Jan Henryk Machulski (3 July 1928 – 20 November 2008) was a Polish

theater director A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theatre performance, etc. by unifying various endeavors a ...

, as well as a

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

and

theatrical Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

. He appeared in more than 45 film roles and 70 theater roles throughout his career.

Personal life

Machulski was born 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 ca ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

, on 3 July 1928. He was a graduate of the

National Film School in Łódź National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

and the Polish National Acting School. Machulski was married to Polish

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

Halina Machulska Halina Machulska (born March 2, 1929 Łódź, Poland) is a Polish theater, film and television actress. Machulska is the widow of theater director and actor, Jan Machulski, who died in 2008. The couple's son is Polish film director, Julius ...

. He was the father of Polish

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, pr ...

Juliusz Machulski Juliusz Machulski (born 10 March 1955 in Olsztyn) is a Poles, Polish film director and screenplay writer. Son of noted actor Jan Machulski, Juliusz became notable for his comedies ridiculing the life in communist-ruled Poland of the 1970s and 198 ...

Career

Machulski pursued a successful dual career in theater directing, as well as

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad r ...

. As a theater director, Machulski production credits included the

Polish language Polish (Polish: ''język polski'', , ''polszczyzna'' or simply ''polski'', ) is a West Slavic language of the Lechitic group written in the Latin script. It is spoken primarily in Poland and serves as the native language of the Poles. In ad ...

adaptations of ''Sen nocy letniej'' ('' Midsummer Night's Dream''), ''

Antigone In Greek mythology, Antigone ( ; Ancient Greek: Ἀντιγόνη) is the daughter of Oedipus and either his mother Jocasta or, in another variation of the myth, Euryganeia. She is a sister of Polynices, Eteocles, and Ismene.Roman, L., ...

'' (''Antygona'') and ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

''. He also produced and directed two of his own original plays, ''Niebezpieczne zabawy'' (''Dangerous Games'') and ''Lek'' (''Anxiety''). As an actor, Machulski appeared in approximately 70 theatre and 45 film roles over the span of his career. Some of his most noted roles included ''Rzeczpospolita babska'' ('' Womanish Republic''), ''Sublokator'' (''Lodger'') and ''Psy'' (''Dogs''), ''Ostatni dzień lata'' (''The Last Summer's Day''), ''Rękopis znaleziony w Saragossie'' (''A Manuscript Found in Saragossa'') and ''Lalka'' (''Doll''). Pomnik Jana Machulskiego w Międzyzdrojach -Aw58-

Pomnik Jana Machulskiego w Międzyzdrojach -Aw58-

Machulski appeared in a number of

television show A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed b ...

s and plays specifically for children. He appeared in the popular children's television series, '' Przygody Pana Samochodzika'' ('' Mr. Car Adventures'') and in '' Podroz za jeden usmiech'' ('' A Trip for a Smile''). He also played the main character in '' Wyspa Złoczyncow'' ( Thieves Island). Machulski and his son, director

, collaborated and worked together on several different films. Their first collaboration occurred in 1981 when he appeared in the film, ''

Vabank ''Vabank'' is a 1981 Polish comedy film, comedy heist film written and directed by Juliusz Machulski, set in 1934 Warsaw (although actually filmed in Łódź and Piotrków Trybunalski). The film received several awards and nominations, among them ...

'', which was directed by Juliusz Machulski. Machulski went on to star in several of his son's other films, including ''

Kingsajz ''Kingsajz'' is a 1988 cult Polish comedy fantasy film directed by Juliusz Machulski. The action takes place in late communist Poland and in a fictional Lilliputian kingdom called Szuflandia (Drawerland), hidden deep underground the Quaterna ...

'' (''Kingsize''), ''Deja vu'', ''Kiler'' (''Killer'') and ''Vinci''. Machulski served as the

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

of the National Film School Acting Faculty for many years. He was a recipient of the Polish Golden Order of Merit.

Death

Jan Machulski died of a heart attack in Warsaw, Poland, on 20 November 2008, at the age of 80.Jan Machulski
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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Machulski Jan 1928 births 2008 deaths Actors from Łódź Polish male film actors Polish male stage actors Polish theatre directors Aleksander Zelwerowicz National Academy of Dramatic Art in Warsaw alumni