You've probably heard of most of these people, their names don't always seem related to Poland and the Polish language. However... They all have something in common. Read below what it is...
Helena Rubinstein - she was called the "empress of beauty" - Helena Rubinstein is the founder of one of the most famous cosmetic brands, the owner of a huge fortune. She was born into a poor Jewish family in Kraków in 1872. As a young woman, fleeing an arranged marriage with an older man, she emigrated to her family in Australia.
Warner Brothers is a name familiar to every movie buff. However, not everyone knows that behind the name of one of the most famous film producers are Albert, Sam, Harry and Jack from Poland. They were Jewish immigrants born in Krasnosielc in the Maków county in Mazovia as: Aaron, Szmul and Hirsz Wonsal. Jacek was born in Canada as Itzhak Wonsal. By pawning the family fortune: a horse named Bob and selling their father's watch, the brothers gained capital, which they used to buy a projector. Twenty years later, on April 4, 1923, they founded a film studio, which is now one of the largest in the world. He was born in 1872 as
Maksymilian Faktor (aka Faktorowicz) in Zduńska Wola. At the beginning of the 20th century, he emigrated to the United States. in 1907, he opened a modest drugstore and wig shop in Los Angeles, and soon after became a make-up artist for Hollywood stars. His clients included the greatest names in American silent film: Mary Pickford, Pola Negri, Gloria Swanson, Jean Harlow, Judy Garland, Rita Hayworth, Ginger Rogers, Marlene Dietrich, John Wayne, Charlie Chaplin, Frank Sinatra and Rudolf Valentino. It was Max Factor who dyed Rita Hayworth's red hair, which became her trademark. He was also the first to use the word "make up" and thanks to him lipstick sticks began to be produced.
Samuel Goldwyn - Another name without which Hollywood did not exist. Born in Warsaw as Szmul Gelbfisz, the eldest of six children of Abraham and Hanna Gelbfisz. At the age of 16 he left Poland. In 1924, in the USA, he founded the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) film company, producing 40 films a year at its best, which employed the biggest stars (including Greta Garbo, Elvis Presley, Laurel and Hardy, or Flip and Flap). To this day,
Joseph Conrad, or Józef Korzeniowski, considered one of the greatest authors of English literature, was the son of the writer Apollo Korzeniowski. Without graduating from high school, he left for France in 1874 and joined a ship as a simple sailor. And for the next 19 years, until January 1894, he actually worked on ships - first French and then British. On board the latter, he also gained subsequent ranks, including the captain's rank. He visited the lion's share of the world. Impressions from these journeys did not leave him until the end of his life, which is clearly visible in his prose, especially "Heart of Darkness", referring to the writer's experiences from a trip deep into the Congo Free State. In 1894 he settled in England and devoted himself to writing.
Antoni Patek was born in 1812 in the village of Piaski Szlacheckie in the Lublin region. After the fall of the November Uprising in which he participated, he went to England, and then to Switzerland, where he became interested in watchmaking. Together with the Frenchman Andrea Philippe, he founded the Patek Philippe company, which produced one of the first wristwatches. It soon became the best and most expensive watch brand in the world.
Billy Wilder is one of the most famous Hollywood directors. He was born as Samuel Wilder on June 22, 1906 in Sucha Beskidzka, in today's Poland, then still under Austrian rule. His parents ran a thriving confectionery at the station and were convinced that their sons would gladly take over the family business in the future. In 1933, Wilder moved to America - soon after he was granted citizenship and changed his name to Billy. The creator of the Esperanto language,
Ludwik Zamenhof, was born in 1857 in Białystok and spent his childhood there. At that time, it was a multinational, culturally diverse city. Young Zamenhof, who considered the language barrier to be the main cause of misunderstandings and disputes between people, decided to lay the foundations of an international language. Esperantists estimate that today there are more than a thousand places in the world bearing the name of Zamenhof or the name of Esperanto.
Pola Negri is the biggest star of Polish origin who conquered Hollywood. There she made a dizzying career and paved the way for European stars in the "dream factory". Pola Negri, actually Barbara Apolonia Chałupiec, was born in 1897 in Lipno, died in 1987 in San Antonio (USA). She adopted her stage name in honor of her favorite Italian poet, Ada Negri. All the places connected with these persons you may visit during private tours of Poland. Don't hesitate to contact us if you would like to follow along the trail of famous people from Poland.