Actor Svatupluk Benes has died at 89

Svatopluk Benes - one of the country's leading actors in the years of the first republic - has died at the age of 89. Mr. Benes starred in many black and white movies of the time alongside the country's best actresses Adina Mandlova, Lida Barova and Natasha Gollova. He remained active up until 1990, both in film and theatre productions, but had been bed-ridden in the last four years. " He was a perfect gentleman such as are not born in this day and age" one of his colleagues said about him, following news of his death.