Actor Oldřich Vlach Takes First Steps After Hip Surgery

Czech actor Oldřich Vlach, 85, fractured the neck of his femur shortly before his birthday and underwent surgery. He is now progressing in rehabilitation, having moved from a walker to crutches and saying, “I try, I can. I want to go back home.” Vlach lives in the Střešovice district of Prague, where his late wife Jana had helped adapt the home for accessibility.

The injury forced him to end his acting career; he had previously retired after a spinal canal narrowing caused severe leg pain. His last on‑screen appearance was as the dementia‑stricken Alois Karáska in the series “Hvězdy nad hlavou.” Half a year after becoming widowed, Vlach receives care from the same nurse who tended to actor Jiří Menzel and receives support from an Oscar‑winning director’s charitable fund.

Vlach expressed gratitude for the crutch, noting it is more than a prop, and remains hopeful about regaining his independence.