He was the star of “Miś” and co-creator of “Rejs”. He claimed to have been a playboy most of his life.

Jerzy Karaszkiewicz was born on January 1, 1936 in Warsaw, or at least that was the date in all his documents, because his relatives repeatedly questioned it. His parents divorced when he was just a few years old, and since then he was raised under the watchful eye of his mother and grandmother.

He spent the uprising alone at home in Żoliborz. Later, he failed to pass to the next grade four times

When World War II broke out, the family lived in a house in Warsaw’s Żoliborz district, where, for over two months of riots, Karaszkiewicz was left completely alone because his mother and grandmother were stuck in the center of the capital.

He said he survived because he read newspapers to wounded insurgents, for which he received food. (…) He brought vegetables. He said he ate onions like apples then

– the actor’s wife in the book “Jak u Bareja, i.e. who said it”, adding that he escaped from the transit camp in Pruszków thanks to the help of nuns. Even though he was a small boy, he had a lot of problems with his upbringing, which he openly admitted to many years later.

I was a terrible child. A bully and a fool. I failed four grades of school

– he wrote in the collection of columns “The Dandruff Slayer”. In fact, he was a student at 13 different institutions and not only did he not get good grades in his main subjects, but also in his behavior. Ultimately, he went to night school, where he passed the secondary school leaving examination, and later began studies at the Warsaw State Theater School, where he finally felt fulfilled. One of his first major projects was the improvisation method, which he co-created with Marek Piwowski, Janusz Głowacki and Andrzej Barszczyński. The perverse plot was an analogy of the political situation in Poland at that time, which was presented as a mindlessly steered ship. When the film was released, cinemas were bursting at the seams, but it was not spared from brutal censorship by the communist authorities.

In the following years, Karaszkiewicz appeared on screen many times in productions, including: , Jerzy Gruza or . Although he was usually in the background, he was able to effectively draw attention to himself and remain in the viewer’s memory. He was also successful in the theater, performing in many cities in Poland and abroad, including: in London. – Jurek has extraordinary subtlety and the soul of an angel hidden under his macho mask. A talented columnist, unrivaled in his profession. He sees the world through the eyes of Saint. Francis – Adam Hanuszkiewicz talked about him.

It was love at first sight. They were married until their death

However, professional successes did not go hand in hand with happiness in private life. Although he had many sympathies, none of these relationships developed into a serious relationship.

I was single until I was 42. A carefree playboy

– he wrote in the book. Ultimately, his heart beat faster for Elżbieta, whom he met during a theater festival in Toruń. During the performance, he had to take his clothes off a pole suspended just above the edge of the stage.

I jump up and down several times and have no chance. Miss Elżbietka, the moderator of the Szczecin theater, sees my desperate attempts standing in the wings. He quickly runs to the line holding the perch and lowers it down

– he recalled. That summer, he asked her to marry him, and a few months later they got married. They were considered harmonious and happy. They supported each other in failures and celebrated successes together. In December 2004, the actor performed for the last time in front of the audience in the play “Tunel” by Jacek Kaczmarski. A week later, on December 17, he began complaining of chest pain. His wife called an ambulance, but it was too late. – He took my hand and only said “Ela”. I already knew that although his heart was still beating, Jurek was dying, recalled the widow. Jerzy Karaszkiewicz died at the age of 68 due to a heart attack.