Acting was his first love. He never played the lead role, yet he became a legend

was born on March 13, 1923 in Vilnius. He began his acting career during World War II. At the end of the war, he was conscripted into the 2nd Army of the Polish Army, and ended his service in the army in 1947. He studied at the theater school in Łódź, but did not obtain a diploma. However, he graduated from the Iwona Galla Dramatic Studio in Krakow. However, the lack of acting education did not prevent him from pursuing a career. In the 1960s, he started collaborating with Warsaw theaters, e.g. Athenaeum and Dramatic. He also performed at the Television Theater and the Polish Radio Theatre.

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Although he appeared in over 150 productions, he never played the main role. And that’s how he was remembered

The greatest fame gave him the roles of Hermann Brunner in the series “Stakes greater than life” or Władysław Jagiełło in the film “”. Although he starred in over 150 film and television productions, he never landed a starring role. Despite this, even episodic roles, such as in the film “How I Unleashed the Second World War”, gave him great popularity, and the actor was permanently remembered by the viewers.

– In “Stakes greater than life” I appeared in only five episodes, and I was remembered anyway. Brunner was a marginal character, bumping into the main character. I did not feel that this character was hostile to the viewer – he recalled in an interview for . For many, he was a champion, although he himself did not like such titles. “I don’t like that term.” I know my worth and I think that is a bit of an exaggeration – he emphasized in 2003.

Emil Karewicz was married three times. He spent 62 years at Teresa’s side

He met his first wife, Ewa, in 1941 in Vilnius. They worked in a transport company where Karewicz took a job to avoid being sent to forced labor in Germany. They decided to have a quick wedding. When the future actor was drafted into the army, their paths diverged. They found each other after the war and tried to build a life for themselves, but they failed. Despite the divorce, they remained in friendly relations for years. The second wife of the actor was Delfina. When, after the first date, it turned out that she was pregnant, they decided to get married, but this relationship also ended in divorce.

In the early 1950s, Karewicz met Teresa. It was love at first sight. “I thought she was going to pass out, so I tried to hold her up. Since then, we’ve walked through life together, still holding hands – years later. They got married after a few weeks of dating, and they were married for 62 years. Teresa died in 2012.

Although acting is his first love, and his wife the second, it was not his only passion. He was interested in painting, composed songs and often drew caricatures of his theater colleagues. In 1983, Emil Karewicz, persuaded by his wife, decided to retire. However, he still made guest appearances in TV series and movies. In 2015, he finally ended his acting career. He died on March 18, 2020, he was 97 years old.