Wojciech Zygmunt Pszoniak (2 May 1942 – 19 October 2020) was a Polish film and theatre actor.

Biography and career

Pszoniak was born in

Lwów Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in Western Ukraine, western Ukraine, and the List of cities in Ukraine, seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is o ...

, Nazi occupied Poland, now in

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inva ...

. He gained international visibility following

Andrzej Wajda Andrzej Witold Wajda (; 6 March 1926 – 9 October 2016) was a Polish film and theatre director. Recipient of an Honorary Oscar, the Palme d'Or, as well as Honorary Golden Lion and Honorary Golden Bear Awards, he was a prominent member of the ...

's 1975 film '' The Promised Land'', in which he played Moritz, one of the three main characters. The actor left Poland during the period of political unrest in 1980–81, when the

Solidarity ''Solidarity'' is an awareness of shared interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies creating a psychological sense of unity of groups or classes. It is based on class collaboration.''Merriam Webster'', http://www.merriam-webster.com/dicti ...

trade union began and was ended by the imposition of

martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Martia ...

on 13 December 1981. Pszoniak found roles in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, where he was living and working. After the fall of

communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, ...

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whi ...

in 1989, Pszoniak appeared in Polish movies and plays. Internationally, he simplified his first name into ''Wojtek'', which is the standard diminutive of the relatively formal ''Wojciech'' in the Polish language. Pszoniak often played Jewish characters, although he was not of Jewish descent. In France, this was partially attributable to his role in ''The Promised Land'', as well as his foreign accent. Pszoniak did not speak French when he emigrated to France, so he learned his theatrical lines phonetically; in movies like ''

Danton Georges Jacques Danton (; 26 October 1759 – 5 April 1794) was a French lawyer and a leading figure in the French Revolution. He became a deputy to the Paris Commune, presided in the Cordeliers district, and visited the Jacobin club. In August ...

'', where he played

Robespierre Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (; 6 May 1758 – 28 July 1794) was a French lawyer and statesman who became one of the best-known, influential and controversial figures of the French Revolution. As a member of the Esta ...

, his voice was dubbed. An anecdote about his language skills relates that when he started speaking French, one director told him that he preferred his old accent. He died in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officiall ...

, aged 78.

Selected filmography

* ''Twarz aniola'' (1971) – Ojciec Tadka * ''

The Devil Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehood ...

'' (1972) – Diabel / Wybawca Jakuba-Jakub's savior * '' The Wedding'' (1973) –

Journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

/ Stanczyk * ''

Gniazdo ''Gniazdo'' (English: ''The Nest'') is a 1974 Polish historical film about Mieszko I, the founder of the first independent Polish state, circa 960 AD. The film was written by Aleksander Ścibor-Rylski and directed by Jan Rybkowski. Cast and ch ...

'' (1974) –

Mieszko I Mieszko I (; – 25 May 992) was the first ruler of Poland and the founder of the first independent Polish state, the Duchy of Poland. His reign stretched from 960 to his death and he was a member of the Piast dynasty, a son of Siemomysł and ...

* '' The Promised Land'' (1975) – Moryc Welt * ''Skazany'' (1976) – Ryszard Bielczyk * ''Obrazki z zycia'' (1976) – Jerzy Wojciechowski * ''Smuga cienia'' (1976) * ''Motylem jestem, czyli romans czterdziestolatka'' (1976) – Redactor Oswald * ''Sprawa Gorgonowej'' (1977) – Professor * ''Rekolekcje'' (1978) – Marek * ''Szpital Przemienienia'' (1979) – Dr. Marglewski * ''

The Tin Drum ''The Tin Drum'' (german: Die Blechtrommel, ) is a 1959 novel by Günter Grass. The novel is the first book of Grass's ' ('' Danzig Trilogy''). It was adapted into a 1979 film, which won both the 1979 Palme d'Or and the Academy Award for Bes ...

'' (1979) – Fajngold * ''Aria dla atlety'' (1979) – Siedelmayer, dyrektor cyrku * ''Golem'' (1980) – Prisoner * ''

Olympics 40 ''Olympics 40'' ( pl, Olimpiada 40) is a 1980 Polish drama film directed by Andrzej Kotkowski. The film was selected as the Polish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 53rd Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee. Plot Th ...

'' (1980) – Schulz * ''Spokojne lata'' (1982) * ''Limuzyna Daimler-Benz'' (1982) – Bogdanski * ''

Austeria ''Austeria'' (aka ''The Inn'') is a Polish feature film directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz, produced by ''Zespół Filmowy "Kadr"'' and released in 1983. ''Austeria'' takes place during the opening days of World War I, in the Austro-Hungarian prov ...

'' (1982) – Josele * ''Przeprowadzka'' (1982) – Andrzej Nowicki * ''

'' (1983) – Robespierre * ''Okno'' (1983) – Waiter * ''

Dangerous Moves ''Dangerous Moves'' (french: La Diagonale du fou) is a 1984 French-language film about chess, directed by Richard Dembo, produced by Arthur Cohn, starring Michel Piccoli, Alexandre Arbatt, as well as Liv Ullmann, Leslie Caron, and Bernhard Wick ...

'' (1984) – Le grand maître Felton – l'équipe de Fromm * '' Angry Harvest'' (1985) – Cybulkowski * ' (1986) – Gerhard Krall * ''Je hais les acteurs'' (1986) – Hercule Potnik * ''

Mit meinen heißen Tränen ''Mit meinen heißen Tränen'' ("with my hot tears") is a West German-Austrian-Swiss joint production film which depicts the final years of the life of 19th century Austrian composer Franz Schubert. It was released on 31 October 1986 in Germany, Au ...

'' (1986, TV Mini-Series) – Kajetan * ''Le testament d'un poète juif assassiné'' (1988) – Judge * '' Les Années sandwiches'' (1988) – Max * '' To Kill a Priest'' (1988) – Bridge Player * ''Deux'' (1989) – Walkowicz * ''Coupe-franche'' (1989) – Gyuri * ' (1989) – Antonio Vivaldi * ''

Monsieur ( ; ; pl. ; ; 1512, from Middle French , literally "my lord") is an honorific title that was used to refer to or address the eldest living brother of the king in the French royal court. It has now become the customary French title of respec ...

'' (1990) – Kaltz * '' Korczak'' (1990) –

Janusz Korczak Janusz Korczak, the pen name of Henryk Goldszmit (22 July 1878 or 1879 – 7 August 1942), was a Polish Jewish educator, children's author and pedagogue known as ''Pan Doktor'' ("Mr. Doctor") or ''Stary Doktor'' ("Old Doctor"). After spending m ...

* ''Gawin'' (1991) – Pierre / Xerkes * ''Coupable d'innocence ou Quand la raison dort'' (1992) – Karl Ottenhagen * ''Le bal des casse-pieds'' (1992) – Groboniek * ''

Vent d'est ''Vent d'est'' (; ) is a Franco-Swiss historical drama film directed by Robert Enrico, on a script co-written with Frédéric H. Fajardie, released in 1993. Plot At the end of the Second World War, a regiment of the First Russian National Army, ...

'' (1993) – Colonel Tcheko * ''

Ulysses' Gaze ''Ulysses' Gaze'' (, translit. ''To Vlemma tou Odyssea'') is a 1995 Greek film directed by Theo Angelopoulos and starring Harvey Keitel, Maia Morgenstern, and Erland Josephson. The film was selected as the Greek entry for the Best Foreign L ...

'' (1995) – (uncredited) * ''

Holy Week Holy Week ( la, Hebdomada Sancta or , ; grc, Ἁγία καὶ Μεγάλη Ἑβδομάς, translit=Hagia kai Megale Hebdomas, lit=Holy and Great Week) is the most sacred week in the liturgical year in Christianity. In Eastern Churches, w ...

'' (1995) – Zamojski * ' (1997) – The Stranger * ''L'amour fou'' (1997) * '' Deuxième vie'' (2000) – Vincent's father * ''Bajland'' (2000) – Jan Rydel * '' Chaos'' (2001) – Pali * ''Le pacte du silence'' (2003) – L'archevêque * ''Là-haut, un roi au-dessus des nuages'' (2003) – Le producteur * ''Vipère au poing'' (2004) – Le père Volitza * '' Strike'' (2006) – Kaminski * ''

Hope Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's life or the world at large. As a verb, its definitions include: "expect with confidence" and "to cherish ...

'' (2007) – Benedykt Weber * ''The Lesser of Two Evils'' (2009) – Patient * ''Mistification'' (2010) – Pinno * '' Robert Mitchum est mort'' (2010) – Le recteur de l'école * ''Mala matura 1947'' (2010) – Major Trzaska * ''Nie ten czlowiek'' (2010) – Baron * ''Black Thursday'' (2011) – Władysław Gomułka * ''Wygrany'' (2011) – Karloff * ''Le chat du rabbin'' (2011) – Vastenov (voice) * ''

Battle of Warsaw 1920 ''Battle of Warsaw 1920'' (''pol. Bitwa warszawska 1920'') is a Polish historical film directed by Jerzy Hoffman depicting the events of the Battle of Warsaw (1920) of the Polish–Soviet War. It was released in September 2011. It was filmed in ...

'' (2011) – Maxime Weygand * ''Kret'' (2011) – Stefan Grabek * ''Cassos'' (2012) – Monsieur Lotz * '' Rosemary's Baby'' (2014, TV Mini-Series) – Mr. Wees * ''À la vie'' (2014) – L'imprimeur * ''

Carte Blanche A blank cheque in the literal sense is a cheque that has no monetary value written in, but is already signed. In the figurative sense, it is used to describe a situation in which an agreement has been made that is open-ended or vague, and therefo ...

'' (2015) – Professor * '' Excentrycy, czyli po słonecznej stronie ulicy'' (2015) – Felicjan Zuppe * ''Gdybyś mu zajrzał w serce'' (2017) – Le Polonais * ''Conservative jester insults society'' (2019) * ''Conservative jester yells at the result of elections'' (2019)

Selected honours and distinctions

* Eagle Award for his role in ''Excentrycy, czyli po słonecznej stronie ulicy'', (2016) *Best Supporting Actor Award at the

Gdynia Film Festival The Gdynia Film Festival (until 2011: Polish Film Festival, Polish: ''Festiwal Polskich Filmów Fabularnych w Gdyni'') is an annual film festival first held in Gdańsk (1974–1986), now held in Gdynia, Poland. It has taken place every year sinc ...

for his role in ''Excentrycy, czyli po słonecznej stronie ulicy'', (2015) *Commander's Cross of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on foreigners for outstanding achievemen ...

, (2011) *

National Order of Merit An order of merit is conferred by a state, government or royal family on an individual in recognition of military or civil merit. Order of merit may also refer to: * FIFA Order of Merit, for significant contribution to association football * PDC ...

, for his contributions to strengthening Polish-French relations in the field of culture, France (2008) *Golden Medal of the

Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

, (2007) *Golden Cross of Merit, (1975) *Award of the

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (''Ministerstwo Spraw Zagranicznych'', MSZ) is the Polish government department tasked with maintaining Poland's international relations and coordinating its participation in international and regional supra-natio ...

, (1975)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pszoniak, Wojciech 1942 births 2020 deaths Actors from Lviv Polish male film actors Polish theatre people

Biography and career

Selected filmography

Selected honours and distinctions

See also

References

External links