Hans Kloss actor Stanislaw Mikulski dies
PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge
27.11.2014 08:40
Stanislaw Mikulski, who played fictional WWII agent Hans Kloss in one of Poland's biggest TV hits of the communist era, died on Thursday morning aged 85.
Stanislaw Mikulski: Photo: PAP/Andrzej Rybczynski
Mikulski's role in the 1967-68 series More Than Life at Stake (Stawka wieksza niz życie ) made him a household name in Poland, and the show also garnered considerable success in other countries in the Eastern bloc.
PAP/Archive
The premise of the series was that Pole Stanislaw Kolicki, a lookalike of Nazi officer Hans Kloss, would be sent to carry out a series of daring acts of subversion on behalf of Soviet intelligence.
According to some historians, the character of Kolicki was loosely based on Artur Jastzebski, a Polish communist with German roots who was recruited by Soviet intelligence in 1941.
Prior to the show, Mikulski had played supporting roles in films by directors such as Andrzej Wajda (Kanal) and Tadeusz Chmielewski (Ewa Wants to Sleep).
Although the Kloss role brought Mikulski unprecedented success, to avoid being typecast he began to spend more time working in the theatre.
In 2012, Mikulski reprised his role as Kolicki/Kloss in a silver screen sequel directed by Patryk Vega. (nh)
Source: PAP/IAR