Fans of Mieczysław Stoor unanimously admit that the actor’s strength was his extraordinary sense of his characters. Thanks to this, his roles, even the supporting ones, were so characteristic that viewers remembered them. The actor did not act in a mannerly manner, nor did he go into exaggeration. Even when he played villains, typically negative characters, he aroused positive emotions. “His Staedke was charming. He was a liar, but still a Gestapo agent,” writes one of the artist’s fans on the forum about the actor. “He gained my greatest ‘sympathy’ as a Gestapo officer, if such a thing can be said,” he adds while discussing the role of Stoor in “Higher Than Life at Stake.”
Mieczysław Stoor played 60 roles. His career ended with a sudden death
Not only the audience, but also critics spoke highly of Stoor’s roles, e.g. Andrzej Hausbrandt – Polish theater expert, critic, essayist and author of several books related to the theater. According to the author, Stoor “combined riotous gallantry with a bit of rudeness, charm and stupidity, naivety with the maturity of an old Lowelas” – the wp.pl website quotes one of the critic’s reviews. Artur Grodzicki, in turn, emphasized that the character played by the actor is “funny, with perfectly captured and discreetly presented characteristic features, and at the same time played very warmly” – quotes viva.pl critics.
Mieczysław Stoor was born in Bojanosa in 1929 and is still the pride of the city located in the Greater Poland Voivodeship. The commune makes sure that the actor’s memory lasts and that residents return to his iconic roles. In 2012, the amphitheater in Bojanów was named after Mieczysław Stoor. “Who was Mieczysław Stoor? Many people, especially the younger generation, asked themselves this question. The answer is simple. Mieczysław Tadeusz Stoor was a flesh-and-blood resident of Bojanów, of whom all residents should be proud,” we read on the city’s website.
The official ceremony was attended by family members, relatives and friends of the actor. The mayor and the chairman of the city council spoke. Emilia Krakowska, who was a friend of the Stoor family, also showed up. The actress even staged a monodrama to even more clearly commemorate this sublime moment.
“An extraordinary theater and film actor who created many characteristic characters” – the inhabitants of Bojanów write about Stoor, which is hardly an exaggeration. Throughout his decades of career, the actor played mainly supporting and tertiary roles, but viewers loved him nonetheless. He received his diploma from the State Higher School of Theater in Łódź in 1953, and made his debut on the stage of the Theater. Wojciech Bogusławski in Kalisz three years earlier. He then played the role of Stańczykow in “Window in the Forest”.
To develop his career, he went to Warsaw; his performance could be admired at the Ludowy and Dramatyczny Theater. He was associated with the Polish Theater until the end of his life. The actor made his debut on the big screen as Marek Kozioł in the film “Piątka z Barskiej” by Aleksander Ford, made in cooperation with Andrzej Wajda. In 1956, Stoor played the role of an accordionist in the film “Nikodem Dyzma”, a year later he played in “King Maciusiu I”. In the 1960s, he appeared in the cast of “Teutonic Knights”, but one of his most popular roles was the already mentioned Hans Stedtke from “The Stakes Greater Than Life”. In “How I Unleashed World War II” he played a Gestapo officer again, and in the series “Four Tank Men and a Dog” – Sergeant Kalita. One of his last roles was Sitarz from “Black Clouds”.
The death of Mieczysław Stoor is one of the greatest mysteries of Polish cinema
Stoor’s fruitful career was interrupted by his sudden and extremely mysterious death. The artist passed away on October 5, 1973 while filming Jan Rybkowski’s film “The Nest”. The circumstances of the actor’s death are tragic and still shrouded in legend. There are several versions of this unpleasant event.
On the website radiokielce.pl, we can read that Mieczysław Stoor died in a caravan near Słupia Nadbrzeżna near Tarnów. “It was officially stated that the cause of his death was carbon monoxide poisoning in the caravan. It was also said that he suffocated with exhaust fumes from an unswitched car engine, or that he fell asleep with a cigarette, which ignited the duvet,” we read on the website. Additionally, the website published information that the artist’s funeral did not go smoothly. The actor’s birth and death dates are said to be incorrect on the tombstone.
Another theory says that Stoor died in his sleep, but in Kraśnik. He was supposed to be staying at the Saturn Hotel at the time. The actor was buried at Powązki Military Cemetery in Warsaw. His role in “Gniezda” had to be taken over by another artist – it was Wojciech Pszoniak.
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.
