Stefan Jaracz (24 December 1883 – 11 August 1945) was a Polish actor and theater producer. He served as the

artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the ...

Ateneum Theatre The Ateneum Theatre in Warsaw ( pl, Teatr Ateneum im. Stefana Jaracza w Warszawie) is a Polish dramatic theatre founded in 1928. It resides in a building erected a year earlier in the interwar Poland as headquarters for the Professional Union o ...

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 ...

during the interwar period (1930–32), and within a short period raised its reputation as one of the leading voices for Poland's new

intelligentsia The intelligentsia is a status class composed of the university-educated people of a society who engage in the complex mental labours by which they critique, shape, and lead in the politics, policies, and culture of their society; as such, the in ...

, with groundbreaking productions of ''

Danton's Death ''Danton's Death'' (''Dantons Tod'') was the first play written by Georg Büchner, set during the French Revolution. History Georg Büchner wrote his works in the period between Romanticism and Realism in the so-called Vormärz era in German hi ...

'' by

Georg Büchner Karl Georg Büchner (17 October 1813 – 19 February 1837) was a German dramatist and writer of poetry and prose, considered part of the Young Germany movement. He was also a revolutionary and the brother of physician and philosopher Ludwig Büchn ...

(1931), '' The Captain of Köpenick'' by

Carl Zuckmayer Carl Zuckmayer (27 December 1896 – 18 January 1977) was a German writer and playwright. His older brother was the pedagogue, composer, conductor, and pianist Eduard Zuckmayer. Life and career Born in Nackenheim in Rhenish Hesse, he was t ...

(1932), as well as popular ''Ladies and Husars'' (Damy i Huzary) by

Aleksander Fredro Aleksander Fredro (20 June 1793 – 15 July 1876) was a Polish poet, playwright and author active during Polish Romanticism in the period of partitions by neighboring empires. His works including plays written in the octosyllabic verse ('' Zemst ...

(1932) and ''The Open House'' by

Michał Bałucki Michał Bałucki, pseudonym ''Elpidon'' (September 29, 1837 in Kraków – October 17, 1901 in Kraków), was a Polish playwright and poet. Biography He studied at Saint's Ann gymnasium in Cracow, and then at the Jagiellonian University. He was ...

Life

Jaracz was born in

Stare Żukowice Stare Żukowice is a village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typica ...

near

Tarnów Tarnów () is a city in southeastern Poland with 105,922 inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of 269,000 inhabitants. The city is situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999. From 1975 to 1998, it was the capital of the Tarnów ...

during the

Partitions of Poland The Partitions of Poland were three partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that took place toward the end of the 18th century and ended the existence of the state, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland and Lithuania for 12 ...

. He studied law, history of art, and literature at the

Jagiellonian University The Jagiellonian University (Polish: ''Uniwersytet Jagielloński'', UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and the 13th oldest university in ...

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 ...

, but gave up his studies to join theatre. He moved to

Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John ...

for yet another contract where he was drafted to the Austrian army in 1907. A year later he settled 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 canti ...

where he performed until 1911. He moved to Warsaw in the

Russian Partition The Russian Partition ( pl, zabór rosyjski), sometimes called Russian Poland, constituted the former territories of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth that were annexed by the Russian Empire in the course of late-18th-century Partitions of Po ...

and worked in ''Teatr Mały'' and ''Teatr Polski'' (1913). He was sent to Moscow by the Russians (1915). Upon his return to sovereign Poland in 1918 he embarked upon an energetic career in emerging national and experimental theatre, with guest performances in over ninety cities and towns until 1928. In 1930 he took over the

Ateneum Ateneum is an art museum in Helsinki, Finland and one of the three museums forming the Finnish National Gallery. It is located in the centre of Helsinki on the south side of Rautatientori square close to Helsinki Central railway station. It has t ...

of Warsaw. He managed it until the Nazi-Soviet

invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland (1 September – 6 October 1939) was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union which marked the beginning of World War II. The German invasion began on 1 September 1939, one week aft ...

, sharing the responsibilities with

Leon Schiller Leon Schiller or Leon Schiller de Schildenfeld (14 March 1887 – 25 March 1954) was a Polish theatre and film director, as well as critic and theatre theoretician. He also wrote theatre and radio screenplays and composed music. He was born in Kra ...

in 1932–33 season. 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 opposin ...

he was arrested and imprisoned at the

Auschwitz Auschwitz concentration camp ( (); also or ) was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It con ...

concentration camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...

. Jaracz was released after numerous interventions on 15 May 1941. He died in

Otwock Otwock is a city in east-central Poland, some southeast of Warsaw, with 44,635 inhabitants (2019). Otwock is a part of the Warsaw Agglomeration. It is situated on the right bank of Vistula River below the mouth of Swider River. Otwock is hom ...

, near

in 1945 due to his ailing health. The repertory Stefan Jaracz Theatre in

, Poland is named after him, and so is the Ateneum Theatre in Warsaw since 1951.

Acting Technique

Jaracz was endowed with a heavy, angular figure and a hoarse yet highly evocative voice. He earned the fame of the most perfect actor of roles of the disadvantaged and the humiliated. He approached them without sentimentality, conveying bitterness and coarseness as well as rebellion, even if they were deeply hidden. With his acting understated and free from affectation, he was able to create characters who were profoundly human, moving and simple. Jaracz was considered to bring to the theater a somewhat plebeian flavor that added verity to his roles. Sometimes he played bluntly, although over time his acting became more detached and would at times reveal a hint of mockery. Nevertheless he was regarded as an actor who empathized with, respected and defended his protagonists, and who conveyed their suffering. He worked hard on his roles, polishing them and sometimes introducing major changes to stagings in other theaters.

Partial filmography

* ''Wykolejeni'' (1913) - Bankier * ''

Obrona Częstochowy ''Obrona Częstochowy'' is a 1913 Polish historical film. It is based on a novel by Henryk Sienkiewicz. Cast * Maria Dulęba as Olenka Billewiczówna *Aleksander Zelwerowicz Aleksander Zelwerowicz (14 August 1877 in Lublin – 18 June 1955 in ...

'' (1913) - Michal Wolodyjowski * '' Countess Walewska'' (1914) - Napoleon Bonaparte * ''Cud nad Wisla'' (1921) - Jan Rudy * ''Za winy brata'' (1921) - Karol Gromski * ''Niewolnica milosci'' (1923) * ''Skrzydlaty zwyciezca'' (1924) * ''

The Unspeakable ''The Unspeakable'' (Polish: ''O czym się nie mówi'', also ''O czem się nie mówi'') is a 1924 Polish lost silent drama film directed by Edward Puchalski, starring Jadwiga Smosarska and Wanda Siemaszkowa.Skaff p.82 It was remade in 1939. ...

'' (1924) - rada Wolski * ''Milosc za zycie. Symfonia ludzkosci'' (1924) * ''Iwonka'' (1925) - Gabriel's Friend * ''

Pan Tadeusz ''Pan Tadeusz'' (full title: ''Mister Thaddeus, or the Last Foray in Lithuania: A Nobility's Tale of the Years 1811–1812, in Twelve Books of Verse'') is an epic poem by the Polish poet, writer, translator and philosopher Adam Mickiewicz. The b ...

'' (1928) - Napoleon Bonaparte * ''Przedwiosnie'' (1928) - Seweryn Baryka * ''Ponad snieg'' (1929) - Joachim * ''Uroda zycia'' (1930) - Rozlucki, Piotr's father * ''

Bezimienni bohaterowie ''Bezimienni bohaterowie'' is a 1932 Polish romance film directed by Michał Waszyński.''Bezimienni bohater ...

'' (1932) * '' Księżna Łowicka'' (1932) - Grand Duke Constantine Pawlowicz * ''Biala trucizna'' (1932) - Jan Kanski * ''Przebudzenie'' (1934) - Drunk * '' Młody Las'' (1934) - Professor Kiernicki * ''Milosc maturzystki'' (1935) - Drunk * ''

Pan Twardowski Sir Twardowski (Polish: ''Pan Twardowski'', ), also known as Master Twardowski (Polish: ''Mistrz Twardowski''), in Polish folklore and literature, is a sorcerer who made a deal with the Devil. Pan Twardowski sold his soul in exchange for special ...

'' (1936) - Master Maciej, Alchemist * ''Jego wielka milosc'' (1936) - Konstanty Kruczek * '' Róża'' (1936) - Oset (final film role)

External links

*
Profile at culture.pl
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jaracz, Stefan 1883 births 1945 deaths Polish male film actors Polish male silent film actors Polish theatre directors Auschwitz concentration camp survivors Burials at Powązki Cemetery 20th-century Polish male actors

Life

Acting Technique

Partial filmography

See also

External links