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- Stanislaw Lem was a visionary Polish author known for Solaris (1972).
He was born on September 12, 1921, in Lwów, Poland. His father, Samuel Lem, was a wealthy laryngologist who served in the Austrian army. His mother, Sabina Woller, was a homemaker. Although he was born into a Polish-Jewish family, Lem was raised a Catholic and later became an atheist. He graduated from the Lwów Gymnazium in 1939, then studied medicine at the Lvov Medical Institute in 1940-1941. During WWII, he survived the Nazi occupation of Lwów and worked as a mechanic and welder for a German firm until 1944.
After World War II Lem escaped from the Soviet occupation of Germany and moved to Krakow, Poland, as a repatriate. There he completed his medical studies at Jagellonian University, without taking the doctor's degree. He worked at the Konserwatorium Naukoznawcze as a research assistant for psychologist Dr. Choynowski. From 1946-1949 Lem was involved in medical research in psychology, which became a turning point in his life. He started writing poetry and science fiction in 1946, but his first serious novel, "Hospital of the Transfiguration", was suppressed by the Polish government for eight years. It was released only in 1956, when freedom of speech was earned after the "Polish October" popular uprising.
Lem quit medicine in 1949, because he did not want to be drafted into the army. He married a doctor instead of being one. In 1949 he became a professional writer and continued creating his increasingly unusual novels: "The Investigation", "Eden", "Return from the Stars". The 1960s and 1970s were the most productive for Lem. At that time he wrote 'Solaris', 'The Invincible', 'The Cyberiad', 'His Master's Voice', 'The Star Diaries', 'The Futurological Congress', and 'Tales of Pirx the Pilot'. His gift of a visionary materialized in 'Summa Technologiae' (Sum of Technologies, 1964), which tackled problems of virtual reality. Lem showed his talent for premonition in "Katar" (1975), which predicted international terrorism, and in "Observations on the Spot"' (1982), which showed absurdity of a conflict between two civilizations.
His novel 'Solaris' was adapted into eponymous films twice. First came the Russian-made film adaptation by director Andrei Tarkovsky in 1972, starring Donatas Banionis and Natalya Bondarchuk. Lem spent six months working with Tarkovsky in Moscow, but their collaboration ended in a bitter conflict over the changes and additions to the original story. After seeing edited parts of the 1972 film, Lem said of Tarkovsky: "Instead of focusing on deeper moral questions related to frontiers of human knowledge, he made a drama-type 'Crime and Punishment' in space, by making up unnecessary characters of parents and relatives, then adding a hut on an island." "Tarkovsky was a genius, but he was moving in the opposite direction from my book", also said Lem. Upon his doctor's advice Lem did not want to see the 2002 remake by director Steven Soderbergh, starring George Clooney and Natascha McElhone.
"Solaris" (1961) is arguably the best known work of Lem's works. It deals with the problem of human existence in the world of the unknown. It also shows the inevitability of misunderstandings in human contacts with other worlds. Planet Solaris is inhabited by a single Plasma Ocean organism with the eerie ability to materialize human thoughts. When astronauts become more aggressive in forcing contact with Solaris, it confronts them with pushing the buttons of their most painful thoughts by recreating their dead wives and relatives, and virtually bringing the dead back to life in front of their eyes. Obsolete biological human impulses are shown in stark contrast with the magnitude of the ocean-size organism. At some point humans become an irrational liability to their machine partner, the spaceship. Lem's imagination and talent for creation of alternative reality challenges the limits of human knowledge.
"Past is more perfect than future, which makes me sad," said Lem. Although some of his predictions came true, he expressed his disappointment about the failure of many positive prognosis that were made during the 1960s and 1970s. He died on March 27, 2006, in Kraków, and was laid to rest in the Salwatorski cemetery in Kraków, Poland. His books sold over 27 million copies in 41 languages. - Amon Göth was born on 11 December 1908 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary [now Austria]. He died on 13 September 1946 in Kraków, Poland.
- Composer
- Music Department
- Writer
Krzysztof Penderecki was a Polish composer and conductor, whose music was often used in film. He seldom composed original film scores. Among the most notable films to use Penderecki's music are "The Exorcist" (1973), "The Shining" (1980), "Wild at Heart" (1990), "Fearless" (1993), "Inland Empire" (2006), "Children of Men" (2006), and "Shutter Island" (2010),
Penderecki was born in the town of Debica, in the historic province of Lesser Poland. His parents were the lawyer Tadeusz Penderecki and his wife Zofia. Tadeusz was an amateur violinist and pianist. Penderecki was a grandson of bank director Robert Berger, who had a side-career as a painter. Robert's father was Johann Berger, a German Protestant from Breslau (modern Wroclaw), who converted to Catholicism in order to marry a Catholic girl. Penderecki's grandmother Stefania was an Armenian from the town of Stanislau in Austria-Hungary (modern Ivano-Frankivsk in Western Ukraine).
Penderecki was 6-years-old when World War II begun. The Penderecki family had to move out of their apartment, as it was confiscated for use by the Ministry of Food. Penderecki's education was disrupted by the War. He started attending grammar school in 1946, at the age of 13. He graduated in 1951.
Penderecki started studying violin during his school years. His first teacher was military bandmaster Stanislaw Darlak, who also led a local orchestra in Debica. In 1951, Penderecki enrolled at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, where he continued his music studies. Stanislaw Tawroszewicz trained him as a violinist, while Franciszek Skolyszewski taught him music theory.
In 1954, Penderecki enrolled at the Academy of Music in Kraków. Having mostly completed his violin lessons, his education was focused entirely on the composition of new music. His original mentor was composer Artur Malawski, who was primarily known for choral and orchestral works. Malawski died in 1957, before Penderecki completed his lessons. His new mentor was composer Stanislaw Wiechowicz (1893-1963), who often drew inspiration from Polish folk music.
Penderecki graduated from the Academy of Music in 1958, and was immediately offered a teaching position there. He took the offer. He started publishing his original compositions, which were mostly influenced by the works of Pierre Boulez, Igor Stravinsky, and Anton Webern. His works "Strophen", "Psalms of David", and "Emanations" premiered in 1959, and were critically well-received.
His first work to actually receive international recognition was "Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima" (1960), written for 52 string instruments. His next notable work was the controversial "Fluorescences" (1962) written for the Donaueschingen Festival in Germany. He experimented with using percussion instruments which were unusual for classical music, such as "a Mexican güiro", typewriters, and gongs.
His experimental phase lasted through the 1960s, and he was seen as part of the avant-garde scene. By the early 1970s, Penderecki started incorporating more influences from the music of post-Romanticism, and his works were seen as more traditional. Meanwhile he had become one of Poland's most notable composers, He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta in 1964, and the Commander's Cross of the Order in 1974.
In the mid-1970s Penderecki became a professor at the Yale School of Music. His music became more melodic. His "Symphony No. 2, Christmas" (1980) was "harmonically and melodically quite straightforward", and made frequent uses of the tune used in an older Christmas carol, "Silent Night" (1818) by Franz Xaver Gruber (1787-1863). He explained his renunciation of the avant-garde, as he viewed the novelty of the music as "more destructive than constructive".
In 1980, the Polish trade union "Solidarity" commissioned to compose music commemorating those killed in anti-government riots at the Gdansk shipyards. Penderecki initially composed "Lacrimosa" for the occasion. He was inspired enough to expand the work to one of his most famous compositions, "Polish Requiem". He revised it several times between 1980 and 2005.
By the 2000s, Penderecki won many international awards and his fame was well-established. He started working on a number of compositions which were never finished, in part due to poor health. His plans included an opera version of the French tragedy play "Phèdre" (1677) by Jean Racine (1639-1699), and a composition commemorating the Armenian Genocide's centennial.
In March 2020, Penderecki died in his home in Kraków, Poland, following a long illness. He was 86-years-old, and several of his compositions were regarded among the famous film music of the 20th century.- Bronislaw Cieslak was born on 8 October 1943 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland. He was an actor, known for Zamknac za soba drzwi (1988), 07 zglos sie (1976) and Latajace machiny kontra pan Samochodzik (1991). He was married to Anna and Jasna Krystyna Chrzanowska-Cieslak. He died on 2 May 2021 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Jerzy Binczycki was born on 6 September 1937 in Witkowice, Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland. He was an actor, known for Nights and Days (1975), Pan Tadeusz (1999) and Na odsiecz Wiedniowi (1983). He died on 2 October 1998 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Jerzy Trela was born on 14 March 1942 in Lencze, Malopolskie, Poland. He was an actor, known for Quo vadis (2001), Three Colors: White (1994) and Self-Portrait with a Lover (1996). He died on 15 May 2022 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Music Department
- Composer
- Actor
Leopold Kozlowski was born on 26 November 1918 in Przemyslany, Tarnopolskie, Poland [now Peremyshliany, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a composer and actor, known for Schindler's List (1993), Torrents of Spring (1989) and Skrzypce Rotszylda (1988). He died on 12 March 2019 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.- Stanislaw Igar was born on 14 July 1918 in Plock, Mazowieckie, Poland. He was an actor, known for The Promised Land (1975), O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization (1985) and The Saragossa Manuscript (1965). He died on 29 December 1987 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Andrzej Zaucha was born on 12 January 1949 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland. He was an actor, known for How to Live? (2008), The Mire (2018) and Dariusz (2019). He died on 10 October 1991 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.- Jerzy Gniewkowski was born on 6 May 1938 in Grodno, Bialostockie, Poland [now Hrodna, Belarus]. He was an actor, known for The Beads of One Rosary (1980), Blisko, coraz blizej (1983) and Podróz Luizy (1981). He died on 20 February 2012 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Halina Gryglaszewska was born on 13 June 1917 in Kharkov, Kharkov Governorate, Russia [now Kharkiv, Ukraine]. She was an actress, known for The Double Life of Véronique (1991), Wsciekly (1980) and Birth Certificate (1961). She died on 18 June 2010 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Jerzy Jogalla was born on 2 April 1940 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland. He was an actor, known for Skradziona kolekcja (1979), The Song of Triumphant Love (1969) and Milczace slady (1961). He died on 7 May 2018 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Writer
- Director
- Art Director
Ryszard Czekala was born on 5 March 1941 in Bydgoszcz, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Poland. He was a writer and director, known for Zofia (1976), Syn (1970) and The Roll-Call (1971). He died on 30 October 2010 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.- Actress
Irena Orska was born on 12 October 1915 in Krakau, Galicia, Austria-Hungary [now Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland]. She was an actress, known for Lalka (1968), The Saragossa Manuscript (1965) and Pierwsza milosc Kosciuszki (1929). She died on 13 February 2004 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.- Stanislaw Koczanowicz was born on 5 May 1921 in Tarnów, Malopolskie, Poland. He was an actor, known for Schindler's List (1993), Rodzina Polanieckich (1978) and Television Theater (1953). He died on 5 May 1993 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Jerzy Gralek was born on 23 June 1946 in Sosnowiec, Slaskie, Poland. He was an actor, known for Krew z krwi (2012), Pan Tadeusz (1999) and General. Zamach na Gibraltarze (2009). He died on 15 February 2016 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Actor
- Writer
Antoni Fertner was born on 23 May 1874 in Czestochowa, Poland, Russian Empire [now Czestochowa, Slaskie, Poland]. He was an actor and writer, known for Ada, Don't Do That! (1936), Zapomniana melodia (1938) and Bedzie lepiej (1936). He died on 16 April 1959 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.- Jerzy Aleksander Braszka was born on 6 October 1932 in Rypin, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Poland. He was an actor, known for Katastrofa w Gibraltarze (1984), Krótkie zycie (1976) and Orzel i reszka (1975). He died on 6 May 2000 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Jerzy Baczek was born on 7 February 1928 in Laziska Górne, Slaskie, Poland. He was an actor, known for Pigulki dla Aurelii (1958), Wysokie loty (1980) and Television Theater (1953). He died on 24 July 2013 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Kazimierz Fabisiak was born on 11 February 1903 in Warsaw, Poland, Russian Empire [now Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland]. He was an actor, known for Skarb kapitana Martensa (1957), Milczenie (1963) and Lydia Ate the Apple (1958). He died on 28 April 1971 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Janina Karasinska was born on 13 January 1917 in Warsaw, Poland, Russian Empire [now Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland]. She was an actress, known for Niekochana (1966). She died on 13 July 1986 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Actor
- Writer
- Art Department
Wieslaw Dymny was born on 25 February 1936 in Poloneczka, Nowogródzkie, Poland [now Palanechka, Belarus]. He was an actor and writer, known for 5 i 1/2 Bladego Józka (1970), Slonce wschodzi raz na dzien (1972) and Chudy i inni (1967). He was married to Anna Dymna. He died on 12 February 1978 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.- Georg Trakl was born on 3 February 1887 in Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria-Hungary [now Austria]. He was a writer, known for Een Donkere Reis (2019), Poem: I Set My Foot Upon the Air and It Carried Me (2003) and An diesen Abenden - Spiel von Sensemann und Magd (1952). He died on 3 November 1914 in Krakau, Galicia, Austria-Hungary [now Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland].
- Wislawa Szymborska was born on 2 July 1923 in Prowent, Poznanskie [now part of Kórnik, Wielkopolskie], Poland. She was a writer, known for Teatr Polskiego Radia (2004), Tortures (2017) and Vietnam (2021). She was married to Adam Wlodek. She died on 1 February 2012 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Maria Malicka was born on 9 May 1900 in Krakau, Galicia, Austria-Hungary [now Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland]. She was an actress, known for Niebezpieczny raj (1931), Szlakiem hanby (1929) and Wiatr od morza (1930). She was married to Zbigniew Sawan. She died on 30 September 1992 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Dariusz Gnatowski was born on 24 May 1961 in Ruda Slaska, Slaskie, Poland. He was an actor, known for Demons of War (1998), Sara (1997) and Miasto prywatne (1994). He was married to Anna Gnatowska. He died on 20 October 2020 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Writer
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Ludwik Jerzy Kern was born on 29 December 1920 in Lódz, Lódzkie, Poland. He was a writer, known for Rozstanie (1961), Tajemnica dzikiego szybu (1956) and Prosze slonia (1979). He was married to Marta Stebnicka and Adela Nowicka. He died on 29 October 2010 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.- Henryk Markiewicz was born on 16 November 1922 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland. He died on 31 October 2013 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Eva Mozes Kor was born on 30 January 1934 in Portz, Romania. She was a producer, known for C.A.N.D.L.E.S.: The Story of the Mengele Twins (1990), Forgiving Dr. Mengele (2006) and Eva: A-7063 (2018). She was married to Michael Kor. She died on 4 June 2019 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Cinematographer
- Director
- Writer
Jerzy Kotowski was born on 23 July 1925 in Tarnowskie Góry, Slaskie, Poland. Jerzy was a cinematographer and director, known for Wystawa Abstrakcjonistów (1958), Gapiszon na stacji (1968) and Czarny król (1961). Jerzy died on 17 May 1979 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.- Zofia Truszkowska was born on 14 January 1915 in Usti, Czech Republic. She was an actress, known for Julia, Anna, Genowefa (1968), Dom swietego Kazimierza (1984) and Romans Teresy Hennert (1978). She died on 7 April 2001 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Jan Adamski was born on 8 October 1923 in Buczacz, Tarnopolskie, Poland [now Buchach, Ukraine]. He was an actor, known for Dwa zebra Adama (1964), Koniec naszego swiata (1964) and Schodami w góre, schodami w dól (1988). He died on 26 July 2010 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Krzysztof Litwin was born on 19 June 1935 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland. He was an actor, known for Lalka (1968), Lalka (1978) and Niewiarygodne przygody Marka Piegusa (1966). He died on 8 November 2000 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Tadeusz Kwiatkowski was born on 4 May 1920 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland. She was a writer, known for The Saragossa Manuscript (1965), Janosik (1974) and Janosik (1974). She was married to Halina Kwiatkowska. She died on 7 March 2007 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Wladyslaw Lenczewski was born in 1882. He was an actor and director, known for Romans panny Opolskiej (1928), Tamten (1921) and Nie damy ziemi, skad nasz ród (1920). He was married to Helena Bozewska. He died on 24 January 1945 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Leszek Dlugosz was born on 18 June 1941 in Zaklików, Podkarpackie, Poland. He was an actor, known for On the Silver Globe (1988), Heart Parade (2022) and Smolensk (2016). He died on 23 March 2024 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.- Krzysztof Kozlowski was born on 18 August 1931 in Przybyslawice, Malopolskie, Poland. He died on 26 March 2013 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Halina Skaza was born on 24 December 1928 in Nowy Sacz, Malopolskie, Poland. She was an actress, known for Ognisty aniol (1986). She died on 19 August 2013 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Piotr Skrzynecki was born on 12 September 1930 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland. He was an actor, known for The Heiresses (1980), Epitafium dla Barbary Radziwillówny (1983) and On the Move (1979). He died on 27 April 1997 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Edward Raczkowski was born on 11 February 1911 in Lemberg, Galicia, Austria-Hungary [now Lviv, Ukraine]. He was an actor, known for Ojciec królowej (1980), Pharaoh (1966) and Granica (1978). He died on 26 October 1990 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Maciej Szumowski was born on 18 April 1939 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland. He was a writer, known for Arena (1968). He was married to Dorota Terakowska. He died on 1 February 2004 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Wanda Kruszewska was born on 5 October 1921 in Poznan, Wielkopolskie, Poland. She was an actress, known for The Double Life of Véronique (1991), Opowiesc w czerwieni (1974) and Television Theater (1953). She died on 31 December 2013 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Grzegorz Borek was born on 20 July 1971 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland. He was an actor, known for Poniedzialek (1998), Sezon na leszcza (2001) and The Circus Connection (1995). He died on 27 February 2009 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Lidia Wyrobiec-Bank was born on 21 September 1927 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland. She was an actress, known for Schindler's List (1993) and Modrzejewska (1990). She died on 12 April 1994 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Zbigniew Podgajny was born on 19 December 1933 in Nowy Sacz, Malopolskie, Poland. He was an actor, known for Przekladaniec (1968), Kulig (1968) and Kouzelná skolka (1999). He died on 11 June 2002 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.- Composer
- Music Department
- Actor
Marek Grechuta was born on 10 December 1945 in Zamosc, Lubelskie, Poland. He was a composer and actor, known for Planet Single (2016), Zakret (1977) and #WszystkoGra (2016). He was married to Danuta. He died on 9 October 2006 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.- Andrzej Girtler was born on 16 April 1904 in Boryslaw, Galicia, Austria-Hungary [now Boryslav, Ukraine]. He was an actor, known for Pharaoh (1966) and Chudy i inni (1967). He died on 27 July 1968 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.
- Michal Balucki was born on 29 September 1837 in Krakau, Galicia, Austrian Empire [now Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland]. He was a writer, known for For Crimes Not Theirs (1938), Bialy Murzyn (1939) and Klub kawalerów (1962). He died on 17 October 1901 in Krakau, Galicia, Austria-Hungary [now Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland].
- One of the most promising actresses of her generation. She studied acting in Kraków and Warsaw. The turning point of her career was the remarkable performance in "Nikt nie wola" (1960). This role, as well as other film and theatre roles that followed, made her a star in Poland. Unfortunately, in 1963, after an argument with her boyfriend, actor Zbigniew Wójcik, she committed suicide by turning the gas on. They were found dead together. Marcinkowska was only 23 years old.
- Zofia Mellerowicz was born on 16 October 1888. She was an actress, known for ABC milosci (1935) and Pawel i Gawel (1938). She died on 30 October 1949 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland.