Jan Vlasák

A presence in the international film world for more than 40 years, Czechoslovakian actor Jan Vlasák began performing in local theater productions at the age of five. After studying at the Janacek Academy of Performing Arts in Brno, the actor developed his craft onstage with various theater companies, playing roles such as Cyrano de Bergerac, Hamlet, and Othello. During the 1970s and '80s, Vlasák took a few small parts on Czech television, but it wasn't until the 1990s that he made a name for himself playing mostly policemen or tough guys in TV movies like "Fatherland" and "Mistr Kampanus." In 2001, the actor appeared in the German horror film "The Pool," and in 2004 he attracted attention for his performance in Viktor Polesný's "Lovers & Murderers," but it wasn't until 2005 that Vlasák would gain a worldwide audience when he played the Dutch businessman in Eli Roth's graphic thriller "Hostel." Usually playing the heavy, the actor was next cast in such high-profile projects as the 2008 biopic "The Red Baron" and the 2008 historical epic "Bathory," and also played a recurring role on the series "Ordinace v ruzové zahrade" from 2005 to 2010. Vlasák has done extensive voiceover work, and is known in his homeland as the Czech dubbing voice of Arthur Weasley in the Harry Potter films.