Tony Halik, born Mieczysław Antoni Sędzimir Halik (January 24, 1921 – May 23, 1998) was a Polish film operator, documentary film-maker, author of travel books, traveller, explorer, and polyglot (speaking Spanish, English, French, Portuguese, Italian, German, Guarani and Xavante). Halik was born in

Toruń Toruń is a city on the Vistula River in north-central Poland and a World Heritage Sites of Poland, UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its population was 196,935 as of December 2021. Previously, it was the capital of the Toruń Voivodeship (1975–199 ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. During

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 ...

, as a Polish citizen under German occupation he was forcibly drafted into the Kampfgeschwader 40, a Luftwaffe squadron, and served in France, where in 1944 he deserted and joined the

French Resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...

. For his actions, he was awarded the French Croix de guerre. After the war, he married Pierrette Andrée Courtin in 1946 and in 1948 they settled down in Argentina. Soon afterwards he started working as a photojournalist, film operator, and correspondent for various Argentinian media. Since 1956 he worked as a correspondent for

Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...

and NBC. In 1974 Halik met Elżbieta Dzikowska, his later life partner. Around this date he moved back to Poland. In 1976, along with Elżbieta Dzikowska and Prof. Edmundo Guillén, he reached the legendary

Inca The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The History of the Incas, Inca ...

capital Vilcabamba. For over twenty years, Halik and Dzikowska hosted over three hundred TV shows and series for

Polish Television Television in Poland was Timeline of the introduction of television in countries, introduced on an experimental basis in 1937. It was state owned, and was interrupted by the Second World War in 1939. Television returned to Poland in 1952 and for ...

.Pieprz i wanilia (online at TVP).
/ref> He also created over four hundred documentary films, wrote thirteen books and many press articles. He died in

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 ...

, Poland.

References

Bibliography

https://culture.pl/en/article/180000-kilometres-of-adventure-one-polish-cameramans-hunt-for-the-perfect-shot
- Tony Halik short biography - article based on biography by Mirosław Wlazły
Tu byłem. Tony Halik
('been here. Tony Halik') - detailed biography by Mirosław Wlekły, Agora 2017, in Polish * 200 días de Mato Grosso : relato de las aventuras en las selvas de Brasil. by Antonio Halik, in Spanish
Con cámara y rifle a través del Mato Grosso; aventuras en las selvas amazónicas
by Antonio Halik, in Spanish
180.000 kilómetros de aventuras relato vívido y apasionante de un viaje a través de las tres Américas
by Antonio Halik, in Spanish 1921 births 1998 deaths Polish explorers People from Toruń Polish travel writers Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France) {{explorer-stub

See also

References

Bibliography