Barbara Nawratowicz-Stuart (born 10 November 1932) is a Polish actress and radio journalist. She was one of the first stars of

Piwnica pod Baranami The Piwnica pod Baranami ( en, The Basement, or the Cellar under the Rams) is a Polish literary cabaret located in Kraków, Poland. For over thirty years, in the People's Republic of Poland, Piwnica pod Baranami served as the most renowned politica ...

cabaret and a long-time presenter at Polish section of

Radio Free Europe Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a United States government funded organization that broadcasts and reports news, information, and analysis to countries in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Caucasus, and the Middle East where it says tha ...

Biography

She studied law at

Maria Curie-Skłodowska Marie Salomea Skłodowska–Curie ( , , ; born Maria Salomea Skłodowska, ; 7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934) was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first ...

Jagiellonian The Jagiellonian dynasty (, pl, dynastia jagiellońska), otherwise the Jagiellon dynasty ( pl, dynastia Jagiellonów), the House of Jagiellon ( pl, Dom Jagiellonów), or simply the Jagiellons ( pl, Jagiellonowie), was the name assumed by a cad ...

and

Warsaw University The University of Warsaw ( pl, Uniwersytet Warszawski, la, Universitas Varsoviensis) is a public university in Warsaw, Poland. Established in 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country offering 37 different fields of ...

and graduated in 1956. In 1951, during the first year of the college, she was imprisoned by the Ministry of Public Security. She has been kept in a small, dark cell for three months, being multiply interrogated and beaten by the officiers. After letting free she has been interrogated several times more. In 1952 or 1953 she met

Piotr Skrzynecki Piotr Cezary Skrzynecki (12 September 1930 in Warsaw – 27 April 1997 in Kraków) was a Polish choreographer, director and cabaret impresario, known for his involvement with the cabaret Piwnica pod Baranami (The Cellar under the Rams), of ...

, a student of art history at the Jagiellonian University. This is how she first made a contact with a group of people who few years later started a cabaret

in the basement of one of town houses at Rynek. Nawratowicz was the star of the cabaret since the very beginning of its existence, she took part in first shows as an actress. Later she became famous for her roles of Cruel Marquise, Intimate Cocotte, Danish Queen and Dutch Stripper. In Piwnica Nawratowicz met Wiesław Dymny, with whom she stayed in a relationship for few years.

Kazimierz Kutz Kazimierz Julian Kutz (16 February 1929 – 18 December 2018) was a Polish film director, author, journalist and politician, one of the representatives of the Polish Film School and a deputy speaker of the Senate of Poland. Biography Kazimierz ...

recalled that their love was "full of attachment and jealousy". As an actress she worked at Groteska Theatre in Kraków (1957–1958) and Stefan Żeromski Theatre in Kielce and Radom (1958–1959). After moving to Warsaw she led an audition titled ''Una'' on Polish Radio Three. In 1963 she starred among

Andrzej Łapicki Andrzej Łapicki (11 November 1924 – 21 July 2012) was a Polish film actor. He appeared in 50 films between 1947 and 1999. He was married twice. His first marriage to Zofia Chrząszczewska lasted from 1947 to her death in 2005. He then mar ...

in a short film ''Febliki Tatiany'' (''Tatiana's Weaknesses''). For many years her requests for issuing a passport were rejected. When she finally got a document and travelled to Denmark in 1965 she decided to stay abroad.

Jan Nowak-Jeziorański Jan Nowak-Jeziorański (; 2 October 1914 – 20 January 2005) was a Polish journalist, writer, politician, social worker and patriot. He served during the Second World War as one of the most notable resistance fighters of the Home Army. He is b ...

, head of the Polish section of

, came to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

to offer Nawratowicz work in the radio. She agreed and on November 16, 1965 she became a member of the crew. She worked as a director of the production, but was also a presenter. She led daily ''Panorama'', weekly ''Europe for five dollars'' and wrote satirical occasional programs. For some time she was a main presenter of a popular early-morning musical program ''Rendez-vous''. She became a correspondent in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

after moving there in 1987. Currently Nawratowicz lives in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. She visits Poland once in few years. In 2012 she published a book ''Kabaret „Piwnica pod Baranami”. Fenomen w kulturze PRL'' (''„Piwnica pod Baranami” Cabaret. Phenomenon in the Culture of Polish People's Republic''). She was awarded with a Knight's Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland The Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Order Zasługi Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej) is a Polish order of merit created in 1974, awarded to persons who have rendered great service to Poland. It is granted to foreigners or Poles resident ab ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nawratowicz, Barbara Polish stage actresses Polish radio journalists Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty people 1932 births Knights of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland Living people Women radio journalists