February 19, 2024 will be the 7th anniversary of his death. The actress lived to a ripe old age and died at the age of 102. She has created over 40 roles on screen and as many on stage. Even though she was a legend to many, she didn’t feel like one at all. In interviews, she spoke openly about her flaws and admitted her weaknesses. One of them was undoubtedly alcohol, to which she became addicted after a family tragedy.
She had two sisters, but her brother was the apple of her eye. When he went to war, she had a bad feeling
Danuta Szaflarska never hid the fact that fate did not spare her. She was only 9 years old when her father died of appendicitis, but it was not his death that left the biggest mark on her life. Although she had two sisters, she was closest to her brother, who was 4 years younger than her. Jurek was also interested in art, especially music, he played the harmonium and mandolin, and was also good at the violin and piano. After passing the secondary school leaving examination, however, he did not choose an artistic field, but the Cavalry Cadet School in Grudziądz. Shortly thereafter, it exploded and the 19-year-old was placed under the command of General Zygmunt Piasecki. – Mobilization was announced on August 24. He gave me a saber salute. That was the last time I saw him. I took his shawl, so warm, and his scout belt with me to Vilnius as a souvenir. I knew she would die – an actress in the documentary “Another World”.
She found out about her brother’s death during the performance. She suppressed her despair with alcohol
On September 3, 1939, the regiment to which the actress’ brother belonged was defeated, so the young man joined the “Lublin” Army. While she was entertaining the audience on the stage of the Pohulanka Theater in Vilnius, he was fighting at the front, trying to get to Lviv. On September 19, near Tomaszów Lubelski and Biłgoraj, Polish soldiers fell into an ambush set by the Germans. Some of them capitulated and were taken prisoner, but George and a few of them did not intend to surrender. He fought until September 27, when he lost his life in the so-called the second battle of Tomaszów Lubelski. He was buried in a mass grave. The actress learned about the death of her beloved brother during the break in the performance. – When I left the stage where I made people laugh, I was banging my head against the wall in despair – she recalled.
Szaflarska was unable to come to terms with what had happened because her worst-case scenario had come true. Back then, her only relief, although only temporary, was vodka. – I drank, but I learned to drink so much that I was never drunk – she told Tadeusz Tomaszewski in an interview for the book “Returning to Vilnius”. This caused her to quickly fall into depression, and during the most difficult period she did not stay sober for half a year. The actress had a weakness for alcohol until the end of her life. Her favorite high-proof drink was the herbal-spicy Jägermeister, which after her death her daughters placed in the urn with her ashes.
If you are struggling with addiction or want to find out how you can help a loved one, you can contact the specialists on duty at these numbers:
- National Addiction Helpline (daily from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.): 800-199-990
- Telephone Trust for behavioral addictions (daily from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.): 800-889-880
- Orange line for parents of children drinking alcohol (Monday to Friday, 2-8 p.m.): 801-140-068
- National Emergency Service for Victims of Domestic Violence Blue Line (24 hours a day): 800-120-002
More information can be found on the following pages.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
