Magda Vášáryová

Magda Vášáryová, born Magdaléna Vášáryová on August 26, 1948, in Banská Štiavnica, is a prominent Slovak politician, former actress, and diplomat. She embarked on her acting journey at the age of 15 with her role in the film *Senzi Mama* (1964). Vášáryová pursued her education in sociology at Comenius University in Bratislava from 1966 to 1971, later honing her craft at various theaters, including Korze Theater, New Stage, and the Slovak National Theater.

Her political career took off in 2006 when she became a member of the National Council for the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union – Democratic Party (SDKÚ-DS). After resigning from the party in December 2013, she served as an independent member until 2016. Notably, she was the first woman in Slovakia to run for the presidency in 1999, garnering 6.6% of the votes.

Vášáryová also made significant contributions to diplomacy, serving as the Czech-Slovak ambassador to Austria from 1990 to 1993 and later as Slovakia's ambassador to Poland from 2000 to 2005. In 2005, she was appointed State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In addition to her political and diplomatic achievements, Vášáryová authored memoirs titled *Short Letters to a Town* (1988) and led the Slovak Society for Foreign Policy from 1993 to 2000. She is currently the president of the Živena association and plays an active role in cultural policy education. Her contributions to civil service and anti-corruption efforts were recognized with the Hanno R. Ellenbogen Prize in 2016. Vášáryová is also the sister of actress Emilie Vášáryová and has two daughters.