Ferdynand Feldman (1862–1919) was a theater

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 (), li ...

known from Polish scenes at the turn of the 19th and 20th century.

Biography

Feldman studied at the

Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts The Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków ( pl, Akademia Sztuk Pięknych im. Jana Matejki w Krakowie, usually abbreviated to ''ASP''), is a public institution of higher education located in the centre of Kraków, Poland. It is the oldest Pol ...

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

, after at the Derynga drama school in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

. From 1881, he appeared in the Krakow theater, playing first the role of footmen. Due to his hort and stock posture , he was initially successful in

comedies Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

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 humor; the use of deliberate absurdity o ...

s and

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs, and dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, length of the work, and at face value, subject matter. Apart from its s ...

s. Feldman played in garden theaters, in Warsaw, Kraków,

Poznań Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John ...

Lublin Lublin is the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the center of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin is the largest Polish city east of t ...

Częstochowa Częstochowa ( , ; german: Tschenstochau, Czenstochau; la, Czanstochova) is a city in southern Poland on the Warta River with 214,342 inhabitants, making it the thirteenth-largest city in Poland. It is situated in the Silesian Voivodeship (admin ...

and Łódź. In 1890 he was involved in the ensemble of the Grand Theater in Lwów (Lemberg), where he performed for twenty-five years. In the years 1916–19 he worked in the

Juliusz Słowacki Theatre Juliusz Słowacki Theatre ( pl, Teatr im. Juliusza Słowackiego w Krakowie) is a 19th-century Eclectic theatre-opera house in the heart of Kraków, Poland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Erected in 1893, it was modeled after some of the best ...

in Kraków. He probably took part in the Polish-Ukrainian battle of Lemberg (Lwów, Lviv), (in Polish historiography known also as defense of Lwów), standing on the Polish side (his wife was Polish). The attention of the critics was caught by his creations in the works of Aleksander Fredro (he played Benet, Chamberlain, Geldhab and Radost). Feldman often played the character of

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

and Tadeusz Pawlikowski, however, started casting the actor in dramatic roles, which allowed Feldman to develop his talent. His biggest roles are Bos in Hope and Bezsiemionow in Mieszczanach. The actor was characterized by a great diction, using gestures and facial expressions, he significantly differentiated his characters, built a character using small details and props.

Personal life

Ferdynand Feldman was a Polish Jew, and before his marriage to opera singer Katarzyna Sawicka at Saint Nicholas Church in Lwów, he accepted the Catholic baptism and converted to

Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

. He was also father of actress Krystyna Feldman. He is buried at the Lychakiv Cemetery.

References

External links

* http://www.e-teatr.pl/pl/osoby/39476.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Feldman, Ferdynand 1862 births 1919 deaths Male actors from Kraków Burials at Lychakiv Cemetery Polish male stage actors Converts to Roman Catholicism from Judaism 19th-century Polish Jews Polish Roman Catholics