Andrew Garfield and the Holocaust films he never knew were part of his life
In a deeply moving episode of Who Do You Think You Are? the Oscar-nominated actor traces his paternal line from Poland to Los Angeles
Brigit Grant is the Jewish News Supplements Editor
There have been many, many episodes of Who Do You Think You Are? but the most recent with Andrew Garfield is much more than just another celebrity genealogy hour – it’s a quiet masterpiece, or at least that’s how it felt to me.
Twice Oscar-nominated and, in my view, the obvious winner in 2021 for his portrayal of Jonathan Larson in the musical biopic, Tick, Tick..Boom! Garfield is always emotionally authentic – and never more so than on this journey to discover more about his family.
Soulful from the start, Garfield talked about losing his mother, Lynn in 2019, whom he openly and often weeps for publicly, and did so again here. But for the programme, he explored his paternal lineage through father Richard, which not only reveals a powerful and painful past, but connects him directly to the real-life protagonists in two other films: The Pianist and Monument Men.
It was great-grandfather Ludwik who changed the family name from Garfinkiel to Garfield, after emigrating to London in 1910 from Poland, specifically the town of Kielce, where the actor started his journey of discovery – with the help of the incredible researchers who continue to provide guests with the privilege of unearthing their roots.
Andrew Garfield acknowledged the privilege throughout, offering heartfelt reflections and on-screen reactions as he learns more about the Nazi invasion of Kielce in 1939, the forcing of 25,000 Jews into a ghetto and subsequent liquidation that saw most of the inhabitants deported to Treblinka where they were murdered. Among this tragic exodus were three of Garfield’s great aunts — Szajndla, Dworja, and Basia — and he said their names as he honoured their memory with stones placed on the Kielce monument, one of hundreds that stand in place of the concentration camp, which the Nazis destroyed to eliminate evidence.
Garfield was so overwhelmed at this point, one imagines the crew offered comfort as he cut a solitary figure in the bleak surroundings, while constantly reminding himself, and us, how his aunts were young, innocent women, who just wanted to live.
Connecting one of today’s most sensitive actors to some of history’s darkest hours was distressing to see, but within the sorrow there is relief. Garfield discovered that his great-great-grandmother had escaped to Brazil in 1936 to join her daughter, who had married the cousin of musician Władysław Szpilman, whose life story inspired the film The Pianist and a performance that earned Adrian Brody Best Actor Oscar in 2003.
Garfield was as taken back as we were by the reveal, and the connection to cinema didn’t stop there. Dividing his time between London and Los Angeles is a given for the in-demand star, but his father Richard was born in California, and the actor too in 1983 — thanks to grandfather Sammy’s decision to move there.
But it was Garfield’s great-great-uncle, Harry Cooper (originally Harry Kupczyk), who made the biggest impact when he established a ladies’ clothing store on Wilshire Boulevard, which became a favourite for Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor.
And there was more. Another link and another relative, this time a cousin called Bernard, who served as one of the ‘Monuments Men’ during World War II .
Tasked with recovering art looted by the Nazis, the film about their endeavours stars George Clooney, but it was Bernard’s dedication to preserving cultural heritage amidst the devastation horror and loss of war that left a profound impression on Garfield. Reading Bernard’s reflections on his mission, Garfield cried as he was so deeply moved by his ancestor’s commitment to safeguarding humanity’s artistic achievements.
I have told you a lot, too much perhaps, but there is more in this episode that you have to experience for yourself. As I said at the start there have been many, many episodes of Who Do You Think You Are? and lots have made an impression — who could forget Danny Dyer discovering he was a direct descendant of King Edward III? But if you’re already a fan of Andrew Garfield, following him on this journey will only make you love him more.
Who Do You Think You Are? is on BBC iPlayer
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