Tadeusz Lomnicki
Encyclopedia
Tadeusz Łomnicki was a Polish
actor, one of the most notable stage and film artists of his time in Poland. He is remembered mostly for his roles in comedies and dramas, as well as for the role of Kordian
in Juliusz Słowacki's play of the same title. He was also a notable professor and a rector of the State Theatre School in Warsaw.
he moved to Kraków
, where he started to work as railway worker and study violin play. There he spent the World War II
and fought against the Germans in the ranks of the Grey Ranks
. In 1945 he passed his exams to an actors' school organized by the Stary Teatr, one of the most prestigious Polish theatres of the epoch. After his stage debut in an episodic role in Stary Teatr he briefly appeared in Słowacki's theatre in Kraków and the Municipal Theatre in Katowice
. For his role of Puck
in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream
he received an award of the Shakespeare Festival in Warsaw.
Finally in 1949 he moved to Warsaw
, where he became a member of Teatr Współczesny, one of the best Polish stages at the time, led by renown director Erwin Axer
. About that time he also debuted as a playwright, with two of his plays staged in Kielce
and Kraków. He was also engaged in the National Theatre in the role of Kordian in Słowacki's play of the same title, which gained him much popularity and fame. He was also admitted to the National Theatre Academy (Akademia Teatralna) in Warsaw and graduated from the Directors' Division in 1956. In 1955 he played the first major role in a film appearing in Andrzej Wajda
's A Generation
. This film, undoubtedly the first major production of Wajda, led to ever-increasing popularity of Łomnicki, who started to be regarded as one of the most notable actors of the so-called Polish Film School
. The following years he also appeared in most major films screened by the Polish Film School movement members, among them in Wajda's Innocent Sorcerers
(1960), Heroism
by Andrzej Munk (1958) and Depot of the Dead by Czesław Petelski. In 1969 he appeared in his most famous films, the Colonel Wolodyjowski
and The Deluge by Jerzy Hoffman
, the latter being nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar in 1974.
He continued to play in Teatr Współczesny until 1974, and gained much fame for his lead roles in Iphigenia in Paris, Bertold Brecht's The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
, Aleksander Fredro
's Life Imprisonment
, the role of Edgar in Friedrich Dürrenmatt
's Play Strindberg and the role of Nikita in Lev Tolstoy's The Power of Darkness
. Between 1970 and 1981 he was also the rector of his alma mater in Warsaw. During his work there he modified the actor's studio by introducing new lectures, mostly designed to fit the new role of the actors in television and films. About that time he also became the founder and the first head of his own theatre, the Warsaw-based Teatr na Woli. There he appeared in a number of plays, including in the roles of Goya in Antonio Buero Vallejo
's The Sleep of Reason
, the lead role in Słowacki's Fantazy and the role of Salieri in Peter Shaffer
's Amadeus
. He also appeared in numerous films, among them Krzysztof Kieślowski
's Blind Chance
, Krzysztof Zanussi
's The Contract
and Andrzej Wajda's Man of Marble
.
However, with time Łomnicki's popularity began to fade. This was due partially to his involvement with the Polish communist party, of which he was an active member. Although on the imposition of Martial Law in Poland
in 1981 he resigned all his posts and party membership, his reputation never recovered. In addition, during the 1980s, he suffered from serious health problems and he appeared only in episodic roles in almost all of Warsaw-based theatres. Finally he was offered the lead role in Shakespeare's King Lear
. What he considered his most important role was highly anticipated by the critics. The play was to be staged for the first time on 29 February 1992. However, a week before, on 22 February Łomnicki suddenly died of a heart attack during one of the last dress rehearsals
on the stage of Poznań
-based Teatr Nowy. His last words were King Lear's line: Then there's life in't. Nay, if you get it, you shall get it with running. Sa, sa, sa, sa
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
actor, one of the most notable stage and film artists of his time in Poland. He is remembered mostly for his roles in comedies and dramas, as well as for the role of Kordian
Kordian
Kordian is a drama written in 1833, and published in 1834, by Juliusz Słowacki, one of the "Three Bards" of Polish literature. Kordian is one of the most notable works of Polish Romanticism and drama, , PWN Encyklopedia and is considered one of Słowacki's best works.-History:Słowacki began work on...
in Juliusz Słowacki's play of the same title. He was also a notable professor and a rector of the State Theatre School in Warsaw.
Biography
Born on 18 July 1927 in Podhajce near Lwów (modern Lviv, Ukraine), to a family of a post office clerk and a teacher. After graduating from a trade school in DębicaDebica
Dębica is a town in southeastern Poland with 46,693 inhabitants, as of 2 June 2009. It is the capital of Dębica County. Since 1999 it has been situated in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship; it had previously been in the Tarnów Voivodeship .-Area:...
he moved to Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, where he started to work as railway worker and study violin play. There he spent the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and fought against the Germans in the ranks of the Grey Ranks
Szare Szeregi
"Gray Ranks" was a codename for the underground Polish Scouting Association during World War II.The wartime organisation was created on 27 September 1939, actively resisted and fought German occupation in Warsaw until 18 January 1945, and contributed to the resistance operations of the Polish...
. In 1945 he passed his exams to an actors' school organized by the Stary Teatr, one of the most prestigious Polish theatres of the epoch. After his stage debut in an episodic role in Stary Teatr he briefly appeared in Słowacki's theatre in Kraków and the Municipal Theatre in Katowice
Katowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
. For his role of Puck
Puck (mythology)
In English folklore, Puck is a mythological fairy or mischievous nature sprite. Puck is also a generalised personification of land spirits. In more recent times, the figure of Robin Goodfellow is identified as a puck.-Etymology:...
in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
he received an award of the Shakespeare Festival in Warsaw.
Finally in 1949 he moved to Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, where he became a member of Teatr Współczesny, one of the best Polish stages at the time, led by renown director Erwin Axer
Erwin Axer
Erwin Axer is a Polish theatre director, writer and university professor. A long-time head of Teatr Współczesny in Warsaw, he also staged numerous plays abroad, notably in German-speaking countries, in the USA and Leningrad ....
. About that time he also debuted as a playwright, with two of his plays staged in Kielce
Kielce
Kielce ) is a city in central Poland with 204,891 inhabitants . It is also the capital city of the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship since 1999, previously in Kielce Voivodeship...
and Kraków. He was also engaged in the National Theatre in the role of Kordian in Słowacki's play of the same title, which gained him much popularity and fame. He was also admitted to the National Theatre Academy (Akademia Teatralna) in Warsaw and graduated from the Directors' Division in 1956. In 1955 he played the first major role in a film appearing in Andrzej Wajda
Andrzej Wajda
Andrzej Wajda is a Polish film director. Recipient of an honorary Oscar, he is possibly the most prominent member of the unofficial "Polish Film School"...
's A Generation
A Generation
A Generation is a 1955 Polish film directed by Andrzej Wajda. It is based on the novel Pokolenie by Bohdan Czeszko, who also wrote the script, and it was Wajda's first film and the opening installment of what became his Three War Films trilogy set in the Second World War, completed by Kanal and...
. This film, undoubtedly the first major production of Wajda, led to ever-increasing popularity of Łomnicki, who started to be regarded as one of the most notable actors of the so-called Polish Film School
Polish Film School
Polish Film School refers to an informal group of Polish film directors and screenplay writers active between 1955 and approximately 1963.The group was under heavy influence of Italian neorealists. It took advantage of the liberal changes in Poland after the 1956 to portray the complexity of...
. The following years he also appeared in most major films screened by the Polish Film School movement members, among them in Wajda's Innocent Sorcerers
Innocent Sorcerers
Innocent Sorcerers is a 1960 film directed by Polish film director, Andrzej Wajda.- Cast :* Tadeusz Łomnicki – Bazyli* Krystyna Stypułkowska – Pelagia* Zbigniew Cybulski – Edmund* Wanda Koczeska – Mirka...
(1960), Heroism
Heroism (film)
Heroism is a 1958 film by Andrzej Munk. It is composed of two separate film novels, each featuring the Polish concept of heroism and a role of a hero.Eroica won the FIPRESCI Award at the 1959 Mar del Plata Film Festival....
by Andrzej Munk (1958) and Depot of the Dead by Czesław Petelski. In 1969 he appeared in his most famous films, the Colonel Wolodyjowski
Colonel Wolodyjowski (film)
Colonel Wolodyjowski is the English title of the Polish film Pan Wołodyjowski, a historical drama directed by Jerzy Hoffman, released in 1968. The film is based on Fire in the Steppe, a novel by the Polish writer Henryk Sienkiewicz...
and The Deluge by Jerzy Hoffman
Jerzy Hoffman
Jerzy Hoffman is a Polish film director and screenwriter. He is the father of early Macintosh development team member Joanna Hoffman.-Selected filmography:*Battle of Warsaw 1920...
, the latter being nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar in 1974.
He continued to play in Teatr Współczesny until 1974, and gained much fame for his lead roles in Iphigenia in Paris, Bertold Brecht's The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui is a play by the German dramatist Bertolt Brecht, originally written in 1941...
, Aleksander Fredro
Aleksander Fredro
Aleksander Fredro was a Polish poet, playwright and author.-Life:Count Aleksander Fredro, of the Bończa coat of arms, was born in the village of Surochów near Jarosław, then a crown territory of Austria. A landowner's son, he was educated at home. He entered the Polish army at age 16 and saw...
's Life Imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
, the role of Edgar in Friedrich Dürrenmatt
Friedrich Dürrenmatt
Friedrich Dürrenmatt was a Swiss author and dramatist. He was a proponent of epic theatre whose plays reflected the recent experiences of World War II. The politically active author's work included avant-garde dramas, philosophically deep crime novels, and often macabre satire...
's Play Strindberg and the role of Nikita in Lev Tolstoy's The Power of Darkness
The Power of Darkness
The Power of Darkness is a five-act drama by Leo Tolstoy. Written in 1886, the play was banned in Russia until 1902.The central character is a peasant, Nikita, who seduces and abandons a young girl Marinka; then the lovely Anisija murders her own husband to marry Nikita. He impregnates his new...
. Between 1970 and 1981 he was also the rector of his alma mater in Warsaw. During his work there he modified the actor's studio by introducing new lectures, mostly designed to fit the new role of the actors in television and films. About that time he also became the founder and the first head of his own theatre, the Warsaw-based Teatr na Woli. There he appeared in a number of plays, including in the roles of Goya in Antonio Buero Vallejo
Antonio Buero Vallejo
Antonio Buero Vallejo was a Spanish playwright considered the most important Spanish dramatist of the Spanish Civil War...
's The Sleep of Reason
The Sleep of Reason
The Sleep of Reason is a BBC Books original novel written by Martin Day and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who...
, the lead role in Słowacki's Fantazy and the role of Salieri in Peter Shaffer
Peter Shaffer
Sir Peter Levin Shaffer is an English dramatist and playwright, screenwriter and author of numerous award-winning plays, several of which have been filmed.-Early life:...
's Amadeus
Amadeus
Amadeus is a play by Peter Shaffer.It is based on the lives of the composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, highly fictionalized.Amadeus was first performed in 1979...
. He also appeared in numerous films, among them Krzysztof Kieślowski
Krzysztof Kieslowski
Krzysztof Kieślowski was an Academy Award nominated influential Polish film director and screenwriter, known internationally for The Double Life of Veronique and his film cycles The Decalogue and Three Colors.-Early life:...
's Blind Chance
Blind Chance
Blind Chance is a Polish film directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski. Made in 1981, the film was suppressed by the Polish authorities for several years, until its delayed release in 1987...
, Krzysztof Zanussi
Krzysztof Zanussi
Krzysztof Zanussi, is a Polish producer and film director.He is a professor of European film at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland where he conducts a summer workshop...
's The Contract
The Contract
The Contract is a 2006 film directed by Bruce Beresford and written by the late television writer Stephen Katz and John Darrouzet. A cat-and-mouse thriller, The Contract stars Oscar-winner Morgan Freeman as assassin Frank Carden and John Cusack as teacher Ray Keene...
and Andrzej Wajda's Man of Marble
Man of Marble
Man of Marble is a 1976 Polish film directed by Andrzej Wajda. It chronicles the fall from grace of a fictional heroic Polish bricklayer, Mateusz Birkut , who became the Stakhanovite symbol of an over-achieving worker, in Nowa Huta, a new socialist city near Kraków...
.
However, with time Łomnicki's popularity began to fade. This was due partially to his involvement with the Polish communist party, of which he was an active member. Although on the imposition of Martial Law in Poland
Martial law in Poland
Martial law in Poland refers to the period of time from December 13, 1981 to July 22, 1983, when the authoritarian government of the People's Republic of Poland drastically restricted normal life by introducing martial law in an attempt to crush political opposition to it. Thousands of opposition...
in 1981 he resigned all his posts and party membership, his reputation never recovered. In addition, during the 1980s, he suffered from serious health problems and he appeared only in episodic roles in almost all of Warsaw-based theatres. Finally he was offered the lead role in Shakespeare's King Lear
King Lear
King Lear is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The title character descends into madness after foolishly disposing of his estate between two of his three daughters based on their flattery, bringing tragic consequences for all. The play is based on the legend of Leir of Britain, a mythological...
. What he considered his most important role was highly anticipated by the critics. The play was to be staged for the first time on 29 February 1992. However, a week before, on 22 February Łomnicki suddenly died of a heart attack during one of the last dress rehearsals
Rehearsal
For other uses, see Rehearsal or Dress rehearsal A rehearsal is a preparatory event in music and theatre that is performed before the official public performance, as a form of practice, and to ensure that all details of the performance are adequately prepared and coordinated for professional...
on the stage of Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
-based Teatr Nowy. His last words were King Lear's line: Then there's life in't. Nay, if you get it, you shall get it with running. Sa, sa, sa, sa