Wojciech Pszoniak
Wojciech Zygmunt Pszoniak was a Polish film and theatre actor as well as theatre director and pedagogue. He received international recognition for portraying Moritz Welt in Andrzej Wajda's drama film The Promised Land. In 2016, he won the Polish Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Life and career
Pszoniak was born in Lwów, Nazi occupied Poland, now in Ukraine. He gained international visibility following Andrzej Wajda'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 trade union began and was ended by the imposition of martial law on 13 December 1981. Pszoniak found roles in France, where he was living and working. After the fall of communism in Eastern Europe 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, where he played Robespierre, 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.
In 1990, Gustaw Holoubek ranked Pszoniak among the three greatest Polish dramatic actors post-1965 alongside Andrzej Seweryn and Piotr Fronczewski.
He died in Warsaw, aged 78.
Selected filmography
Twarz aniola – Ojciec TadkaThe Devil – Diabel / Wybawca Jakuba-Jakub's saviorThe Wedding – Journalist / StanczykGniazdo – Mieszko IThe Promised Land – Moryc WeltSkazany – Ryszard BielczykObrazki z zycia – Jerzy WojciechowskiSmuga cienia Motylem jestem, czyli romans czterdziestolatka – Redactor OswaldSprawa Gorgonowej – ProfessorRekolekcje – Marek- Szpital Przemienienia – Dr. MarglewskiThe Tin Drum – FajngoldAria dla atlety – Siedelmayer, dyrektor cyrkuGolem – PrisonerOlympics 40 – SchulzSpokojne lata Limuzyna Daimler-Benz – BogdanskiAusteria – JoselePrzeprowadzka – Andrzej NowickiDanton – RobespierreOkno – WaiterDangerous Moves – Le grand maître Felton – l'équipe de FrommAngry Harvest – Cybulkowski' – Gerhard KrallJe hais les acteurs – Hercule PotnikMit meinen heißen Tränen – KajetanLe testament d'un poète juif assassiné – JudgeLes Années sandwiches – MaxTo Kill a Priest – Bridge PlayerDeux – WalkowiczCoupe-franche – Gyuri
- ' – Antonio VivaldiMonsieur – KaltzKorczak – Janusz KorczakGawin – Pierre / XerkesCoupable d'innocence ou Quand la raison dort – Karl OttenhagenLe bal des casse-pieds – GroboniekVent d'est – Colonel TchekoUlysses' Gaze – Holy Week – ZamojskiOur God's Brother – The StrangerL'amour fou Deuxième vie – Vincent's fatherBajland – Jan RydelChaos – PaliLe pacte du silence – L'archevêqueLà-haut, un roi au-dessus des nuages – Le producteurVipère au poing – Le père VolitzaStrike – KaminskiHope – Benedykt WeberThe Lesser of Two Evils – PatientMistification – PinnoRobert Mitchum est mort – Le recteur de l'écoleMala matura 1947 – Major TrzaskaNie ten czlowiek – BaronBlack Thursday – Władysław GomułkaWygrany – KarloffLe chat du rabbin – Vastenov Battle of Warsaw 1920 – Maxime WeygandKret – Stefan GrabekCassos – Monsieur LotzRosemary's Baby – Mr. WeesÀ la vie – L'imprimeurCarte Blanche – ProfessorExcentrycy, czyli po słonecznej stronie ulicy – Felicjan ZuppeGdybyś mu zajrzał w serce – Le PolonaisConservative jester insults society
- ''Conservative jester yells at the result of elections''
Selected honours and distinctions
- Eagle Award for his role in Excentrycy, czyli po słonecznej stronie ulicy,
- Best Supporting Actor Award at the Gdynia Film Festival for his role in Excentrycy, czyli po słonecznej stronie ulicy,
- Commander's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta,
- National Order of Merit, for his contributions to strengthening Polish-French relations in the field of culture, France
- Golden Medal of the Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis,
- Golden Cross of Merit,
- Award of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland,