1936 - 2011
Václav Havel was a Czech playwright, dissident, and politician, best known for his role as a leading voice in the Velvet Revolution, which peacefully ended communist rule in Czechoslovakia. He served as the last president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 to 1992 and then became the first president of the Czech Republic from 1993 to 2003. Havel was also a prominent advocate for human rights and democracy, gaining international recognition for his writings and speeches on political and ethical issues.