Andrzej Bogucki (11 November 1904 – 29 July 1978) was a
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles
Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...
television, stage and film actor, as well as
operetta singer and songwriter, sometimes referred to as "The Polish Chevalier".
Bogucki and his wife Janina née Godlewska (8 March 1908 – 19 June 1992)
are known for helping and hiding the
Polish Jewish
The history of the Jews in Poland dates back at least 1,000 years. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Ashkenazi Jewish community in the world. Poland was a principal center of Jewish culture, because of the lon ...
pianist
Władysław Szpilman
Władysław Szpilman (; 5 December 1911 – 6 July 2000) was a Polish pianist and classical composer of Jewish descent. Szpilman is widely known as the central figure in the 2002 Roman Polanski film '' The Pianist'', which was based on Szpilman ...
during the
Nazi occupation of Poland
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
. Szpilman's life inspired the 2002 film ''
The Pianist'', and both Bogucki and his wife were portrayed in the film.
Although he lived in
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
for most of his life, Bogucki also worked in several other cities. He lived in Warsaw's
Mariensztat
Mariensztat () is a historic neighbourhood along the Vistula river in central Warsaw, the capital of Poland. Situated between the riverbank and the UNESCO-protected Old Town, Mariensztat is part of the larger Śródmieście (Downtown) borough a ...
neighborhood from 1947 until the end of his life, and he is buried in the
Powązki Cemetery
Powązki Cemetery (; pl, Cmentarz Powązkowski), also known as Stare Powązki ( en, Old Powązki), is a historic necropolis located in Wola district, in the western part of Warsaw, Poland. It is the most famous cemetery in the city and one of t ...
in the western part of Warsaw.
Bogucki was awarded the
Order of Polonia Restituta
The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on foreigners for outstanding achievement ...
for his career and actions during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. In 1978 the
Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem ( he, יָד וַשֵׁם; literally, "a memorial and a name") is Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. It is dedicated to preserving the memory of the Jews who were murdered; honoring Jews who fought against th ...
institute awarded him and his wife the
Righteous Among the Nations
Righteous Among the Nations ( he, חֲסִידֵי אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם, ; "righteous (plural) of the world's nations") is an honorific used by the State of Israel to describe non-Jews who risked their lives during the Holocaust to sa ...
award, an award given to
non-Jewish people who helped Jews during the Nazi persecution.
Early life
Bogucki was born to a family with long-standing traditions in theatre and stage. His parents were the actors
Stanisław Bogucki and
Róża Bogucka-Rapacka. He was the grandson of the famous Polish actor and director
Wincenty Rapacki.
Bogucki attended and graduated as a cavalry
officer
An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," f ...
from the Officer's Cadet School in
Grudziądz
Grudziądz ( la, Graudentum, Graudentium, german: Graudenz) is a city in northern Poland, with 92,552 inhabitants (2021). Located on the Vistula River, it lies within the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship and is the fourth-largest city in its prov ...
. While at school he participated in
equestrian
The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse".
Horseback riding (or Riding in British English)
Examples of this are:
* Equestrian sports
*Equestrian order, one of the upper classes i ...
competitions and became an officer in the
Polish Army
The Land Forces () are the land forces of the Polish Armed Forces. They currently contain some 62,000 active personnel and form many components of the European Union and NATO deployments around the world. Poland's recorded military history stre ...
. He served in the 7th Regiment Cavalry in
Mińsk Mazowiecki
Mińsk Mazowiecki () "''Masovian Minsk''") is a town in eastern Poland with 40,999 inhabitants (2020). It is situated in the Masovian Voivodeship (since 1999) and is a part of the Warsaw Agglomeration. It is the capital of Mińsk County. Locate ...
, but was discharged for health reasons in 1929. In the same year, he began appearing in stage plays for children. From then on, he focused on his acting career.
World War II
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, Bogucki and his wife were involved with the anti-Nazi
Polish resistance movement, the
Armia Krajowa (''Home Army''). In February 1944 they were contacted through members of the Jewish underground by their friend, the pianist
Władysław Szpilman
Władysław Szpilman (; 5 December 1911 – 6 July 2000) was a Polish pianist and classical composer of Jewish descent. Szpilman is widely known as the central figure in the 2002 Roman Polanski film '' The Pianist'', which was based on Szpilman ...
, who was working as a slave laborer as one of the remaining Jews in the
Warsaw Ghetto
The Warsaw Ghetto (german: Warschauer Ghetto, officially , "Jewish Residential District in Warsaw"; pl, getto warszawskie) was the largest of the Nazi ghettos during World War II and the Holocaust. It was established in November 1940 by the G ...
. Anticipating that the Germans were planning to liquidate even the slave workers (most other Jews had already been deported to
Treblinka
Treblinka () was an extermination camp, built and operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland during World War II. It was in a forest north-east of Warsaw, south of the village of Treblinka in what is now the Masovian Voivodeship. The cam ...
), Szpilman, with help from Bogucki, escaped the ghetto and hid on the non-Jewish side of Warsaw. With help from Bogucki, Janina and others, Szpilman survived the war. The story of his life was later the basis for the 2002 film ''
The Pianist''.
After the war, in the 1950s Szpilman composed songs especially for Andrzej and Janina, including the popular ''Czerwony autobus'' (Red bus).
Work
Theatre
Bogucki began working onstage on 30 April 1930. He performed at the
Polish Theatre in Warsaw for three years between 1930 and 1933 and later worked at the New Comedy Theater between 1933 and 1934. He also worked for theaters in
Łódź
Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of cant ...
and
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
.
After the end of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, he returned to the stage at the Polish Army Theatre in
Łódź
Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of cant ...
, where he performed between 1945 and 1947. He went on to work in several other theaters, including the
National Theater, Warsaw, where he played from 1969 until his death in 1978.
Career as a singer
Bogucki began his singing career in 1931 at the Banda Theater, where he remained for a year until 1932. It was his distinctive singing voice that brought him most of his popularity.
After 1945, he continued to write songs and launched a number of hits in the radio.
He was a longtime employee of the
Polish Radio
Polskie Radio Spółka Akcyjna (PR S.A.; English: Polish Radio) is Poland's national public-service radio broadcasting organization owned by the State Treasury of Poland.
History
Polskie Radio was founded on 18 August 1925 and began making ...
. He also worked with Radio Theatre of the Imagination as a presenter, singer and reciter, and as a popularizer of music and literature.
Filmography
* 1917 – ''Pokój nr 13, Tajemnica Alei Ujazdowskich, Wanda Barska, Tajemnica hotelu w Tajemnice Warszawy''
* 1933 – ''Jego ekscelencja subiekt'' (''
His Excellency, The Shop Assistant'')
* 1933 – ''Szpieg w masce''
* 1934 – ''Śluby ułańskie''
* 1935 – ''Manewry miłosne''
* 1936 – ''Pan Twardowski''
* 1936 – ''
Bolek i Lolek''
* 1937 – ''Pan redaktor szaleje''
* 1937 – ''
Niedorajda ''Niedorajda'' is a 1937 Polish comedy film directed by Mieczysław Krawicz and produced by the Rex-Film studio. This comedy was also shown in the USA under the title ''Good for Nothing''.
The film stars Adolf Dymsza playing a character who dresse ...
''
* 1938 – ''Za winy niepopełnione''
* 1939 – ''
Złota Maska''
* 1939 - ''
The Vagabonds''
* 1953 – ''
Żołnierz zwycięstwa''
* 1953 – ''Sprawa do załatwienia''
* 1956 – ''Nikodem Dyzma''
* 1959 – ''Małpa w kąpieli''
* 1968 – ''Wniebowstąpienie''
* 1970 – ''
Epilog norymberski
''Epilog norymberski'' is a Polish historical film. It was released in 1970.
Cast
*Henryk Borowski as Joachim von Ribbentrop
*August Kowalczyk
August Marian Kowalczyk (15 August 1921 – 29 July 2012) was a Polish actor, theatre, televisio ...
''
* 1975 – ''Jej powrót''
* 1976 – ''Zagrożenie''
Theatre on television
* 1955 – ''
Wesele''
* 1962 – ''Romantyczni''
* 1963 – ''Taniec księżniczki''
* 1963 – ''Syn marnotrawny''
* 1963 – ''Pan Benet''
* 1964 – ''Don Juan, czyli Kamienny gość''
* 1965 – ''
Skąpiec''
* 1966 – ''Szwejk na tyłach''
* 1966 – ''Katarynka jako Radca''
* 1969 – ''Mieszczanin szlachcicem''
* 1970 – ''Dziewczęta z Nowolipek''
* 1972 – ''Zabezpieczenie macierzyństwa''
* 1972 – ''Elektra''
* 1973 – ''Norwid''
* 1974 – ''Twarz pokerzysty''
* 1975 – ''Emancypantki''
* 1976 – ''Jedenaste przykazanie''
* 1977 – ''Dyplomaci i sztabowcy w Przed burzą''
* 1978 – ''Filomena Marturano''
Television films and series
* 1965 – ''Ping-Pong w Perły i dukaty''
* 1968 – ''
Stawka większa niż życie
''Stawka większa niż życie'' (''More Than Life at Stake'', ''Stakes Larger Than Life'' or ''Playing for High Stakes'') was a Polish black and white TV series about the adventures of a Polish secret agent in Soviet service, captain Hans Kloss (r ...
''
* 1973 – ''Wielka miłość Balzaka''
* 1973 – ''
Janosik (TV series)''
* 1975 – ''
Czterdziestolatek
Czterdziestolatek or 40-latek (English: ''The Forty-Year-Old''); broadcast in English by TVP Polonia as ''Being Forty'' is a Polish television comedy series originally broadcast in Poland between 1975-78. The initial series enjoyed so much popu ...
''
* 1977 – ''Noce i dnie (TV series)''
* 1977 – ''Lalka (TV series)''
* 1981 – ''Najdłuższa wojna nowoczesnej Europy''
See also
*
List of recipients of the Order of Polonia Restituta
The List of recipients of the Order of Polonia Restituta includes notable recipients of the Order of Polonia Restituta sorted by their profession.
Where possible it also lists their country of origin and order grade. People highly distinguished ...
References
External links
Andrzej Bogucki
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bogucki, Andrzej
1904 births
1978 deaths
Home Army members
Burials at Powązki Cemetery
Polish Army officers
Male actors from Warsaw
Polish male television actors
Polish male film actors
Polish male stage actors
Polish male singer-songwriters
Polish singer-songwriters
Commanders with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta
Polish Righteous Among the Nations
Władysław Szpilman
20th-century Polish male actors
20th-century Polish male singers