Apolonia "Pola" Raksa (born 14 April 1941) is a Polish movie star, singer, and model who was especially popular in Poland and abroad in the 1960s and 1970s.
Born to Edward Raksa, Pola was born in
Lida
Lida is a city in Grodno Region, western Belarus, located west of Minsk. It serves as the administrative center of Lida District. As of 2025, it has a population of 103,262.
Etymology
The name ''Lida'' arises from its Lithuanian name ''Ly ...
.
[Film Polski]
/ref> Her parents left German Nazi-occupied territory in 1943 and after the World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
settled in Wrocław
Wrocław is a city in southwestern Poland, and the capital of the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the largest city and historical capital of the region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the Oder River in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Eu ...
(western Lesnica neighborhood).
Her career started in the 1950s, when she was spotted by a reporter of the '' Dookoła Świata'' magazine in a bar mleczny (Polish cafeteria).[Wiadomosci, film]
/ref> He took some shots of her and Raksa appeared in the magazine as ''Girl of the Week''. Soon afterwards, she was offered her first cameos in movies. After graduating from the Liceum ogólnokształcące A general education liceum (Polish: ''Liceum ogólnokształcące'' ) is an academic high school in the Education in Poland, Polish educational system. They are attended by those who plan to further their academic education upon graduation from Educa ...
No.1 in Wrocław, she studied in the Wroclaw University, Department of Philologie (Polish Language).Ost film
Raksa participated in the student theater ''Kalambur''. Later she changed her major and moved to Łódź
Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...
, to the National Film School in Łódź
National may refer to:
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* National, Maryland, ...
.[ She graduated in 1964 and in the same year debuted on stage.][ Between 1964 and 1968, she played in ''Teatr Powszechny'' in Łódź, then moved to ]Warsaw
Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
, to play in ''Teatr Wspolczesny'' (at Śródmieście, Warsaw
Śródmieście (), also anglicised as Downtown, is the central Districts and neighbourhoods of Warsaw, district of Warsaw, the capital city of Poland. It encompasses the Old Town, Warsaw, Old Town, the city's historic core, and is the centre of c ...
).[ In 2003 readers of the '' Super Express'' daily chose her the best of all Polish blonde actresses. Raksa was awarded several prizes.][
She has a son, Marcin Kostenko, with her first husband, ]Andrzej Kostenko
Andrzej Kostenko (24 June 1936 – 1 June 2024) was a Polish screenwriter, film director, actor and cinematographer from Łódź. He was known for his collaborations with Roman Polanski
Raymond Roman Thierry Polański (; born 18 August 1933 ...
.
Selected filmography
* ''Szatan z siódmej klasy'' ('' Satan from the Seventh Grade''), as Wanda (debut, 1960) along with
* ''Panienka z okienka
''Panienka z okienka'' is a 1964 Polish romance film directed by Maria Kaniewska.
Cast
* Pola Raksa as Hedwiga / Marysia Kalinowska
* Jadwiga Chojnacka as Mina - maid
* Aleksandra Karzyńska as Mrs. Flora
* Halina Kossobudzka as Salomea Korycka ...
'' (Lady in a window), as Hedwiga (1964)
* ''Rekopis znaleziony w Saragossie'' (''The Saragossa Manuscript
''The Manuscript Found in Saragossa'' (; also known in English as ''The Saragossa Manuscript'') is a frame-tale novel written in French at the turn of 18th and 19th centuries by the Polish author Count Jan Potocki (1761–1815). It is narrated ...
''), Inezilia, Camila's sister (1964)
* '' Popioły'', as Helena de With, Olbromski's love (1965)
* ''Bicz bozy
Bicz is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Stare Miasto, within Konin County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. It lies approximately south-east of Stare Miasto, south of Konin, and east of the regional capital ...
'', as Hania, Pawel's crush (1966)
* ''Czterej pancerni i pies
''Four Tank-Men and a Dog'' ( Polish: ''Czterej pancerni i pies'', ) was a Polish black and white TV series based on the book by Janusz Przymanowski. Made between 1966 and 1970, the series is composed of 21 episodes of 55 minutes each, divided ...
'' as the nurse Marusia nicknamed Ogoniok (in one of the episodes she sings a song in Russian ),
* ''Przygoda z piosenka'' (Adventure with a song), as Mariola Bronska (1968).[
* ''Uprowadzenie Agaty'' (Agata's Abduction), as Agata's mother (1993, latest)
]
Awards
* Prize of the journal ''Soviet Screen'', at the International movie festival in Moscow 1967
* 1967 best actress by the readers the ''Soviet Screen'' journal
* Distinguished Culture Personality of Poland (1979)
* Laureate of the prize of the II Television Festivals of Drama Theater for her role in ''Romeo and Juliette'' play (1965)
* Laureate of the ''Silver Mask'' prize (1967, 1969, 1970)
* Golden Cross of Merit
Golden means made of, or relating to gold.
Golden may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
*Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall
*Golden Cap, Dorset
*Golden Square, Soho, London
*Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestershir ...
(1974)
* Laureate of the journal ''Soviet Screen'' prize at the Moscow International Film Festival
The Moscow International Film Festival (, Transliteration, translit. ''Moskóvskiy myezhdunaródniy kinofyestivál''; abbreviated as MIFF) is a film festival first held in Moscow in 1935 and became regular since 1959. From its inception to ...
(1967, for her role in ''Zosia'')
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raksa, Pola
1941 births
Living people
People from Lida
Polish actresses
Łódź Film School alumni
University of Wrocław alumni
Recipients of the Meritorious Activist of Culture badge