He, after brain surgery in 2017, could not be seen often in public
Czech director Jiri Menzel has died at the age of 82 after battling serious health problems, his wife has confirmed.
In 1968, Menzel won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film for the war drama “Closely Watched Trains.” He was one of the leading figures in Czech cinemas during the 1960s, along with the popular Miloš Forman.
He, after brain surgery in 2017, could not be seen often in public, and his wife Olga Menzel confirmed that he passed away on Saturday.
– Dear Jirka, I thank you for every day I spent with you, each one was extraordinary. I am grateful to you for the last three years, no matter how difficult they were, she wrote.
He studied film production in Prague, and the first feature film he made was the one that won an Oscar. Looking back on that award, Menzela once said that he was more lucky than smart.
