Jiří Bartoska - women, films, cigars.

Although he may not be the same heartbreaker he was in the 1980s, he remains an imposing figure in both acting and public life.

Despite making no secret of enjoying an extra drink now and then, and with a passion for cigarettes so strong he has become a walking advertisement for smoking, many still see him as a role model.

Though he has been regarded as the most elegant man in Czech cinema for almost forty years and could have any woman he wanted, he remains with his wife Andrea – and their relationship is as firm as his handshake.

His name is one of the most renowned in Czech theatre and film, and his personality is as colourful, down-to-earth, and passionate as the characters he has portrayed. This book offers a glimpse into the life and heart of Jiří Bartoška, a man who may be ageing physically, but inside remains the same thirty-year-old “tough guy” who lives every day as if it were his last.