Andrzej Bogucki

Who was Andrzej Bogucki?

Andrzej Bogucki was a Polish television, stage and film actor, as well as operetta singer and songwriter, sometimes referred to as "The Polish Chevalier".

Bogucki and his wife Janina née Godlewska are known for helping and hiding the Polish Jewish pianist Władysław Szpilman during the Nazi occupation of Poland. Szpilman's life inspired the 2002 film The Pianist, and both Bogucki and his wife were portrayed in the film.

Although he lived in Warsaw for most of his life, Bogucki also worked in several other cities. He lived in Warsaw's Mariensztat neighborhood from 1947 until the end of his life, and he is buried in the Powązki Cemetery in the western part of Warsaw.

Bogucki was awarded the Order of Polonia Restituta for his career and actions during World War II. In 1978 the Yad Vashem institute awarded him and his wife the Righteous Among The Nations award, an award given to non-Jewish people who helped Jews during the Nazi persecution.