Barbara Krafftówna

Barbara Krafftówna
Krafftówna (1969)
Born
Barbara Krafft-Seidner

(1928-12-05)5 December 1928
Warsaw, Poland
Died23 January 2022(2022-01-23) (aged 93)
Konstancin-Jeziorna, Poland
OccupationActress
Years active1946–2022
Spouse(s)
Michał Gazda
​
​
(m. 1956; died 1969)​

Arnold Seidner
​
​
(m. 1986; died 1986)​
Children1

Barbara Krafftówna (actually Barbara Krafft-Seidner; 5 December 1928 – 23 January 2022) was a Polish actress whose career spanned theatre, film, television and cabaret.[a][1][2] She was widely recognised for film roles in Ashes and Diamonds (1958), Nobody Calls (1960), How to Be Loved (1962) and The Saragossa Manuscript (1965), among others.[3]

Krafftówna died on 23 January 2022, aged 93, in Skolimów (Konstancin-Jeziorna), where she lived at the Polish Actors’ Veterans’ Home (Dom Artystów Weteranów Scen Polskich).[4][5]

Early life and education

Krafftówna was born in Warsaw. During World War II, she studied acting at Iwo Gall’s underground drama studio in Kraków, graduating in 1946.[6]

Career

Theatre

She made her stage debut in 1946 with Teatr Wybrzeże in the Tri-City area, later performing at major theatres in Łódź, Wrocław and Warsaw, including Teatr Dramatyczny and the National Theatre.[6]

In 1982 she moved to the United States and worked primarily with Polish émigré theatre, living first in San Francisco and later in Los Angeles; she returned permanently to Poland in 1998.[6][7]

In 2006, marking her 60th year of artistic work, she appeared in the monodrama Błękitny diabeł (The Blue Devil), written by Remigiusz Grzela and co-directed by Józef Opalski.[8]

Film and television

Krafftówna appeared in dozens of films and television productions from the 1950s through the 2020s.[9] A key role in her film career was Felicja in Wojciech Jerzy Has’s How to Be Loved (1962).[9]

On television, she was known to mass audiences for her roles in series such as Four Tank-Men and a Dog and The Adventures of Sir Michael (Przygody pana Michała).[9]

Cabaret and song

From 1959 to 1966, Krafftówna performed in Kabaret Starszych Panów (The Cabaret of the Elderly Gentlemen), a landmark Polish television cabaret created by Jeremi Przybora and Jerzy Wasowski, and became associated with its signature songs and sketches.[6][10]

Public service

Between 1961 and 1965, she served as a councillor of the District National Council of Warsaw Śródmieście (People’s Poland).[11]

Personal life

In 1956, she married actor Michał Gazda; they had one son.[12] After moving to the United States in the early 1980s, she married Arnold Seidner (1986).[13]

Honours and awards

Krafftówna received multiple Polish state and cultural distinctions, including the Order of Polonia Restituta (Commander’s Cross with Star, 2019) and the Gold Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis (2006).[14][15]

Selected filmography

Bibliography

  • Remigiusz Grzela, Krafftówna w krainie czarów. Prószyński i S-ka, Warsaw, 2016. ISBN 9788380692350.

References

  1. ^ In English-language sources, her surname is sometimes transliterated without the Polish diacritics.
  1. ^ "Krafftówna Barbara". Portal Wiedzy Onet (in Polish). Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
  2. ^ "Barbara Krafftówna – Życie i twórczość". Culture.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  3. ^ "Barbara Krafftówna". filmpolski.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  4. ^ "Barbara Krafftówna spoczęła na Powązkach. Uroczystości miały charakter państwowy". TVP Warszawa (in Polish). Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  5. ^ "Nie żyje Barbara Krafftówna". gov.pl (Ministerstwo Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego) (in Polish). 23 January 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  6. ^ a b c d "Barbara Krafftówna – Życie i twórczość". Culture.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  7. ^ "Barbara Krafftówna w filmie i Kabarecie Starszych Panów (notacje)". Ninateka (in Polish). Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  8. ^ "Barbara Krafftówna – Życie i twórczość". Culture.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  9. ^ a b c d "Barbara Krafftówna". filmpolski.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  10. ^ "Barbara Krafftówna w filmie i Kabarecie Starszych Panów (notacje)". Ninateka (in Polish). Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  11. ^ "Barbara Krafftówna". Polish Wikipedia (in Polish). Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  12. ^ "Michał Gazda: kim był pierwszy mąż Barbary Krafftówny". Plejada (in Polish). Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  13. ^ "Barbara Krafftówna – Życie i twórczość". Culture.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  14. ^ "Święto Niepodległości 11 listopada. Barbara Krafftówna odznaczona przez prezydenta Andrzeja Dudę". WP Film (in Polish). Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  15. ^ "Warszawa. Pogrzeb aktorki Barbary Krafftówny". TVN24 (in Polish). 4 February 2022. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
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