Polish actor and singer (1892?1952)
Władysław Godik
[a]
(1 April 1892 ? 18 December 1952)
[1]
was a Polish
Jewish
singer, actor and director in
Polish
, Russian, and
Yiddish theatre
.
Biography
[
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]
Born in
Zlatopil
[2]
near
Kyiv
,
Ukraine
, he moved with his family to
Warsaw
, where he did two semesters in the veterinarian institute in 1911.
[3]
Due to political reasons, however, he had to leave for Russia in the same year, where he began to earn money by performing in the circus in Kharkov. Then he played in an operetta in Kiev.
He acted in the dramatic section of Hazemir and in 1911 he began acting professionally at Gershanovitsh in
Vitebsk
, playing Baynushl in
Pintele Yid
. During the
First World War
he took part in Krutshinin's
Russian operettas
and later some
German operettas
. In 1909 he appeared in
Radom
in Tsharnetski's Polish Operetta troupe, and played in
Shulamis
, then founded a Polish-language revue theater called Mirage. Half a year later he joined
Zygmunt Turkow
and
Ester Rachel Kami?ska
's traveling troupe. He played for four years at the Central Theater and spent one year in Vilna with Morevski.
[3]
Władysław Godik as tailor Liberman in Polish Movie
Ulica Graniczna
, 1947
In 1915?18, he performed in the revue theater in Vienna, gaining fame as a compere. In 1918 he returned to Poland. From 1920?28, he performed, among others, with at the
Azazel Theatre
. During this period, he is believed to have been married to
Ola Lilith
. Between 1920 and 1928 he appeared at the
Habima Theatre
. He became renowned as a
conferencier
(Master of Ceremonies). In 1918 he returned to Poland and in 1925 he convinced his wife to join him in founding the
Yiddish Kleynkunst Theater Azazel
. He was conferencier
[
clarification needed
]
of the combined Azazel-
Sambatiyon
theater revue in 1928 and performed with the Warsaw Yiddish Art Theater (Varshever Yidisher Kunst-teater; VYKT). In 1931, he and Lilith debuted in America, in recitals and in
The Girl from Warsaw
. He returned with Lilith to Poland; she returned to America in 1935. In 1939 he fled the
Nazis
by entering the
Soviet Union
through
Białystok
.
In 1942, Godik joined the
Red Army
and was wounded in battle. After recovering he performed in
Moscow
and after 1944 in the
Polish Army Theatre
in Lodz. From 1946 until his death he acted at the
Polish Theatre in Warsaw
, where he died in 1952.
[4]
His best-known film role is the tailor Liberman in
Border Street
directed by
Aleksander Ford
in 1948. By order of
President of Poland
,
Bolesław Bierut
issued on September 10, 1952, he was awarded the Officer's Cross of the
Order of Polonia Restituta
for his merits in the field of culture and art.
Death
[
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]
Godik died on December 18, 1952, aged 60, and was buried in the Avenue of the Meritorious at the
Pow?zki Military Cemetery
in Warsaw. He was survived by his son,
Giora Godik
.
[
citation needed
]
Filmography
[
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]
Notes
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]
- ^
Also known as
Willy Godik
,
Godick
,
Godnick
and
Vladislav Godik
References
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]