Jerzy Stuhr

Jerzy Oskar Stuhr (18 April 1947 – 9 July 2024) was a renowned Polish actor, director, screenwriter and professor whose career spanned more than five decades and left an indelible mark on both Polish cinema and theatre. Born in Kraków to a prosecutor father and an accountant mother, Stuhr studied Polish literature at the Jagiellonian University before training at the Academy for the Dramatic Arts, where he later became a professor and twice served as rector of the Ludwik Solski Academy for the Dramatic Arts. He made his theatrical debut in the early 1970s and quickly rose to fame with the role of Beelzebub in Konrad Swinarski’s production of Dziady, establishing himself as a versatile performer capable of both comic and dramatic nuance. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s he collaborated with legendary director Krzysztof Kieślowski, appearing in such acclaimed works as Camera Buff (1979) and Dekalog: Ten (1989), while his popular role as Max in Juliusz Machulski’s cult comedy Seksmisja (1984) cemented his status as a household name in Poland. In addition to acting, Stuhr ventured into directing with his stage debut of The Double Bass in 1985 and later filmed List of Adulteresses (1995), Love Stories (1997) and The Big Animal (2000), often pairing his projects with contemporary Polish music groups such as Myslovitz. He also became a beloved voice actor, lending his distinctive voice to the talking donkey in the Polish dub of the Shrek trilogy and to characters in Disney’s Mulan. Recognised with numerous honors—including the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, the Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta and a Polish Academy Life‑Achievement Award—Stuhr’s influence extended beyond performance to education, charity and cultural advocacy. His personal life was marked by a long marriage to violinist Barbara Kóska, two children, and a public battle with laryngeal cancer that he chronicled in a published diary, describing it as "the most important role of my life". Even in his final years he remained active in film, theatre and public discourse, leaving a legacy celebrated by audiences and colleagues alike.