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Not only was Rudolph Hrusinsky one of Czechoslovakia's most popular actors of screen and television, he was also a guiding light in helping his country change to democracy following years of Soviet rule. Hrusinsky learned to perform from his family, most of whom were in a touring troupe of actors. He learned to act working with E.F. Burian's youth theater. In 1960, Hrusinsky began an association with his country's National Theatre that would last until his death. His most famous role was that of the tile character in the comedy Dobry Vojac Svejk (The Good Soldier Shweik [1957]). The 1960s were Hrusinsky's heyday and he appeared in lightweight comedies such as Jiri Menzel's acclaimed Rozmarne Leto (Capricious Summer [1967]) and the chilling black comedy Spalovac Mrtvol (The Cremator [1969]). Shortly after 1989's velvet revolution, in which the Soviet regime crumbled in Czechoslovakia, Hrusinsky played a key role in calming public nerves with an important radio address when Russian troops were advancing near Prague. In 1990, Hrusinsky began a two-year stint as a member of Parliament. He died in 1994.