Stacia Napierkowska

Stacia Napierkowska
Born	Renée Claire Angèle Élisabeth Napierkowski 16 September 1891 Paris, French Third Republic
Died	11 May 1945(1945-05-11) (aged 53) Paris, France
Years active	1908–1926

Stacia Napierkowska (born Renée Claire Angèle Élisabeth Napierkowski, 16 September 1891 – 11 May 1945) was a French actress, dancer, and director who worked during the silent film era. She appeared in 86 films between 1908 and 1926.

Biography

She was born Renée Claire Angèle Élisabeth Napierkowski in Paris to a Polish father, Stanisław Artur Napierkowski, and a French mother.[1]

Napierkowska began her career with the Folies Bergère, where she was noticed by the director of the Opéra-Comique who engaged her to perform in the Fêtes Romaines organized at the Théâtre d’Orange. She then acted in early silent films, becoming a star while playing opposite the celebrated Max Linder.

In January 1913, she embarked for the United States to launch an international career: While sailing on the ocean liner Lorraine, she encountered the painter, Francis Picabia, who went on to produce a series of paintings inspired by her. In New York City, she was arrested during a dance performance when it was declared indecent. After returning to France, Napierkowska said, "Really, I have not brought away a single pleasant memory from the United States" and "What a narrow-minded people they are – how utterly impervious to any beautiful impression!"[2]

In 1920, immortalized in a portrait by Simon Mondzain (Szymon Mondszajn).

In 1917, Napierkowska directed the short film L'Héritière de la manade.

Portrait of the dancer Stacia Napierkowska

She died in Paris on 11 May 1945.

Selected filmography

• Notre-Dame de Paris (1911), playing Esmeralda
• Une nuit agitée (1912), costarring Max Linder
• Les Vampires (1915), playing Marfa Koutiloff
• L'Atlantide (1921), playing Reina Antinea [credited as Stacia Napierkorska]

References

1. "Napierkowska, Stacia". Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias. Retrieved 2024-10-07.
2. "Paris Dancer Dislikes US: Napierkowska, Soured by Her Arrest, Makes Some Warm Remarks". The New York Times. Paris. 27 April 1913. Retrieved 12 December 2008. Napierkowska, the Paris dancer, who has just returned from America, has made some very plain remarks on the subject of Americans. 'Really, I have not brought away a single pleasant memory from the United States,' she says. 'What a narrow-minded people they are—how utterly impervious to any beautiful impression!'

Further reading

• Pelletier, Philippe (3 November 2008). "Stacia Napierkowska". CinéArtistes.com. Retrieved 7 August 2009.
• Anne & Claire Berest, Gabriële (Paris: Stock, 2017); pps. 257–260.

External links

• Stacia Napierkowska at IMDb
• Stacia Napierkowska from the Library of Congress at Flickr