Lucifer Actor Dies by Suicide at Gun Range: Karel Heřmánek Was 76

Karel Heřmánek starred in several Oscar-nominated films.

By John Connor Coulston

Karel Heřmánek, the standout actor, has died by suicide, according to a report from iDNES.cz. He was 76.

Per iDNES.cz, Heřmánek went to a gun range near Příbramy, Czech Republic, on the afternoon of Aug. 24, and purposely shot himself. Both police and one of the gun range's owners confirmed this account of events to the outlet.

"I cannot reveal the identity of the deceased, however I can confirm that a man of the year 1947 turned his gun on himself at the shooting range and shot himself," police spokesperson Barbora Schneeweisová said. "The police cannot provide further details for the time being, everything is the subject of an investigation."

The unnamed owner said, "It was the will of the client, such a thing cannot be prevented."

Heřmánek famously played Lucifer — a.k.a. satan — in the acclaimed 1985 movie Give the Devil His Due. He also portrayed the devil in two unrelated animated projects, 2008's Goat Story – The Old Prague Legends and 2012's Goat Story 2. Other film credits include Stalingrad, The Young Man and Moby Dick, Angel in the Devil's Body, Academy Award-nominated Divided We Fall and Academy Award-winning Kolya.

The actor was reportedly dealing with trigeminal neuralgia (facial paralysis) in the months before his passing. 

Heřmánek's family has confirmed the passing in an Aug. 25 statement cited by iDNES.cz and other outlets: "Yesterday in the afternoon, our beloved husband, father and grandfather Karel Heřmánek left us tragically The pain that has hit us is immeasurable. We thank you for all the expressions of sympathy and ask for privacy," Heřmánk's family said on the social network."

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The family held a memorial service on Monday, according to Seznam Zprávy. No further details are available as of press time.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The previous Lifeline phone number (1-800-273-8255) will always remain available.

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