Wojciech Pszoniak facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Wojciech Pszoniak
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Born | |
Died | 19 October 2020 Warsaw, Poland
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(aged 78)
Nationality | Polish |
Education | AST National Academy of Theatre Arts in Kraków (BA) |
Occupation | film and theatre actor, pedagogue |
Years active | 1965–2019 |
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Wojciech Zygmunt Pszoniak (born May 2, 1942 – died October 19, 2020) was a famous Polish actor. He performed in many movies and plays.
Contents
About Wojciech Pszoniak
His Early Life and Acting Career
Wojciech Pszoniak was born in Lwów, a city that is now in Ukraine. He became well-known around the world after starring in the 1975 film The Promised Land. In this movie, he played Moritz, one of the three main characters.
In the early 1980s, Wojciech left Poland. This was a time of big changes and political problems in his home country. He moved to France and continued his acting career there. After communism ended in Eastern Europe in 1989, Wojciech started acting in Polish movies and plays again.
When he worked internationally, he often used the name Wojtek. This is a common, friendly nickname for Wojciech in Polish.
Playing Different Characters
Wojciech Pszoniak often played characters who were Jewish, even though he himself was not Jewish. In France, this was partly because of his role in The Promised Land. His unique foreign accent also helped him get these kinds of roles.
When he first moved to France, Wojciech did not speak French. He learned his lines for plays by listening and repeating them. For some movies, like Danton, where he played Robespierre, another actor spoke his lines for him. There's a funny story that when he finally learned to speak French, a director told him they liked his old accent better!
Wojciech Pszoniak passed away in Warsaw, Poland, when he was 78 years old.
Movies and TV Shows
Wojciech Pszoniak acted in many films and television series. Here are some of his selected works:

- Twarz aniola (1971)
- The Devil (1972)
- The Wedding (1973)
- Gniazdo (1974) – Mieszko I
- The Promised Land (1975) – Moryc Welt
- Skazany (1976)
- Obrazki z zycia (1976)
- Smuga cienia (1976)
- Motylem jestem, czyli romans czterdziestolatka (1976)
- Sprawa Gorgonowej (1977)
- Rekolekcje (1978)
- Szpital Przemienienia (1979)
- The Tin Drum (1979)
- Aria dla atlety (1979)
- Golem (1980)
- Olympics 40 (1980)
- Spokojne lata (1982)
- Limuzyna Daimler-Benz (1982)
- Austeria (1982)
- Przeprowadzka (1982)
- Danton (1983) – Robespierre
- Okno (1983)
- Dangerous Moves (1984)
- Angry Harvest (1985)
- The Summer of the Samurai (1986)
- Je hais les acteurs (1986)
- Mit meinen heißen Tränen (1986, TV Mini-Series)
- Le testament d'un poète juif assassiné (1988)
- Les Années sandwiches (1988)
- To Kill a Priest (1988)
- Deux (1989)
- Coupe-franche (1989)
- Rosso veneziano (1989) – Antonio Vivaldi
- Monsieur (1990)
- Korczak (1990) – Janusz Korczak
- Gawin (1991)
- Coupable d'innocence ou Quand la raison dort (1992)
- Le bal des casse-pieds (1992)
- Vent d'est (1993)
- Ulysses' Gaze (1995)
- Holy Week (1995)
- Our God's Brother (1997)
- L'amour fou (1997)
- Deuxième vie (2000)
- Bajland (2000)
- Chaos (2001)
- Le pacte du silence (2003)
- Là-haut, un roi au-dessus des nuages (2003)
- Vipère au poing (2004)
- Strike (2006)
- Hope (2007)
- The Lesser of Two Evils (2009)
- Mistification (2010)
- Robert Mitchum est mort (2010)
- Mala matura 1947 (2010)
- Nie ten czlowiek (2010)
- Black Thursday (2011) – Władysław Gomułka
- Wygrany (2011)
- Le chat du rabbin (2011)
- Battle of Warsaw 1920 (2011)
- Kret (2011)
- Cassos (2012)
- Rosemary's Baby (2014, TV Mini-Series)
- À la vie (2014)
- Carte Blanche (2015)
- Excentrycy, czyli po słonecznej stronie ulicy (2015)
- Gdybyś mu zajrzał w serce (2017)
- Conservative jester insults society (2019)
- Conservative jester yells at the result of elections (2019)
Awards and Recognition
Wojciech Pszoniak received many awards for his acting. Here are some of them:
- Eagle Award for his role in Excentrycy, czyli po słonecznej stronie ulicy (2016)
- Best Supporting Actor Award at the Gdynia Film Festival for his role in Excentrycy, czyli po słonecznej stronie ulicy (2015)
- Commander's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (2011)
- National Order of Merit from France (2008) – This award was for helping to make Polish-French cultural ties stronger.
- Golden Medal of the Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis (2007)
- Golden Cross of Merit (1975)
- Award from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland (1975)
See also
- Cinema of Poland
- List of famous Polish entertainers