Richard Boleslawski (born Bolesław Ryszard Srzednicki; February 4, 1889 – January 17, 1937) was a Polish theatre and

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 ...

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 ...

and teacher of acting.

Biography

Richard Boleslawski was born Bolesław Ryszard Srzednicki on February 4, 1889, in Mohyliv-Podilskyi, in the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War ...

to an ethnic Polish family of Catholic faith. He graduated from the

Tver Tver ( rus, Тверь, p=tvʲerʲ) is a city and the administrative centre of Tver Oblast, Russia. It is northwest of Moscow. Population: Tver was formerly the capital of a powerful medieval state and a model provincial town in the Russi ...

Cavalry Officers School. He trained as an actor at the First Studio of the

Moscow Art Theatre The Moscow Art Theatre (or MAT; russian: Московский Художественный академический театр (МХАТ), ''Moskovskiy Hudojestvenny Akademicheskiy Teatr'' (МHАТ)) was a theatre company in Moscow. It was f ...

under

Konstantin Stanislavski Konstantin Sergeyevich Stanislavski ( Alekseyev; russian: Константин Сергеевич Станиславский, p=kənstɐnʲˈtʲin sʲɪrˈgʲejɪvʲɪtɕ stənʲɪˈslafskʲɪj; 7 August 1938) was a seminal Soviet Russian ...

and his assistant Leopold Sulerzhitsky, where he was introduced to the 'system'. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, Boleslawski fought as a cavalry lieutenant on the tsarist Russian side until the fall of the

. He left Russia after the

October Revolution of 1917 The October Revolution,. officially known as the Great October Socialist Revolution. in the Soviet Union, also known as the Bolshevik Revolution, was a revolution in Russia led by the Bolshevik Party of Vladimir Lenin that was a key moment ...

for his native Poland, where he directed his first movies. As his birth name was difficult to pronounce, he took the name Ryszard Bolesławski. His ''Miracle at the Vistula'' (''Cud nad Wisłą'') was a semi-documentary about the miraculous victory of the Poles at the Vistula River over the superior Soviet Russian forces during the Polish-Soviet War of 1919–1921. Boleslawski was married at least three times and had a son with his last wife, Norma. Boleslawski acted in ''Love One Another'' ('' Die Gezeichneten'', 1922), a German silent film directed by Danish director

Carl Theodor Dreyer Carl Theodor Dreyer (; 3 February 1889 – 20 March 1968), commonly known as Carl Th. Dreyer, was a Danish film director and screenwriter. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his movies are noted for their emotional aus ...

. In September 1922, he made his way to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, where, now known as "Richard Boleslawski" (the English spelling of his name), he began to teach Stanislavski's 'system' (which, in the US, developed into Method acting) with fellow émigré Maria Ouspenskaya. In 1923, he founded the American Laboratory Theatre in New York. Among his students were

Lee Strasberg Lee Strasberg (born Israel Strassberg; November 17, 1901 – February 17, 1982) was an American theatre director, actor and acting teacher. He co-founded, with theatre directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931 ...

, Stella Adler and Harold Clurman, who were all founding members of the Group Theatre (1931–1940), the first American acting ensemble to utilize Stanislavski's techniques. Offered a contract to direct

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

films, Boleslawski made several significant films with some of the major stars of the day, until his death a few weeks short of his 48th birthday, on January 17, 1937. He is interred in the

Calvary Cemetery, East Los Angeles Calvary Cemetery is a Roman Catholic cemetery that the Archdiocese of Los Angeles runs in the community of East Los Angeles. It is also called "New Calvary Cemetery" because it succeeded the original Calvary Cemetery (on north Broadway), over w ...

Hugh Walpole Sir Hugh Seymour Walpole, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (13 March 18841 June 1941) was an English novelist. He was the son of an Anglican clergyman, intended for a career in the church but drawn instead to writing. Among th ...

, who worked with Boleslawski on the script for ''Les Misérables'' (1935), dedicated his 1937 novel ''John Cornelius'' to him with an ''In Memoriam'' poem. For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Boleslawski has a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...

at 7021 Hollywood Blvd.

Filmography

Films directed by Richard Boleslavsky (also credited as Ryszard Bolesławski and Richard Boleslawski):

in Russia

*'' Tri Vstrechi'' *'' Khlieb'' (1918)

in Poland

*'' Bohaterstwo Polskiego Skauta'' (1920) *'' Cud nad Wisłą'' (''The Miracle at the Vistula'') (1921)

in the United States

*'' The Grand Parade'' (1930), choreography only *''

Treasure Girl ''Treasure Girl'' is a musical with a book by Fred Thompson and Vincent Lawrence, music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. The musical's best-known song is " (I've Got a) Crush on You", which has been recorded by a number of artists, ...

'' (1930 short) *'' The Last of the Lone Wolf'' (1930) *''

The Gay Diplomat ''The Gay Diplomat'' is a 1931 American film. Directed by Richard Boleslawski for RKO Radio Pictures, it starred Ivan Lebedeff, Genevieve Tobin and Betty Compson. Synopsis Captain Orloff (Ivan Lebedeff) is a Russian military officer who is sent ...

'' (1930) *'' Rasputin and the Empress'' (1932), teaming Ethel, John, and

Lionel Barrymore Lionel Barrymore (born Lionel Herbert Blythe; April 28, 1878 – November 15, 1954) was an American actor of stage, screen and radio as well as a film director. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in ''A Free Soul'' (1931 ...

*'' Storm at Daybreak'' (1933) *'' Beauty for Sale'' (1933) *''

Fugitive Lovers ''Fugitive Lovers'' is a 1934 American pre-Code comedy drama film directed by Richard Boleslavsky. Released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it stars Madge Evans and Robert Montgomery with a supporting cast of Nat Pendleton, C. Henry Gordon, Ruth Selwyn ...

'' (1934) *'' Men in White'' (1934) starring

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...

*'' Hollywood Party'' (1934) *'' Operator 13'' (1934) *'' The Painted Veil'' (1934), featuring

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress. Regarded as one of the greatest screen actresses, she was known for her melancholic, somber persona, her film portrayals of tragic ch ...

*'' Clive of India'' (1935) *''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

'' (1935), with

Fredric March Fredric March (born Ernest Frederick McIntyre Bickel; August 31, 1897 – April 14, 1975) was an American actor, regarded as one of Hollywood's most celebrated, versatile stars of the 1930s and 1940s.Obituary '' Variety'', April 16, 1975, ...

and

Charles Laughton Charles Laughton (1 July 1899 – 15 December 1962) was a British actor. He was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and first appeared professionally on the stage in 1926. In 1927, he was cast in a play with his future ...

*''

Metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...

'' (1935) *''

O'Shaughnessy's Boy ''O'Shaughnessy's Boy'' is a 1935 film starring Wallace Beery and Jackie Cooper and directed by Richard Boleslawski. The picture was partly set in a circus. The cinematographer was James Wong Howe. Plot summary The plot involves a one-armed lio ...

'' (1935) *'' Three Godfathers'' (1936) *'' The Garden of Allah'' (1936), starring

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

and

Charles Boyer Charles Boyer (; 28 August 1899 – 26 August 1978) was a French-American actor who appeared in more than 80 films between 1920 and 1976. After receiving an education in drama, Boyer started on the stage, but he found his success in American fi ...

*'' Theodora Goes Wild'' (1936), featuring Irene Dunne *'' The Last of Mrs. Cheyney'' (1937) starring

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, ncertain year from 1904 to 1908was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion pict ...

and William Powell (Boleslavsky died before this film was completed)

Books

* ''The Way of the Lancer'' (1932; about the battles of Polish Uhlans in Russia)
Lances Down (1932)
* ''Boleslavsky, Richard. 1933 Acting: the First Six Lessons. New York: Theatre Arts, 1987. .'' (1933) * '' New Features In Acting '' (1935)

References

Sources

* Benedetti, Jean. 1999. ''Stanislavski: His Life and Art''. Revised edition. Original edition published in 1988. London: Methuen. .

External links

*Kulesza, Marek (2018),
Ryszard Bolesławski
' at the
Encyklopedia teatru polskiego
' (Polish) * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Boleslavsky, Richard 1889 births 1937 deaths People from Mohyliv-Podilskyi People from Mogilyovsky Uyezd (Podolian Governorate) People who emigrated to escape Bolshevism People from the Russian Empire of Polish descent Polish film directors Polish theatre directors Polish male stage actors Polish emigrants to the United States American film directors English-language film directors Russian military personnel of World War I Puławy Legion personnel Burials at Calvary Cemetery (Los Angeles)