NAPIERKOWSKA, STACIA

(1886-1945)

Actress and director. Born Renée Claire Elisabeth Napierkowska in Paris of Polish parents, Stacia Napierkowska went on to become one of the great actresses of silent film. She was trained in classical dance and theater and performed on the stage before making her film debut. Napierkowska was hired on atPathéin 1908. She made her film debut in Henri Burguet'sL'Empreinte ou la main rouge(1908) along-side other theatrical stars likeMistinguettand Max Dearly.

Napierkowska was a favorite of directorAlbert Capellani, who cast her in several of his films, includingL'Arlésienne(1909),La Peau de chagrin(1909),Lucrèce Borgia(1909),L 'Assomoir(1909),La Zingara(1910),Tristan et Yseut(1911),Notre Dame de Paris(1911),Les Mystères de Paris(1911), andUn amour de La Du Barry(1912).She also worked frequently with directorRené Leprince, starring in his filmsLa Légende des tulipes d'or(1912),Le Reprouvé(1912),Le Miracle des fleurs(1912), andLes Martyrs de la vie(1912).

Among her other films at Pathé are the uncreditedLe Fils du saltimbanque(1908), Charles Esquier'sLa Fille du saltimbanque(1909), Michel Carré'sL'Oeuvre de Jean Serval(1909),Ferdinand ZeccaandHenri Andréani'sCléopatre(1910) andLa Tragique aventure de Robert le taciturne,duc d'Aquitaine(1910), Andréani'sLa Messaline(1910),Gaston Velle'sLe Charme des fleurs(1910),Au temps des pharaons(1910), Velle andCamille de Morlhon'sCagliostro,aventurier,chimiste et magicien(1910), Morlhon'sSemiramis(1911), Zecca and Leprince'sLa Fièvre de l'or(1912), and Leprince and Maurice Mahut'sLe Roi du bagne(1913).

Napierkowska appeared alongside Pathé's great starMax Linderin a number of his Max films, includingAmour tenace(1912),Max veut grandir(1912),Max et la fuite de gaz(1912),Max émule de Tartarin(1912),Max lance la mode(1912),Max peintre par amour(1912),Max escamoteur(1912),Une nuit agitée(1912),Entente cordiale(1912),Un mariage au téléphone(1913), andMax toréador(1913). She also did several films forGaumontduring the period between 1910 and 1915. She worked withLouis FeuilladeonLe Festin de Balthazar(1910) and his landmark seriesLes Vampires(1915). She also appeared in her friendGermaine Dulac's filmVenus victrix(1916).

From 1915 until 1920, Napierkowska worked exclusively in Italy. There she made nearly twenty films and was the star of them all. She also directed one film,L'Héritière de la manade(1917). She returned to France in 1920 to star inJacques Feyder's legendary silent filmL'Atlantide(1920), which is probably her most famous role. AfterL'Atlantide, she appeared in Henri Étiévant'sLa Fille de Camargue(1921), Théo Bergerat'sLa Douleureuse comédie(1921), Marco de Gastyne'sInch'Allah(1922), Albert-Francis Bertoni'sLes Frères Zemganno(1925), and Fred LeRoy Granville'sLe Berceau de dieu(1926). Napierkowska retired from the screen in 1926 after having appeared in more than eighty films.