Jerzy Stuhr

Jerzy Stuhr
File:Jerzy Stuhr2.jpg Jerzy Stuhr in 2007
Born	Jerzy Oskar Stuhr (1947-04-18) 18 April 1947 Kraków, Poland
Occupation	Actor, Director
Years active	1971–present
Spouse(s)	Barbara
Children	Maciej, Marianna

Jerzy Oskar Stuhr (Polish pronunciation: [ˈjɛʐɨ ˈʂtur]; born 18 April 1947) is one of the most popular, influential and versatile Polish film and theatre actors. He also works as a screenwriter, film director and drama professor. He served as the Rector of the Ludwik Solski Academy for the Dramatic Arts in Kraków for two terms: from 1990 to 1996 and again from 2002 to 2008.

Life and career

Stuhr was born in Kraków. His ancestors, Leopold Stuhr and Anna Thill, migrated to Kraków from Mistelbach, Austria, shortly after their wedding in 1879.

Having obtained a degree in Polish literature from the Jagiellonian University in 1970, Stuhr spent the next two years studying acting at the Academy for the Dramatic Arts in Kraków (Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Teatralna often shortened to PWST), where he became a professor.

From the early 1970s, Stuhr appeared in Polish theatre and worked in film productions, making his debut with the role of Beelzebub in Adam Mickiewicz's Dziady directed by Konrad Swinarski.

Having met film director Krzysztof Kieślowski in the mid-1970s, he continued to work with him until Kieślowski's death in 1996. To an international audience, Stuhr may be best known for his minor role as thick-witted hairdresser Jurek in Kieślowski's Three Colors: White, in which he starred alongside Julie Delpy, Janusz Gajos, and Zbigniew Zamachowski. In Poland and nearby countries, he is probably best known for the part of Max in Juliusz Machulski's 1984 dystopian cult comedy Seksmisja (one of the most popular Polish movies), and – to a younger audience – for lending his voice to the talking donkey in the dubbed Polish version of the Shrek trilogy. Other important films include Kieślowski's The Scar (Blizna, 1976), Camera Buff (Amator, 1979) and Part 10 of The Decalogue series (1988), Machulski's Kingsize (1987), Kiler (1997) and Kiler 2 (1999), and Zanussi's Life for Life (1988). Stuhr also worked with Polish directors Agnieszka Holland, Andrzej Wajda and Krzysztof Zanussi.

In 1985, Stuhr made his own directorial debut staging the Polish version of Patrick Süskind's play The Double Bass, in which he also played the (only) role. In spite of the production's success, it was not until 1995 that Stuhr began directing films as well, with List of Adulteresses (Spis cudzołożnic) based on a novel by Jerzy Pilch. Critics favourably compared his next effort Love Stories (Historie miłosne, 1997) to Kieślowski's work. The film consists of four unconnected episodes with Stuhr playing the lead role in each. Further movies directed by Stuhr are Big Animal (Duże zwierzę, 2000 – based on a Kieślowski screenplay), and Tomorrow's Weather (Pogoda na jutro, 2003). For these two, Stuhr employed the Polish alternative rock band Myslovitz who composed the title tracks and also had walk-on roles in the latter. In an interview with The Krakow Post Stuhr admitted that Italian cinéaste Nanni Moretti influenced his approach to filmmaking.

From 1990 to 1997, and again from 2002, Stuhr held the position of rector at the Kraków National Drama School, where he had learned his craft two decades before. He formally obtained the title of professor in Dramatic Arts in 1994.

Stuhr's son Maciej (born 1975) is an actor in his own right, who has played alongside his father in Kieślowski's Decalogue X (1988), Pogoda na jutro (2003), and Love Stories (1997). His daughter, Marianna (born 1982) is an artist, painter.

In 2004 he was a member of the jury at the 26th Moscow International Film Festival. He is the chairman of the board of supervisors at Cracow’s Józef Tischner Children’s Hospice and has been a supporter of this foundation since 2004.

He was head of the jury of the 2nd Odessa International Film Festival which took place in Odessa from 15 to 23 July, 2011.

He has worked with RMF FM and has also written books such as Escape forward! (Ucieczka do przodu !) and The Stuhrs: Family Stories' (Stuhrowie: Historie Rodzinne).

In Autumn 2011 Stuhr suffered what he thought was a severe throat infection, but eventually he was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer. He spent most of the following eight months in hospitals in Gliwice, Kraków and Zakopane, undergoing treatment including surgeries, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. His daughter, herself a cancer survivor, advised him to write a diary to keep himself mentally busy during that difficult time. In 2012 it was published by Wydawnictwo Literackie publishing house under the title Tak sobie myślę... (which roughly translates as So I am thinking...). His illness was widely covered by Polish media, and he received feedback from cancer patients around the country for whom his openness was comforting. Eventually he described his cancer as "the most important role of my life". As of April 2013, his cancer is in remission and he resumed both stage and voice acting.

Awards and honorable mentions

11 November 1997 from decision of president Aleksander Kwaśniewski in recognition of prominent desert for national culture it has been characterized Order of Polonia Restituta.

9 November 2007 in Katowice become doctor honoris causa of Silesian university where there is instructor too.

12 November 2008 it has received Złota Kaczka (Golden Duck) become chosen best actor of comedy century.

Stuhr was appointed for European Film Award for fourfold role in Love stories. Rewarded on Venice Film Festival, also it has received numerous Polish awards.

Voice acting

File:Jerzy Stuhr.jpg

Jerzy Stuhr in 2006

Jerzy Stuhr became very popular with younger viewers after he provided the voice for Donkey in the Polish dubbed version of Shrek (as well as in Shrek 2, Shrek the Third and in video games, based on the Shrek movies). Stuhr also provided the voice of Mushu the dragon in Disney’s Mulan and Mulan 2, and for the Larry Laffer character in Larry 7 game.

Filmography

Actor

Polish title	English title	Year	Role
Habemus papam—Mamy papieża	We Have a Pope	2011	Marcin Rajski
Korowód	Twists of Fate	2007	The Rector
Il caimano		2006	Jerzy Sturovsky
Persona non grata		2005
Arie		2004	Israel Arie
Pogoda na jutro	Tomorrow's Weather	2003	Józef Kozioł
Show		2003	Boss
Weiser		2001
Duże zwierzę	Big Animal	2000	Zygmunt Sawicki
Vita altrui, La	The Other's Life	2000
Down House		2000	Gen. Ivolgin
Tydzień z życia mężczyzny	A Week in the Life of a Man	1999	Adam Borowski
Kilerów 2-óch		1999	Ryba
Kiler		1997	Ryba
Historie miłosne	Love Stories	1997	The teacher/The priest/Col. Matałowski/Zdzisio
Matka swojej matki	Mother of mother	1996
Spis cudzołożnic	List of Lovers	1995	Gustaw
Trzy kolory: Biały	Three Colors: White	1994	Jurek
Uprowadzenie Agaty	Hijacking of Agata	1993	Agata's Father
Życie za Życie	Life for Life: Maximilian Kolbe	1991	Prałat
Dekalog X	Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Goods	1989	Jerzy
Obywatel Piszczyk	Citizen Piszczyk	1989	Jan Piszczyk
Déjà vu		1988	Johnny Pollack
Kingsajz	King Size	1988	Nadszyszkownik Kilkujadek
Pociąg do Hollywood	Train to Hollywood	1987	The Director
Bohater roku	Hero of the Year	1987	Ludwik Danielak
Luk Erosa	Cupid's Bow	1987	Stanisław Cięglewicz
Przypadek	Blind Chance	1987
Śmierc Johna L.	The Death of John L	1987	Coalminer from Bytom
Ga, Ga - Chwała bohaterom	Ga-ga: Glory to the Heroes	1986
Ucieczka	Escape	1986
Medium		1985	Georg Netz
O-bi, O-ba – Koniec cywilizacji	O-Bi, O-Ba: The End of Civilization	1985
Rok spokojnego słońca	The Year of the Quiet Sun	1984	Adzio
Seksmisja	Sexmission	1984	Maksymilian 'Maks' Paradys
Dziady (TV)		1983	Belzebub/Master of Ceremonies/Valet
Matka Królów	Mother of Kings	1983
From a Far Country	From a Far Country: Pope John Paul II	1981	Engineer
{{{2}}}	The War of the World: Next Century	1981
Spokój (TV)	Peace	1980	Antek Gralak
Aktorzy prowincjonalni	Provincial Actors	1980
Ćma	The Moth	1980
Szansa	Chance	1980	Zbyszek Ejmont, history teacher
Wizja lokalna 1901	Inspection of the Crime Scene 1901	1980
Amator	Camera Buff	1979	Filip Mosz
Bez znieczulenia	Without Anesthesia	1978	Jerzy Porębowicz
Wodzirej	Top Dog	1978	Lutek Danielak
Blizna	The Scar	1976	Bednarz's assistant
Przyjęcie na dziesięć osób plus trzy (TV)	Guest in front of Employment Agency	1973
Trzecia część nocy	The Third Part of the Night	1971	Laboratory assistant

Director and screenplay writer

Polish title	Year	English title
Korowód	2007	Twists of Fate
Pogoda na jutro	2003	Tomorrow's Weather
Duże zwierzę	2000	Big Animal
Tydzień z życia mężczyzny	1999	A Week in the Life of a Man
Historie miłosne	1997	Love Stories
Spis cudzołożnic	1995	List of Lovers

Voice

English title	Year	Role
Mulan	1998	Mushu
Shrek	2001	Donkey
Scary Godmother Halloween Spooktakular	2003	Harry
Mulan 2	2004	Mushu
Shrek 2	2004	Donkey
Shrek the Third	2007	Donkey
Shrek Forever After	2010	Donkey

External links

• Jerzy Stuhr at the Internet Movie Database
• Giuseppe Sedia, An Interview with Jerzy Stuhr, in “The Krakow Post”, March 26, 2012.