Jan Triska or Jan Tříska (ˈjan ˈtr̝̊iːska; 4 November 1936) is a Czech

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....

-American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 actor.

Early life and career

He was born in Prague

Prague

Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...

. Before his emigration he performed in the theater and had many roles in movies, the movie version of Radúz a Mahulena (1970) and in the communist propaganda piece 30 Cases of Major Zeman. He has two children with actress Karla Chadimová as well as a grandson named Augustin.

Life and career in the United States

After signing the Charter 77

Charter 77

Charter 77 was an informal civic initiative in communist Czechoslovakia from 1976 to 1992, named after the document Charter 77 from January 1977. Founding members and architects were Václav Havel, Jan Patočka, Zdeněk Mlynář, Jiří Hájek, and Pavel Kohout. Spreading the text of the document was...

 proclamation he emigrated to the United States via Cyprus

Cyprus

Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...

. In the U.S. his most notable role was probably that of Milos, the loyal butler and personal assistant to Mr. Terry Silver, in The Karate Kid, Part III

The Karate Kid, Part III

The Karate Kid, Part III is a 1989 martial arts film, and the second sequel to the hit motion picture The Karate Kid . The film stars Ralph Macchio, Noriyuki "Pat" Morita, Thomas Ian Griffith, Robyn Lively, and Martin Kove. Like the first two films, it was directed by John G. Avildsen and written...

. He also played the assassin in Miloš Forman

Miloš Forman

Jan Tomáš Forman , better known as Miloš Forman , is a Czech-American director, screenwriter, professor, and an emigrant from Czechoslovakia. Two of his films, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Amadeus, are among the most celebrated in the history of film, both gaining him the Academy Award for...

's The People vs. Larry Flynt

The People vs. Larry Flynt

The People vs. Larry Flynt is a 1996 American biographical drama film directed by Miloš Forman about the rise of pornographic magazine publisher and editor Larry Flynt, and his subsequent clash with the law. The film stars Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love, and Edward Norton.The film was written by...

, and appeared in Highlander: The Series

Highlander: The Series

Highlander: The Series is a fantasy-adventure television series featuring Duncan MacLeod of the Scottish Clan MacLeod, as the Highlander. It was an offshoot and another alternate sequel of the 1986 feature film with a twist: Connor MacLeod did not win the prize and Immortals still exist post-1985...

 (season 5, episode 10), Highlander: The Raven

Highlander: The Raven

Highlander: The Raven was a short-lived spin-off from the television series Highlander, continuing the saga of a female Immortal. The series followed the character of Amanda , an Immortal who had a recurring role in Highlander: The Series...

, Blizzard

Blizzard (film)

Blizzard is a 2003 Christmas family film directed by LeVar Burton, and stars Brenda Blethyn, Christopher Plummer, Kevin Pollack, and Whoopi Goldberg.-Plot:When ten-year-old Jess's very best friend Bobby moves away, she is inconsolable in her grief...

, The Osterman Weekend

The Osterman Weekend

The Osterman Weekend is a thriller novel by Robert Ludlum. First published in 1972, it was the author's second book.-Plot introduction:John Tanner, the host of an investigative news show, is convinced by a CIA agent that the friends he has invited to a weekend in the country are engaged in a...

, Ronin

Ronin (film)

Ronin is a 1998 action-thriller film directed by John Frankenheimer and written by J.D. Zeik and David Mamet. It stars Robert De Niro and Jean Reno as two of several former special forces and intelligence agents who team up to steal a mysterious, heavily guarded suitcase while navigating a maze of...

, Apt Pupil

Apt Pupil (film)

Apt Pupil is a 1998 American psychological thriller film based on the eponymous 1982 novella by Stephen King. The film was directed by Bryan Singer and stars Ian McKellen and Brad Renfro...

, (as Isaac Weiskopf) and Peter Hyams

Peter Hyams

Peter Hyams is an American screenwriter, director and cinematographer, probably best known for directing the 1984 science fiction adventure 2010 , Capricorn One, the comic book adaptation Timecop and the Arnold Schwarzenegger horror/action film End of Days.-Family:Hyams was born in New York...

' ambitious and successful sequel to Stanley Kubrick

Stanley Kubrick

Stanley Kubrick was an American film director, writer, producer, and photographer who lived in England during most of the last four decades of his career...

's 1968 science fiction epic 2001: A Space Odyssey

2001: A Space Odyssey (film)

2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, and co-written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, partially inspired by Clarke's short story The Sentinel...

, 2010: The Year We Make Contact

2010: The Year We Make Contact

Jupiter is engulfed by monoliths, which increase its density to the point that nuclear fusion occurs, transforming the planet into a small star. Discovery is consumed in the blast, but Leonov breaks away and begins its long journey home. The new star's miraculous appearance later inspires...

among many others.

Despite occasional visits to the Czech Republic, Tříska continues to live in the United States.

Return to Czechoslovakia

He visited Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...

 after the Velvet Revolution

Velvet Revolution

The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...

 of 1989 to perform in such movies as The Elementary School

The Elementary School

The Elementary School is a 1991 Czech comedy film directed by Jan Svěrák. The screenplay comes from the pen of his father Zdeněk Svěrák. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1991 and is considered to belong among the best Czech films ever.-Plot:The film is...

(1991), Horem pádem (2004),the Academy Award nominated Želary

Želary

Želary is a 2003 Czech/Slovak film directed by Ondřej Trojan, starring Anna Geislerová. The movie received a 2004 Academy Award nomination in the Best Foreign Language Film category. It was produced by Barrandov Studios in Prague.- Plot :...

(2003) and Máj

Máj

Máj is a romantic poem by Karel Hynek Mácha in four cantos. It was fiercely criticized when first published, but since then has gained the status of one of the most prominent works of Czech literature; the poem now is memorized by schoolchildren and continuously in print.-Setting:According to the...

(adaptation of Karel Hynek Mácha

Karel Hynek Mácha

Karel Hynek Mácha was a Czech romantic poet.- Biography :Mácha grew up in Prague, the son of a foreman at a mill. He learned Latin and German in school...

). In 2002, Tříska received an Alfréd Radok Award

Alfréd Radok Awards

The Alfréd Radok Awards are presented annually by the Endowment for the Alfréd Radok Awards in collaboration with the Aura–Pont agency and the magazine Svět a Divadlo for achievements in Czech theatre. The prize for Best Performance was first awarded in 1992...

 for his performance as Lear in King Lear

King Lear

King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...

at the Summer Shakespeare Festival

Summer Shakespeare Festival

The Summer Shakespeare Festival takes place in the courtyard of Burgrave Palace at Prague Castle. The festival was originally initiated by Václav Havel. The performances are also presented at Špilberk in Brno and at Bratislava Castle in Bratislava...

 at Prague Castle

Prague Castle

Prague Castle is a castle in Prague where the Kings of Bohemia, Holy Roman Emperors and presidents of Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic have had their offices. The Czech Crown Jewels are kept here...

.

External links