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Eugeniusz Bodo (born Bohdan Eugène Junod; 28 December 1899 7 October 1943) was a film director, producer, singer, pianist and one of the most popular Polish actors and comedians of the interwar period. He starred in some of the most popular Polish film productions of the 1930s, including '' His Excellency, The Shop Assistant'' (
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...
: ''Jego ekscelencja subiekt''), ''Czy Lucyna to dziewczyna?'', and ''
Pieśniarz Warszawy ''Pieśniarz Warszawy'' is a 1934 Polish film directed by Michał Waszyński Michał Waszyński (29 September 1904 – 20 February 1965) was first a film director in Poland, then in Italy, and later (as Michael Waszynski) a film produc ...
''. A skilled singer, he became an icon of Polish musical comedy and a "symbol of Polish commercial cinema". In the late 1930s he also became a successful entrepreneur – co-owner of a successful film studio, café, and producers' company. Arrested by the Soviet ''
NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (, ), abbreviated as NKVD (; ), was the interior ministry and secret police of the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1946. The agency was formed to succeed the Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU) se ...
'' in the aftermath of the German and Soviet
invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...
, he perished in the Soviet ''
Gulag The Gulag was a system of Labor camp, forced labor camps in the Soviet Union. The word ''Gulag'' originally referred only to the division of the Chronology of Soviet secret police agencies, Soviet secret police that was in charge of runnin ...
''.


Biography

Bohdan Eugène Junod was born on 28 December 1899. His birthplace is uncertain; sources name
Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
,
Łódź Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...
, and
Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
, Switzerland.Poskuta-Włodek (2007) His mother was Jadwiga Anna Dorota née Dylewska. His father, Teodor Junod, was a Swiss citizen who moved to Russian-held Poland and in 1903 settled in
Łódź Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...
. There he opened a revue-cinema, ''Urania'' – the first permanent cinema theatre in that city. It was there that Bodo made his stage debut at the age of six. In 1917 Junod moved to
Poznań Poznań ( ) is a city on the Warta, River Warta in west Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business center and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John's ...
where he joined "Teatr Apollo". In 1919 (under a new stage name of Eugeniusz Bodo, the surname created from the initials of his own first name Bohdan and his mother's – Dorota) he started acting in various
Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
-based theatres, variétés and cabarets (''Qui Pro Quo'', ''Perskie Oko'' and ''Cyrulik Warszawski'' being the most famous). He also played major roles in Warsaw-based "Teatr Polski" and
Wilno Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...
-based "Teatr Lutnia". He is best known for his film roles; he played in more than thirty films. His screen debut was a 1925 silent film ''Rywale''. With the advent of
sound film A sound film is a Film, motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, bu ...
Bodo in a matter of years became one of the best-known Polish actors. Usually appearing in musical comedies, already in 1932 he was voted the ''King of Polish Actors'' by ''Film'' magazine's readers. His popularity rose following three ''mistaken identity'' comedies: 1933 '' His Excellency, The Shop Assistant'', 1935 '' His Excellency, the Chauffeur'' (both directed by
Michał Waszyński Michał Waszyński (29 September 1904 – 20 February 1965) was first a film director in Poland, then in Italy, and later (as Michael Waszynski) a film producer, producer of major United States, American films, mainly in Spain. Known for h ...
and co-starring Ina Benita) and 1934 '' Czy Lucyna to dziewczyna?'' (co-starring Jadwiga Smosarska). Always appearing well-dressed, in 1936 Bodo was awarded the title of ''King of Style'' by the readers of Film magazine.Sieradzka (2003), p.147 In 1931 Bodo became a co-founder of the B.W.B. film studio, and, in 1933, he opened a private producers' company "Urania", named after his fathers' cinema in
Łódź Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...
. His best-known film was '' Neighbors'' (''Piętro wyżej'') (1937), which he wrote and produced himself. On 10 January 1939 Bodo with his business partner Zygmunt Woyciechowski opened a restaurant and a café – the "Café Bodo" – at Warsaw's prestigious Pierackiego street (modern Foksal).Mościcki (2009), pp. 41–42 By that time his popularity reached far beyond the borders of Poland, to the extent that
Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...
n press dubbed him ''Polish
Maurice Chevalier Maurice Auguste Chevalier (; 12 September 1888 – 1 January 1972) was a French singer, actor, and entertainer. He is best known for his signature songs, including " Livin' In The Sunlight", " Valentine", " Louise", " Mimi", and " Thank Heaven f ...
''.Petrović (1941), p.214 Bodo himself toured Germany promoting Polish-made feature films on that market.Król (2006), pp. 153–157 During the
invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...
he organized recitals for the Polish soldiers and civilians during the Siege of Warsaw. He then fled to
Lwów Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...
, where he joined the ''Tea-Jazz'' band led by
Henryk Wars Henry Vars (born Henryk Warszawski; December 29, 1902 September 1, 1977) was a Polish-American composer, arranger and conductor whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. He is regarded as the most important musical theatre, p ...
. With that troupe he toured the Soviet Union in 1940, he also published a record containing Russian-language versions of his songs. Simultaneously he started efforts to leave the Soviet Union using his Swiss passport. However, shortly after the
German invasion of the Soviet Union Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along a ...
he was arrested by the
NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (, ), abbreviated as NKVD (; ), was the interior ministry and secret police of the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1946. The agency was formed to succeed the Joint State Political Directorate (OGPU) se ...
Cieślikowa (1997), p.247 and sentenced to 5 years of lager/labor camp as a result of NKVD Interrogation carried out by NKVD chief
Pyotr Fedotov Pyotr Vasilyevich Fedotov (Russian: Пётр Васильевич Федотов; 18 December 1900 – 29 September 1963) was long time Soviet security and intelligence officer, head of counterintelligence in NKVD/NKGB and head of foreign intellig ...
signed on 20 October 1942 (source: documents sent to Poland by the Russian Red Cross in 1992). Initially imprisoned in Butyrki prison in Moscow, he was not released following the Sikorski-Mayski Agreement as the Soviet authorities argued that he was not a Pole but rather a Swiss citizen and hence the Amnesty for Polish citizens in the Soviet Union did not apply to him. Eugeniusz Bodo starved to death on his way to a remote Soviet
gulag The Gulag was a system of Labor camp, forced labor camps in the Soviet Union. The word ''Gulag'' originally referred only to the division of the Chronology of Soviet secret police agencies, Soviet secret police that was in charge of runnin ...
camp, in
Kotlas Kotlas () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Northern Dvina and Vychegda Rivers. Population: Kotlas is the third-largest town of Arkhangelsk Oblast in terms of p ...
. He was declared dead on 7 October 1943. His whereabouts remained unknown for another 50 years. Before the collapse of communism in 1989, the Soviets gave the false version that Bodo had been murdered by the Germans in 1941. This version is repeated even in some modern publications.Vazzana (2001), p.52 It was only in 1991 that the Soviet authorities revealed his fate. The tragic circumstances surrounding Bodo's death became the subject of a documentary by Stanisław Janicki ''Eugeniusz Bodo: Za winy niepopełnione'' (''For Crimes Not Committed''). The title of the 1997 documentary refers to a 1938 film in which Bodo starred.Haltof (2002), p.54 In October 2011 in
Kotlas Kotlas () is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town in Arkhangelsk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Northern Dvina and Vychegda Rivers. Population: Kotlas is the third-largest town of Arkhangelsk Oblast in terms of p ...
, where he died, a
cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty grave, tomb or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere or have been lost. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although t ...
in his honor was unveiled at a local cemetery.


Films

* ''Rywale'' (as Geniuś) (1925) * ''Czerwony błazen'' (1926) * ''Uśmiech losu'' (as the dancer in a cabaret) (1927) * ''Człowiek o błękitnej duszy'' (as the sculptor) (1929) * ''Policmajster Tagiejew'' (as Markovskiy) (1929) * ''
Kult ciała Kult or KULT may refer to: * Kult (band), Polish rock band * Kult (card game), collectible card game * Kult (role-playing game), role-playing game * '' Kult: The Temple of Flying Saucers'', 1989 video game * '' Kult: Heretic Kingdoms'', a 2004 vi ...
'' (as Franciszek, Czesław's helper) (1930) * '' Na Sybir'' (as the worker) (1930) * ''Niebezpieczny romans'' (the main
villain A villain (also known as a " black hat", "bad guy" or "baddy"; The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.126 "baddy (also baddie) noun (pl. -ies) ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.". the feminine form is villai ...
) (1930) * ''Uroda życia'' (1930) (as Roszow) (1930) * ''Wiatr od morza'' (as Otto) (1930) * '' Bezimienni bohaterowie'' (as the police captain Szczerbic) (1932) * '' Głos pustyni'' (as sheik Abdullah) (1932) * '' Jego ekscelencja subiekt'' (Jurek, the title role) (1933) * '' Zabawka'' (Kuźma, son of the forest worker) (1933) * '' Czarna perła'' (as Stefan) (1934) * ''Czy Lucyna to dziewczyna?'' (as Stefan Żarnowski) (1934) * '' Kocha, lubi, szanuje'' (as pharmacy terminator Władysław) (1934) * ''
Pieśniarz Warszawy ''Pieśniarz Warszawy'' is a 1934 Polish film directed by Michał Waszyński Michał Waszyński (29 September 1904 – 20 February 1965) was first a film director in Poland, then in Italy, and later (as Michael Waszynski) a film produc ...
'' (as Julian) (1934) * '' Jaśnie pan szofer'' (as Boratyński) (1935) * ''Amerykańska awantura'' (as Paweł) (1936) * '' Bohaterowie Sybiru'' (as Władek) (1936) * ''Książątko'' (as Tadeusz Rolski) (1937) * '' Neighbors'' (''Piętro wyżej'') (as Henryk Pączek, radio speaker) (1937) * ''Skłamałam'' (as Karol Borowicz) (1937) * ''
Paweł i Gaweł ''Pawel i Gawel'' is a 1938 Polish comedy film directed by Mieczysław Krawicz and produced by the Rex-Film studio. Cast *Eugeniusz Bodo as Paweł Gawlicki *Adolf Dymsza as Gaweł Pawlicki *Helena Grossówna as Violetta Bellami *Józef Orwid as Hu ...
'' (as Paweł) (1938) *'' Robert i Bertrand'' (as Bertrand) (1938) * ''Strachy'' (as Zygmunt Modecki) (1938) * ''Za winy niepopełnione'' (as Torence, Holski's friend and partner) (1938)


Notes


References

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External links

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Eugeniusz Bodo
at the Internet Polish Movie Database Polish male stage actors Polish male film actors Polish male silent film actors 20th-century Polish male actors Polish film directors Swiss film directors Polish Calvinist and Reformed Christians Swiss people imprisoned abroad Swiss people of Polish descent Polish people of Swiss descent 1899 births 1943 deaths Polish cabaret performers Polish deportees to Soviet Union Polish people who died in Soviet detention People who died in the Gulag Polish Gulag detainees Polish people detained by the NKVD 20th-century Polish comedians Deaths by starvation {{Authority control