Funeral service for Barbara Krafftówna were held on Friday at Warsaw's Church of St. Andrew the Apostle and St. Brother Albert. The actress was buried in the Avenue for the Distinguished at Powązki Cemetery. "She was an artist of a huge and versatile talent, reinforced by great diligence and passion," President Andrzej Duda wrote in a letter which was read out during the observances.
Barbara Krafftówna died on the night between January 22-23, at the age of 93. The funeral ceremony had an official character.
During the funeral ceremony, a letter by President Andrzej Duda was read out by his aide Tadeusz Deszkiewicz. "Barbara Krafftówna captivated with her mastery and personality. A petite person and a volcano of energy who, who was excellent in voicing the subtlety of feelings, and distant afterthought" - the president wrote.
"She was an artist of a huge and versatile talent, reinforced by great diligence and passion," he added.
Barbara Krafftówna was born on December 5, 1928, in Warsaw. She began studying dance and pantomime already during the war; she attended classes at Iwo Gall Dramatic Studio held in conspiracy. In 1945, she took up classes at the Studio again, this time however in Stary Theatre in Kraków. In the following year she moved to Gdynia's Wybrzeże Theatre, where Gall had become director. She debuted in November that year with a role of Fisherwoman in Tadeusz Gajcy's play "Homer and the Orchid".
Later on, the actress performed at the following stages: Stefan Jaracz Theatre in Łódź, Dramatic Theatre in Wrocław, and then in Theatre of New Warsaw, Komedia, National Theatre, Syrena, as well as Współczesny.
Her film debut was in a 1953 Jan Rybkowski's comedy "A matter to settle". Movie critics argue that she played her best roles in Wojciech Jerzy Has's films, such as "Gold" (1961), "The Saragossa Manuscript" (1964), and "The Codes" (1966). However, considered as her most outstanding performance is her role in a 1962 film "How to Be Loved", for which she received an award at a festival in San Francisco in 1963.
Krafftówna received many awards and prizes. In 1964, she took the first place in "Kurier Polski's" contest for the most popular Polish actress. In 2006, she was awarded Gloria Artis Gold Medal for her contribution to Polish culture, whereas in 2007, she won the Master of the Polish Mother Tongue title. In 2019, president Duda decorated Krafftówna with the Order of Polonia Restituta Second Class - the Commander's Cross with Star.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, PAP