Life and Career
Jan Kiepura was born in Sosnowiec, Poland, the son of Maria (née Nalman), a former professional singer, and Franciszek Kiepura, a baker and grocery owner. His mother was Jewish. He had a brother, Władysław. During 1916-1920, he attended the Junior School in Sosnowiec where he passed the Matura exam. In 1921 he studied law at the University of Warsaw. He learned singing from Wacław Brzeziński and Tadeusz Leliwa. In 1923, in the cinema "Sfinks" in Sosnowiec took place the first concert. In 1924 Kiepura was admitted by Emil Młynarski to choir. He played the role of Góral in Moniuszko's Halka. He also took part in a production of Gounod's Faust in Lwow.
In 1926, he left Poland. Before World War II, he built a well-known hotel, "Patria", in Krynica-Zdrój, which cost him about US$3 million. Some Polish movies were made there. He played in twelve musicals, including O czym się nie myśli (1926), Die Singende Stadt (Neapol, śpiewające miasto) (1930), Tout Pour L'amour (Zdobyć cię muszę) (1933), and Mon coeur t'appelle (1934).
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