Krystyna Janda | |
|---|---|
 Krystyna Janda | |
| Born | (1952-12-18)18 December 1952 (age 72) |
| Alma mater | National Academy of Dramatic Art in Warsaw |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Spouses | |
| Awards |
|
| Honours |       |
| Website | https://krystynajanda.pl |
| Signature | |
 | |
Krystyna Jolanta Janda (Polish:[krɨˈstɨ.naˈjan.da]; born 18 December 1952) is a Polishfilm andtheatre actress,director, andsinger. She is best known internationally for playing leading roles in several films by Polish film directorAndrzej Wajda, includingMan of Marble (Człowiek z marmuru, 1976) andMan of Iron (Człowiek z żelaza, 1981). She is widely considered one of the most popular and successful Polish actresses of her generation and an icon ofPolish cinema.[1][2]
In 1981, she played in theAcademy Award-winning movieMephisto. In 1982, she played the lead character inRyszard Bugajski's filmPrzesłuchanie (Interrogation), which first premiered seven years later in 1989, following thecollapse of communism. Despite the film's late release, she garnered international acclaim for her performance, including winningBest Actress at theCannes Film Festival[3] andPolish Film Festival in 1990. Janda is also known for her leading role in the second episode ofDekalog series ofKrzysztof Kieślowski. In 2020, she won thePolish Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in drama filmDolce Fine Giornata.
Her accolades and honours also include theZbigniew Cybulski Award (1978),Gold Cross of Merit (1989),Gloria Artis Gold Medal for Merit to Culture (2005),[4] Commander's Cross with Star of theOrder of Polonia Restituta (2011),[5] andSpecial Jury Award for Acting at theSundance Film Festival (2019).[6]
Because of her prominent role in Polish culture, has been described as a "legend of Polish cinema and theatre"[7] and a "national treasure".[8]
She was born on 18 December 1952 inStarachowice,Polish People's Republic. She graduated from theWojciech Gerson StateHigh School ofFine Arts inWarsaw (Polish:Zespół Państwowych Szkół Plastycznych im. Wojciecha Gersona w Warszawie), and in 1975 she graduated from the State Dramatic Arts College in Warsaw (currently theAleksander Zelwerowicz State Theatre Academy). She made her acting debut in 1974 playing the role of Maria Kulygina inAnton Chekhov's playThree Sisters, directed byAleksander Bardini and broadcast in aTelevision Theatre production. In the same year, she played the role of Mannequin 34 in a streetgrotesque playThe Ball of Mannequins by PolishfuturistpoetBruno Jasieński, directed by Janusz Warmiński. In 1976, she played in the role of Dorian Gray based onOscar Wilde'sThe Picture of Dorian Gray, adapted byJohn Osborne and directed byAndrzej Łapicki in Warsaw's "Little Theatre". In the years 1976–1987 she worked as anactress in theAteneum Theatre in Warsaw.[9][10]
She made her film debut in 1973, when she starred in the historical-basedTV seriesCzarne chmury ("Black Clouds"), but a turning point in her acting career came with the role of Agnieszka inAndrzej Wajda'sMan of Marble (1976).[11] She became known for portraying strong and determined female characters with complex personalities in her film roles. Apart fromMan of Marble, her most memorable roles include characters in critically acclaimed films likeMan of Iron,Interrogation andMy Mom's Lovers.[12]
She also embarked on a career as a singer and made her debut in 1977 during the 15thNational Festival of Polish Song in Opole, where she sang the songGuma do żucia ("The Chewing Gum") withlyrics written byMarek Grechuta.
In the 1980s she appeared in numerousfilms andstage productions and started working as afilm andtheatre director herself. In 1995 she directed the filmPestka based on anovel by Anka Kowalska. During her professional career she has played over 60 theatre roles in virtually all the major theatre genres as well as appeared in around 100 films. Her role inEuripides'sMedea is considered among her most successful ones. She is particularly known for her artistic collaboration with renownedAcademy Award-winningfilmmakerAndrzej Wajda. She starred in six of his films altogether:Man of Marble (1976),Man of Iron (1981),Without Anesthesia (1978),The Orchestra Conductor (1980),Solidarity, Solidarity... Man of Hope (2005), andSweet Rush (2009).
In 1993, she was a member of the jury at the43rd Berlin International Film Festival.[13]
Throughout her career, she has received numerous prestigious awards, such asBest Actress at the1990 Cannes Film Festival,[3] Silver Shell for Best Actress at theSan Sebastian Film Festival for her role inWaldemar Krzystek's filmZwolnienie z życia,[14] Best Actress Award at the 1987Montreal World Film Festival for the role inHelma Sanders-Brahms'sLaputa,[15] Best Actress Award at theBelgrade Film Festival forInterrogation,[16] theZbigniew Cybulski Award for best young Polish actress, as well as 4Golden Duck Awards. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest actresses in the history ofPolish cinema and was selected in a 1998Polityka magazine survey among the greatest actresses of the 20th century.[17]
In 2000, she embarked on one of the biggest tours in the history ofPolish theatre, entitledSto twarzy Krystyny Jandy (One Hundred Faces of Krystyna Janda). She performed in 48 different plays in Poland's eight largest cities within the space of two months.[18]
In 2005, she established her own private Polonia Theater inWarsaw.[19] She is also the founder and head of the Krystyna Janda Cultural Foundation. In 2010, her foundation opened another theatre in Warsaw, theOch-Teatr in the district ofOchota.[20] She has also worked as acolumnist in a number of magazines such asPoradnik domowy,Pani, andUroda. She is also a member of the supervisory board of the Fundacja Okularnicy, which is a foundation dedicated to the promotion and popularization ofAgnieszka Osiecka's poetic legacy.
In 2019, she received the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting for her role inJacek Borcuch's filmDolce Fine Giornata at the2019 Sundance Film Festival.[21][22]
On December 30, 2020, after she reported on social media that she was vaccinated out of turn againstCOVID-19 at theMedical University of Warsaw, she became the central figure of the so-called vaccine scandal (inPolish:afera szczepionkowa).[23][24][25]
In 2022 she took part in pan-European depression awareness raising campaign.[26]
In the years 1974–1979 she was married to fellow actorAndrzej Seweryn.[27] In 1981, she again marriedEdward Kłosiński, who died on 5 January 2008. She has three children: daughterMaria Seweryn and two sons Adam and Jędrzej Kłosiński. She isLutheran. Janda currently lives inMilanówek nearWarsaw.[28]
In 2015, she launched her own cosmetics brand under her own name.[29]
|
|
