The first “Medic” shielded his wife with his body and died. She was the target of the Underground State

He is considered one of the most outstanding Polish actors in pre-war cinema. However, the beginnings of his life are not well known. Depending on the sources, he was born on November 26 or 28, 1880 in Venice to a wealthy family with landed gentry traditions, or on December 8, 1882 in the Mogilev district as the illegitimate child of a local wealthy man. Regardless of which version is true, it is certain that he had access to education from an early age. He was educated in Krakow, Kamieniec Podolski and Chyrów, among others, and after reaching adulthood, he traveled the length and breadth of both Europe and Russia.

First he conquered the theater, then the cinema. In what films did Junosza-Stępowski appear?

It was these numerous journeys that inspired him to pursue acting, although earlier, due to the fact that nature had endowed him with an exceptional bass voice, he had dreamed of an operatic career. He made his debut in 1989 on the stage of the Poznań Polish Theatre in the play “Piast I” by Alfred Szczepański, arousing considerable interest. However, he did not begin his studies at the Warsaw Dramatic Society until 2 years later, educating himself under the supervision of artists such as Władysław Szymanowski and Wincent Rapacki. After only a year, he began appearing regularly on stages throughout the country, especially in the capital, Kraków, Łódź and Kalisz. His roles delighted not only the audience, but also the critics, who in their reviews widely complimented his skills, predicting a spectacular career for him.

After being hailed as the best stage actor, he decided to try his hand at the fledgling cinema. He made his first screen appearance in the silent short comedies “Przygoda dorożkarza” and “Powrót birbanta” in 1902. Then came a 14-year break, after which he returned to acting in front of the camera. In total, he appeared in over 50 films, many of which have gained cult status. These include “Dziejach grzechu” and the first film adaptation by Tadeusz Dołęga-Mostowicz from 1937.

How did Kazimierz Junosza-Stępowski die? The real target of the killers was… his wife

Although he led a lavish life, he was not a happy one. His first was a colleague, Helena Jankowska, who died of a heart attack shortly after their wedding. He later became involved with a 17-year-old student, Mara, but their relationship lasted only 6 years. He was supposed to find happiness with Jadwiga Galewska, whom he met in the early 1920s. The young woman dreamed of a career, so he financed all of her artistic ideas, although, as critics claimed, in vain, because she had no talent at all. Their life quickly turned into a nightmare, especially since Jadwiga was addicted to drugs.

The situation became complicated when . broke out. Junosza-Stępowski did not hide his views and openly criticized Poles, among others, for the September campaign, which in his opinion started the occupation. At that time, he started running the “Znachor” café and performing in theaters for the Germans, and the community suspected him of collaboration. Therefore, when on July 5, 1943, he was shot in his apartment, many were convinced that he had suffered the consequences of his choices. Only years later did it turn out that the real target of the killers, carrying out the sentence on behalf of the Underground State, was his wife, whom he had shielded with his body. Jadwiga was convicted when it was revealed that in exchange for large sums of money, she had promised the families of prisoners their release, which ultimately never happened. “I am dying innocently because of this drug addict,” he is supposed to have said on his deathbed in the hospital, where he died a few hours after being shot. If you’d like, please vote in our poll below.