Jerzy Stuhr
Jerzy Stuhr | |
---|---|
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1971–present |
Jerzy Stuhr (Polish pronunciation: [ˈjɛʐɨ ˈʂtur]; born 18 April 1947 in Kraków)[1] is one of the most popular and versatile Polish actors.[1][2] He also works as a screenwriter, film director and drama professor. He serves as the Rector of the Ludwik Solski Academy for the Dramatic Arts in Kraków.
Life and career
Having obtained a degree in Polish literature from the Jagiellonian University in 1970,[2] Stuhr spent the next two years studying acting at the Academy for the Dramatic Arts in Kraków (Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Teatralna often shortened to PWST),[2] where he became a professor.
From the early 1970s, Stuhr appeared in Polish theatre and worked in film productions, making his debut with the role of Beelzebub in Adam Mickiewicz's Dziady directed by Konrad Swinarski.[1]
Having met film director Krzysztof Kieślowski in the mid-1970s, he continued to work with him until Kieślowski's death in 1996. To an international audience, Stuhr may be best known for his minor role as thick-witted hairdresser Jurek in Kieślowski's Three Colors: White, in which he starred alongside Julie Delpy, Janusz Gajos, and Zbigniew Zamachowski. In Poland and nearby countries, he is probably best-known for the part of Max in Juliusz Machulski's 1984 dystopian cult comedy Seksmisja, and - to the youngest audience - for lending his voice to the talking donkey in the dubbed Polish version of the Shrek trilogy. Other important films include Kieślowski's The Scar (Blizna, 1976), Camera Buff (Amator, 1979) and Part 10 of The Decalogue series (1988), Machulski's Kingsize (1987), Kiler (1997) and Kiler 2 (1999), and Zanussi's Life for Life (1988). Stuhr also worked with Polish directors Agnieszka Holland, Andrzej Wajda and Krzysztof Zanussi.
In 1985, Stuhr made his own directorial debut staging the Polish version of Patrick Süskind's play The Double Bass, in which he also played the (only) role. In spite of the production's success, it was not until 1995 that Stuhr began directing films as well, with List of Adulteresses (Spis cudzołożnic) based on a novel by Jerzy Pilch. Critics favourably compared his next effort Love Stories (Historie miłosne, 1997) to Kieślowski's work. The film consists of four unconnected episodes with Stuhr playing the lead role in each. Further movies directed by Stuhr are Big Animal (Duże zwierzę, 2000 - based on a Kieślowski screenplay) and Tomorrow's Weather (Pogoda na jutro, 2003). For these two, Stuhr employed the Polish alternative rock band Myslovitz who composed the title tracks and also had walk-on roles in the latter.
From 1990 to 1997, and again from 2002, Stuhr held the position of rector at the Kraków National Drama School, where he had learned his craft two decades before. He formally obtained the title of professor in dramatic arts in 1994.[1]
Stuhr's son Maciej (born 1975) is in the process of establishing himself as an actor in his own right, having played alongside his father in Kieślowski's Decalogue X (1988), Pogoda na jutro (2003), and Love Stories (1997).[3]
Voice acting
Jerzy Stuhr became very popular with younger viewers after he provided the voice for Donkey in the Polish dubbed version of Shrek (as well as in Shrek 2, Shrek the Third and in video games, based on the Shrek movies). Stuhr also provided the voice of Mushu the dragon in Disney’s Mulan and Mulan 2, and for the Larry Laufer character in Larry 7 game.
Filmography
Actor
- Korowód (2007) aka Twists of Fate as The Rector
- Il caimano (2006) as Jerzy Sturovsky
- Pogoda na jutro (2003) aka Tomorrow's Weather as Józef Kozioł
- Show (2003) as Boss
- Weiser (2001)
- Duże zwierzę (2000) aka Big Animal as Zygmunt Sawicki
- Vita altrui, La (2000) aka The Other's Life
- Down House (2000) as Gen. Ivolgin
- Tydzień z życia mężczyzny (1999) aka A Week in the Life of a Man as Adam Borowski
- Kilerów 2-óch (1999) as Ryba
- Kiler (1997) as Ryba
- Historie miłosne (1997) aka Love Stories as The teacher/The priest/Col. Matałowski/Zdzsio
- Matka swojej matki (1996)
- Spis cudzołożnic (1995) aka List of Lovers as Gustaw
- Trzy kolory: Biały (1994) aka Three Colors: White as Jurek
- Uprowadzenie Agaty (1993) aka Hijacking of Agata as Agata's Father
- Życie za Życie (1991) aka Life for Life: Maximilian Kolbe as Prałat
- Dekalog X (1989) aka Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Goods as Jerzy
- Obywatel Piszczyk (1989) aka Citizen Piszczyk as Jan Piszczyk
- Déjà vu (1988) as Johnny Pollack
- Kingsajz (1988) aka King Size as Nadszyszkownik Kilkujadek
- Pociąg do Hollywood (1987) aka Train to Hollywood as The Director
- Bohater roku (1987) aka Hero of the Year as Ludwik Danielak
- Luk Erosa (1987) aka Cupid's Bow as Stanisław Cięglewicz
- Przypadek (1987) aka Blind Chance (uncredited)
- Śmierc Johna L. (1987) aka The Death of John L as Coalminer from Bytom
- Ga, Ga - Chwała bohaterom (1986) aka Ga-ga: Glory to the Heroes
- Ucieczka (1986)
- Film (1985) as Georg Netz
- O-bi, O-ba - Koniec cywilizacji (1985) aka O-Bi, O-Ba - The End of Civilization
- Rok spokojnego słońca (1984) aka The Year of the Quiet Sun as Adzio
- Seksmisja (1984) aka Sexmission as Maksymilian 'Maks' Paradys
- Dziady (1983) (TV) as Belzebub/Master of Ceremonies/Valet
- Matka Królów (1983) aka Mother of Kings
- From a Far Country (1981) aka From a Far Country: Pope John Paul II as Engineer
- Wojna światów - następne stulecie (1981) aka The War of the World: Next Century
- Spokój (1980) (TV) aka Peace as Antek Gralak
- Aktorzy prowincjonalni (1980) aka Provincial Actors
- Ćma (1980) aka The Moth
- Szansa (1980) aka Chance
- Wizja lokalna 1901 (1980) aka Inspection of the Crime Scene 1901
- Amator (1979) aka Camera Buff as Filip Mosz
- Bez znieczulenia (1978) aka Without Anesthesia as Jerzy Porębowicz
- Wodzirej (1978) aka Top Dog as Danielak
- Blizna (1976) aka The Scar as Bednarz's assistant
- Przyjęcie na dziesięć osób plus trzy (1973) (TV) as Guest in front of Employment Agency
- Trzecia część nocy (1971) aka The Third Part of the Night
Director and Screenplay writer
- Korowód (2007) aka Twists of Fate
- Pogoda na jutro (2003) aka Tomorrow's Weather
- Duże zwierzę (2000) aka Big Animal
- Tydzień z życia mężczyzny (1999) aka A Week in the Life of a Man
- Historie miłosne (1997) aka Love Stories
- Spis cudzołożnic (1995) aka List of Lovers
References
- ^ a b c d "Jerzy Stuhr profile". Culture.pl. Retrieved 2007-05-23.
- ^ a b c "Jerzy Stuhr - Biografia". Onet.pl. Retrieved 2007-05-23.
- ^ Dominika Dębek and Dorota Smoleń. "Maciej Stuhr Biography" (in Polish). Onet.pl. Retrieved 2007-08-14.