Trivia

Jan Kiepura made his film debut already in 1926 with the Polish production "O czem sie nie mysli", but his real career came with the advent of films.

In 1923 he performed his first concert in the Sphinx cinema in Sosnowiec. In 1924, Jan Kiepura was admitted by Emil Mlynarski to the local choir. He played the role of Góral in Moniuszko's opera Halka. He also took part in a production of Gounod's Faust Faust in the Polish city of Lwow (now in the Ukraine).

Kiepura's return to Warsaw in 1934 caused a sensation in the Polish capital, and his musical shows were received with huge enthusiasm. Apart from his performances in concert halls, he also sang to a crowd gathered under the balcony of the Warsaw hotel "Bristol". He also sang while standing on his car's roof, or from a carriage's window, and also spoke to the audience. However, he was not a frequent guest in Poland.

Jan Kiepura lured the viewers into the cinemas with the movies "Die singende Stadt" (1930), "Das Lied einer Nacht" (1932) and "Ein Lied für Dich" (1933).

He appeared in half Europe and had great successes. Important milestones were his engagements at the Scala in Milan in 1928/1929 and in Paris.

Jan Kiepura was born in Sosnowiec, Poland, the son of Miriam (née Neuman), a former professional singer, and Franciszek Kiepura, a baker and grocery owner. Kiepura took singing lessons by Waclaw Brzezinski in Warsaw in 1922 against his parents' wishes. During 1916-20, he attended the Junior School in Sosnowiec where he graduated from high school. In 1921 he studied law at the University of Warsaw. He learned singing from Waclaw Brzezinski and Tadeusz Leliwa. His brother was singer Wladyslaw Ladis-Kiepura.

He played in many films, of which the most famous are: The Singing City, The Song of Night, Ich liebe alle Frauen, The Charm of La Boheme, Das Land des Lächelns.

He signed contracts with Convert Garden in London, Opéra Comique in Paris and National Opera in Berlin. When World War II broke out, Jan Kiepura was located in Paris.

When France capitulated he went to New York together with Mártha Eggerth. There he could successfully continue his career but didn't forget his Polish countrymen. He supported organizations like "Relief fond for Poland" with generous financial means over and over again.

After a failed start as a chorus singer at the Warsaw opera he intensified his singing training.

Kiepura left Europe in 1931 to begin his first tour, of South America and the United States.

When he played opposite Mártha Eggerth in the German film "Mein Herz ruft nach Dir" (1934), the duo found true love which lasted for the rest of their lives. Kiepura and Eggerth, married in real life, caused a sensation on Broadway and had great successes with the plays "Die lustige Witwe" and "Polonaise".

Father of singer Jan Tadeusz Kiepura (aka John Thade; born 1944) and pianist/producer Marjan Wiktor Kiepura (born 1950).

After World War II they returned to Paris and Jan Kiepura took part in his last movies, among others "Ihre wunderbare Lüge" (1950). They came back to the USA in 1953 where they took up residence for good. A brief time later he got the American nationality.