Zdeněk Srstka

Zdeněk Srstka competed in middle-heavyweight weightlifting at the 1960 Roma Olympics. He also won a bronze medal in that class at the 1957 European Championships. However, in Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic he was best known for his work in films.

Srstka became an actor and primarily a stuntman. He later said he became a stuntman because of his strength and a high pain threshold. His roles in Czech films were too numerous to list, with the Czech film database listing him in over 200 film and television appearances. He was considered a legend among Czech actors.

In 2010 Srstka was inducted into the Czech Weightlifting Association Hall of Fame. He also operated a pub in his hometown. In his 60s he returned to weightlifting and won a European masters’ title in the bench press. Srstka was known as an animal lover.