Stefan Jaracz

Stefan Jaracz (24 December 1883 – 11 August 1945) was a Polish actor and theater producer. He served as the artistic director of Ateneum Theatre in Warsaw 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, with groundbreaking productions of Danton's Death by Georg Büchner, The Captain of Köpenick by Carl Zuckmayer (1932), as well as popular Ladies and Husars (Damy i Huzary) by Aleksander Fredro (1932) and The Open House by Michał Bałucki.

Following the German occupation of Poland during World War II, he became involved with the political and military Catholic underground organization Unia. After the assassination of actor and collaborator Igo Sym in March 1941 by order of the Polish Underground State, Jaracz, along with Leon Schiller and a number of other actors and filmmakers were arrested in acts of reprisals. He was imprisoned in Warsaw's Pawiak prison in March 1941. On 5 April 1941, he was deported to the German concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. Jaracz was released after numerous interventions on 15 May 1941. He died in Otwock, near Warsaw in 1945 of tuberculosis. The repertory Stefan Jaracz Theatre in Łódź, Poland is named after him, and so is the Ateneum Theatre in Warsaw since 1951.

Partial filmography

Wykolejeni (1913) - Bankier Obrona Częstochowy (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 (1924) - rada Wolski Milosc za zycie. Symfonia ludzkosci (1924) Iwonka (1925) - Gabriel's Friend Pan Tadeusz (1928) - Napoleon Bonaparte Przedwiosnie (1928) - Seweryn Baryka Ponad snieg (1929) - Joachim The Beauty of Life (1930) - Rozlucki, Piotr's father Bezimienni bohaterowie (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 (1936) - Master Maciej, Alchemist Jego wielka milosc (1936) - Konstanty Kruczek Róża (1936) - Oset (final film role)