spent years in prison. In 1989 he became the face of the peaceful Velvet Revolution and was elected president. He led his country through the split of Czechoslovakia and into Western institutions.
Václav Havel (Czech:; 5 October 1936 – 18 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and dissident.
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Profile
Czech playwright and president, 1936–2011
Havel was a Prague native, born on 5 October 1936.
He wrote absurdist plays.
He co-founded Charter 77.
He became president in 1989.
Career highlights
Did you know?Prague's main airport is named Václav Havel Airport.
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