Antoni Fertner (23 May 1874 – 16 April 1959) was a Polish stage actor (graduated from drama school in 1895) and one of the earliest Polish

film actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

s. His first film, ''Antoś pierwszy raz w Warszawie'' (''Antoś for the First Time in Warsaw'') premiered October 22, 1908. It is the earliest surviving Polish feature film and considered to be the founding date of

Polish Film The history of cinema in Poland is almost as long as the history of cinematography, and it has universally recognized achievements, even though Polish films tend to be less commercially available than films from several other European nations. A ...

. He is considered to be the first recognizable star of Polish Cinema. His favorite brand of comedy was

farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical comedy, physical humor; the use of delibe ...

, which with the help of musical comedy revived his career in the 1930s. Besides his film and stage career, his favorite hobby was bicycling.

Early career

Antoni Fertner had a prominent stage career before film, performing in many theaters and cabaret's. His first film was ''Antoś for the First Time in Warsaw'' ''(Antoś pierwszy raz w Warszawie''). While visiting Warsaw from Moscow to Paris, Joseph Meyer and Ferner produced this short comedy. Fertner commissioned and starred in the film. It premiered October 22, 1908 at the Oaza Cinema, a theater which he co-owned, to a full house of 180 people. Ferner's talent was noticed from the beginning and he was one of the most successful film professionals of the time. He formed a production company with fellow actors, Julian Krzewiński, Wincenty Rapacki, Juliusz Zagrodzki and cameraman, Stanislaw Sebel. They specialized in comedy featuring films starring Fertner.

Move to Moscow

After fleeing to Moscow, Russia during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he signed with the Russian Lucifer Company in 1915. This led to the creation of Antosha (Tony in Russian) and the Antosha series. His character has been compared to France's

Max Linder Gabriel-Maximilien Leuvielle (16 December 18831 November 1925), known professionally as Max Linder (), was a French actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and comedian of the silent film era. His onscreen persona "Max" was one of the first r ...

and America's

Sidney Drew Mr. & Mrs. Sidney Drew were an American comedy team on stage and screen. The team initially consisted of Sidney Drew (August 28, 1863 – April 9, 1919) and his first wife Gladys Rankin (October 8, 1870 – January 9, 1914). After Gladys died in 19 ...

. He starred in 24 films as Antosha, however, as most pre-revolution Russian films, many from the series are gone. He appeared in over 30 Russians films earning the nickname “the Russian Max Linder.”

Return to Poland

After the Bolshevik takeover, Fertner returned to Poland. He appeared in only 2 films in the 1920s. However, the popularity of musical comedy mixed with his forte, farce comedy, he revived his career. During the 1930s, he appeared in over 15 films, including many important classic Polish musical comedies such as ''Ada! Don't Do That'' (1936) and ''The Forgotten Melody'' (1938). After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he performed in numerous

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

theatre's. However, he would never appear in any postwar films. His last film appearance is ''The Vagabonds'' (1939).

Filmography

* ''Antoś in Warsaw for the First Time'' (1908) * ''Antek Klawisz, Hero of the Vistula'' (1911) * ''Antosha Ruined by a Corset'' (1916) * ''The Slave of Love'' (1923) * ''Romeo and Juliet'' (1933) *'' Jaśnie pan szofer'' (1935) *''

Police Chief Antek ''Police Chief Antek'' (''Antek policmajster'') is a 1935 Polish comedy film directed by Michał Waszyński. Cast * Mieczysława Ćwiklińska... The Governor's Wife * Maria Bogda ... The Governor's Servant *Adolf Dymsza ... Antek Król * A ...

'' (1935) *''Rivals'' (1935) *''Little Sailor'' (1936) *''Fred Makes the World a Better Place'' (1936) *''Two Days in Paradise'' (1936) *''Ada, Don't Do That!'' (1936) *'' Daddy Gets Married'' (1936) *''

Będzie lepiej ''Będzie lepiej'' (English: ''It will get better'') is a 1936 Polish musical comedy directed by Michał Waszyński. It features characters Szczepko and Tońko (played by Kazimierz Wajda and Henryk Vogelfänger, respectively), who were know ...

'' (1936) *''

Bolek i Lolek Bolek and Lolek (Polish: ''Bolek i Lolek''), also known in English as Benny and Lenny, Jym and Jam and Tim and Tom, are two Polish cartoon characters from the children's animated comedy television series by the same name. The series was created ...

'' (1936) *''My Editor is Going Crazy (''1937) *''The Little Prince'' (1937) * ''The Forgotten Melody'' (1938) *''

Gehenna Gehenna ( ; ) or Gehinnom ( or ) is a Biblical toponym that has acquired various theological connotations, including as a place of divine punishment, in Jewish eschatology. The place is first mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as part of the border ...

'' (1938) *'' Robert and Bertram'' (1938) *'' The Vagabonds'' (1939)

Bibliography

* Bert. (1938, Jun 29). Pictures: Film reviews - pan redaktor szaleje. ''Variety (Archive: 1905-2000), 131'', 26 *Galea, Roberto. “Polish Cinema of the Silent Film Era.” ''Culture.pl'', June 2012 *Haltof, Marek. ''Polish National Cinema.'' New York: Berghahn Books, 2002. *Haltof, Marek. ''Historical Dictionary of Polish Cinema.'' Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2007 *Kramer, Fritzi. “Antosha Ruined by a Corset (1916) A Silent Film Review.” ''Movies Silently'', Movies Silently, 26 June 2018. *Shan. (1936, Dec 16). Film reviews: BOLEK AND LOLEK. ''Variety (Archive: 1905-2000), 125'', 21 *Skaff, Sheila. ''The Law of the Looking Glass: Cinema in Poland, 1896–1939''. Ohio University Press, 2008 *Wear. (1938, Jan 12). Pictures: Film reviews - KSIAZATKO. ''Variety (Archive: 1905-2000), 129'', 27

External links

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Antoni Ferner
on YouTube {{DEFAULTSORT:Fertner, Antoni 1874 births 1959 deaths Polish male film actors Polish male silent film actors Male actors from Congress Poland People from Częstochowa Male actors from Silesian Voivodeship Polish male stage actors Recipients of the Gold Cross of Merit (Poland) Commanders of the Order of Polonia Restituta Burials at Rakowicki Cemetery 20th-century Polish male actors 19th-century Polish male actors Recipients of the State Award Badge (Poland) Prisoners of Dulag 121 Pruszków Recipients of the Medal of the 10th Anniversary of the People's Republic of Poland