Barbara Kwiatkowska-Lass, as a young girl, was a dancer in the CRZZ “Skolimów” group and studied at the Warsaw ballet school. However, her fate changed in Łódź when she was only 16 years old. Then, at the reception desk of the Grand Hotel, she was noticed by young Roman Polañski, who was just taking his first steps in the industry and making his first short films.
At that time, the young girl was preparing for her film debut, the title role in the cult comedy “Ewa wants to sleep” directed by Tadeusz Chmielewski. For many years, there was a rumor that the 16-year-old got on the set thanks to her participation in the “Beautiful Girls on Screens” competition organized by the weekly “Film”. However, Kwiatkowska-Lass did not approach him at all.
The whole world was open to her. She played in Poland and France
She was spotted by the director while filming dance scenes for Bronisław Brok’s short film “Epizod”. Chmielewski clearly had a good eye, because thanks to her participation in its production, the actress immediately gained nationwide popularity, which resulted in the publication of her photos on the covers of popular magazines.
At that time, it was said that she was very similar to the star of French cinema, Brigitte Bardot. – She was one of the most beautiful girls I had ever seen. Dark-haired, almost brunette, she had an almond-shaped face, wonderful long eyelashes, a snub nose and a flexible, firm body – commented Polañski, who in 1959 took the young actress as his wife.
Although their marriage lasted less than a few years, the aspiring director supported his wife’s career. He even cast her in two of his short films titled “When Angels Fall” and “Two Men with a Wardrobe”. He also helped her get roles with other filmmakers. He persuaded, among others, Andrzej Munk to cast his wife in “Bad Happiness”.
The actress was already noticed abroad at that time. In 1959, she was even a member of the Polish delegation at the 7th International Youth Festival in Vienna. There she was noticed by the French director Robert Ménégoz, who proposed her in the film “The Thousandth Window”. A year later, she appeared in a foreign production again. She appeared, among others, in the film “What a Joy to Live” by René Clément, who was to choose the actress on the recommendation of her husband.
Kwiatkowska-Lass, however, repaid Polański in a different way. While he was in Poland, where he was working on his first feature-length film, the actress was working on the set of the French film “Rififi in Tokyo”. There she met Karlheinz Böhmem, twenty years her senior, for whom she left Polanski. The couple divorced in 1962.
Her husband from Germany wanted her to stay at home with her daughter. She returned to acting when she left him, but the success was not repeated
However, the new marriage turned out to be disastrous for the young actress’s career. The new husband was very jealous and gradually forced her to stop acting and take care of the house. In 1964, she gave birth to a daughter, Katherina, and later appeared less and less in films. Three years after the birth of her child, she managed to star in the last famous production with her participation. It’s about “Jowita” directed by Janusz Morgenstern based on a script by Tadeusz Konwicki, in which the actress played the title role.
Later she disappeared from the screens for many years. She returned only after divorcing Böhm, with whom she had been together for 16 years. In 1981, she played the main role in the German production “Stachel im Fleisch”, and three years later she appeared in “Bluebeard” by Krzysztof Zanussi. A new man also appeared in the life of the once popular actress. She became involved with the jazz musician Leszek Żądło, with whom she remained until her death.
At that time, Kwiatkowska-Less suffered from serious health problems. She struggled with hepatitis C for many years, which, according to doctors, meant that the actress would live only another decade. They were not wrong, as the actress passed away in 1995, at the age of 55, but for a different reason. Barbara Kwiatkowska died of a stroke, which she suffered during a concert of the famous jazz trumpeter Al Porcino. It happened on March 6, 1995 in Baldham near Munich.
Even though the actress spent most of her adult life in Germany, she was buried at the Rakowicki Cemetery in Krakow, where she rests on the Avenue of the Distinguished. The tombstone includes, among others: Jacek Kaczmarski’s words, referring to the popular film with her participation, which was also her acting debut: “Ewa wants to sleep… Basia loved, she lived – now she sleeps.”
The grave of Barbara Kwiatkowska-Lass in the Avenue of Merit at the Rakowicki Cemetery in Krakow. Albin Marciniak/East News
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.
