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- Writer
- Director
- Producer
Originally planning to become a lawyer, Billy Wilder abandoned that career in favor of working as a reporter for a Viennese newspaper, using this experience to move to Berlin, where he worked for the city's largest tabloid. He broke into films as a screenwriter in 1929 and wrote scripts for many German films until Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933. Wilder immediately realized his Jewish ancestry would cause problems, so he emigrated to Paris, then the US. Although he spoke no English when he arrived in Hollywood, Wilder was a fast learner and thanks to contacts such as Peter Lorre (with whom he shared an apartment), he was able to break into American films. His partnership with Charles Brackett started in 1938 and the team was responsible for writing some of Hollywood's classic comedies, including Ninotchka (1939) and Ball of Fire (1941). The partnership expanded into a producer-director one in 1942, with Brackett producing and the two turned out such classics as Five Graves to Cairo (1943), The Lost Weekend (1945) (Oscars for Best Picture, Director and Screenplay) and Sunset Blvd. (1950) (Oscars for Best Screenplay), after which the partnership dissolved. (Wilder had already made one film, Double Indemnity (1944) without Brackett, as the latter had refused to work on a film he felt dealt with such disreputable characters.) Wilder's subsequent self-produced films would become more caustic and cynical, notably Ace in the Hole (1951), though he also produced such sublime comedies as Some Like It Hot (1959) and The Apartment (1960) (which won him Best Picture and Director Oscars). He retired in 1981.- Actress
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Graduate of the Ludwik Solski State Drama School in Krakow, specialization in popular music vocals; actress of the Teatr Stary in Krakow.
PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION The Fryderyk Chopin State Primary Music School in Krynica-Zdroj - piano class, the Mieczyslaw Karlowicz State Secondary Music School in Krakow - solo singing class, the Ludwik Solski State Drama School in Krakow - specialization in drama performance and popular music vocals.
AWARDS 2009 - Sopot, 9th Polish National Festival of Radio and TV Theatre Two Theaters - Award for the Best Female Role, for the part of Halina Szwarc in the TV Theatre show Doktor Halina directed by Marcin Wrona. 2008 - Koszalin, 27th Debut Film Festival Young and Film - Award for Best Acting Debut in a Leading Role in Wednesday, Thursday Morning directed by Grzegosz Packa. 2007 - Gdynia Film Festival, Award of the Mayor of Gdynia for Best Acting Debut in Wednesday, Thursday Morning. 1998 - Third prize at the grand finale of the Szansa na sukces TV singing competition, for the performance of Miedzy cisza by Grzegorz Turnau.- Gila Golan's career started as an Israeli fashion model, which led to appearances as a film actress. She was apparently born in Krakow, Poland, for she was discovered there in a train station during the German occupation in 1940. She was adopted by a Roman Catholic couple and later sent to a boarding school in France before emigrating to Israel after World War II where she changed her name from Zusia Sobetzcki to Miriam Goldberg. She became interested in fashion and her being spotted by an American photographer led to appearing in the Israeli magazine La'isha. It was a natural step for her to extend her fashion activities into the 1960 competition which led to her being crowned "Na'arat Israel" - Israel's Maiden of Beauty (IMB) - or using international usage, "Miss Israel." For this competition she changed her name to Gila Golan. Such a change of names to one more typically Israeli was common at the time, but she may have done this to prevent any embarrassment to her religiously conservative family and friends. She went on to place second in the Miss World competition held later that year in London where she met the Columbia Pictures executive William Cohan and his wife. This led to her entrance into films with a debut in Ship of Fools (1965). Cohen and his wife came to view her as sort of a foster daughter. She married three times and has several children and reportedly she now runs an investment business.
- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
When her father, the famous musician Zbigniew Paleta was offered a job in Mexico, the Paleta family settled there permanently. Ludwika was taken by her sister, Dominika Paleta to an audition, and impressed the casting directors so much that soon after, she was offered her first television job in Carrusel (1989) (1989). Paleta became an instant celebrity with her character, and a sex-symbol among Mexican preteen boys. Three years later, in 1992, she returned to the small screen in what she calls her favorite television job yet, El abuelo y yo (1992) opposite Gael García Bernal.
Ludwika Paleta has obtained great fame and popularity in the Latin American country that has been her home since she was merely a child. She is the Daughter of Barbara Paciorek and the famous musician Zbigniew Paleta. Her sister, Dominika Paleta, is also an actress. In an interview, Ludwika Paleta declared that she loves both Mexico and Poland, but that she does not see herself living outside Mexico in the future. She is also fluent in Spanish, Polish, and English. Paleta was married to Mexican actor Plutarco Haza. Their son, Nicolás, was born November 11, 1999.- Actress
- Producer
- Production Manager
Magdalena Boczarska is a Polish film and television actress. She was born in Krakow on the 12th of December 1978. Her debut was at the New Theatre in Lodzi, she was playing the title role in the arts Moorhen directed by Lukasz Kos. Since 2003 she works on the boards of the National Theatre in Warsaw, Carrousel Theater in Berlin and Teatro Tatro Slovakia. Since 2005 Magdalena plays in popular television series in Polish and German. Later she acted in the lead roles in popular films in Europe.- Oliwia Dabrowska was born on 28 May 1989 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland. She is an actress, known for Schindler's List (1993) and Gry uliczne (1996).
- Maria Kowalska was born on 16 September 1996 in Wadowice, Malopolskie, Poland. She is an actress, known for Skrzyzowanie, Forgotten Love (2023) and Nothing is Lost (2019).
- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Jakub Gierszal was born on 20 March 1988 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland. He is an actor and producer, known for Suicide Room (2011), Spoor (2017) and Breaking the Limits (2017).- Director
- Writer
- Producer
One of the most prominent Polish directors of today, Malgorzata Szumowska was born in Kraków in 1973. She's been directing, writing and producing feature and documentary films and has received numerous awards at international and Polish film festivals. After two noticed shorts, her first feature Happy Man (2000) was nominated at the European Film Awards as "Discovery of the Year" and won a Special Prize in Thessaloniki. Her second feature Strangers (2004) was presented in Sundance and in Berlin and with 33 Scenes From Life (2008), she received the Special Jury Prize at the Locarno Festival. She later directed Elles (2011) with Juliette Binoche, and In The Name Of, winner of the Teddy Award at the Berlin Festival. In 2015, the Berlinale awarded her the Best Director Silver Bear for Body and in 2018 distinguished Mug with the Grand Jury Prize. Her first English language feature The Other Lamb (2019) has been selected to screen in Toronto, San Sebastian and London. She has recently completed a short film for Miu Miu and is working on her next feature Wonderful Zenia.- Maja Ostaszewska is a renowned Polish actress, known for her versatile roles in both cinema and theatre. She is a graduate of the National Academy of Theatre Arts in Krakow and has been associated with various theatres including the National Theatre. Her portrayal of characters in Jack Strong (2014) and Body (2015) solidified her status in the industry. Her contributions to the arts have earned her numerous awards and accolades.
- Pavel Douglas was born in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland. Pavel is an actor, known for GoldenEye (1995), The Princess Switch (2018) and Lovejoy (1986).
- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Anny Ondra was a Polish-Czech-Austrian-German-French singer and a film and stage actress. As a child she lived in Prague, where her father was a colonel in the Austro-Hungarian army. After graduating from convent school in Prague, she studied to be an actress with Professor Bor. She was already a star in the Czech theater when, at age 16, the teenage beauty was discovered by the film industry.
From 1920--mostly under the direction of Karel Lamac--she became a major comedic star in Czech cinema, and in 1928 she conquered German cinema. Historically, she was Alfred Hitchcock's first blonde, appearing in his film Blackmail (1929), which was England's--and Hitchcock's--first talking film (Hitchcock, knowing that not all theaters supported talkies, also shot a silent version of the film). In 1930 in Germany she created, with the help of Karel Lamac, the Ondra-Lamac Film Society, which lasted till 1936. She was in Die vom Rummelplatz (1930) ("Those of the Sideshow") but the film, was lost and remains so to this day.
She played in German-, Czech- and French-language versions of all her movies, always as the leading lady. She became an international cinema superstar and one of the most beloved of German film stars. She appeared in more than 88 films. She retired from the industry in 1957 and lived in Hollenstedt in der Lüneburger Heide, Germany (near Hamburg), with her husband, boxing champion Max Schmeling, whom she married in 1933.
She died in Hollenstedt and will never be forgotten by her fans.- Music Department
- Composer
- Producer
Born on the 18th of July, 1972, in Cracow, Poland. In 1996 graduated the instrumental studies (specialization: cello), and then in 2000 graduated with merit from the composition class of Krzysztof Penderecki at the Music Academy in Cracow. At the same Academy, in the years 1999-2000, he was an assistant at the Department of Composition, Conducting and Musical Theory. His compositions were performed at the most important festivals in Poland, Germany, Slovakia, Moldavia, Ukraine and Belarus. He also composed music for numerous drama plays and films - features, documentaries and shorts.
In 1998 he received the Creative Scholarship of the President of Cracow in the category of music composition. Two years later, at the 25th Polish Feature Film Festival in Gdynia he received the Golden Lions - individual award for the musical score to the film "Big Animal". In 2001 he was nominated by "Film" monthly to their Golden Duck Award for extraordinary achievement in film music. At the same time "Cinema" monthly included him on their list of top Polish film music composers. Also in 2001 his symphonic composition Hypnosis had its premiere in Berlin (the orchestra was Sinfonietta Cracovia, conducted by Krzysztof Penderecki), which was broadcast live by Deutsche Radio.
In 2002 he received Ludwik Award (a theatre award from the city of Cracow) for the score to "Kafka", and also Jancio Wodnik Award at Prowincjonalia Film Festival, for his score for the feature film "An Angel in Cracow". According to "Kino" monthly, his music for the controversial documentary "Evolution" (the film was awarded the prestigious Golden Gate Award at the 45th Film Festival in San Francisco) was "an achievement of an entirely original kind". In 2004 he created a new score for Fritz Lang's "Metropolis". A monumental 147-minute composition for an 90-piece orchestra, 60 choir and 2 solo voices ambitiously re-interpreting the silent movie from 1927.
In 2005, during the 14th Golden Knight International Film Festival in Russia, he received Golden Knight Award for best composer, for music for the film "Tomorrow's Weather".- Mateusz Janicki was born on 26 November 1983 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland. He is an actor, known for Strazacy (2015), Pierwsza milosc (2004) and Naznaczony (2009).
- Actor
- Director
- Producer
Pavel Delong was born on 29 April 1970 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland. He is an actor and director, known for Daria (2020), House (2008) and Schindler's List (1993).- Actress
- Producer
Malgorzata Bela is a Polish model and actress, attended the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun and later studied at the Actors Studio in New York. She made her runway debut for designers like Comme des Garçons, Givenchy, and Balenciaga. Her acting career took off with her leading role in the movie Stranger (2004). She gained recognition for her role as Hania Tuszynska in the biographical productions about Pope John Paul II.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Jerzy Stuhr is a Polish actor, director, and writer. He completed his education in Polish Philology at the Jagiellonian University and then graduated from the National Academy of Theatre Arts in Krakow. Stuhr's acting career began in the theaters in Krakow, where he performed in plays such as "Noc listopadowa" and "Biesy". His movie career includes notable roles in Camera Buff (1979), Sexmission (1984), and Persona non grata (2005). He also directed movies like Spis cudzoloznic (1994) and Love Stories (1997). In addition to his acting and directing career, Stuhr has also made significant contributions to academia. He served as the rector of the National Academy of Theatre Arts in Krakow from 1990-1996 and 2002-2008. He was awarded the title of Professor of Theatrical Arts in 1994 and received an honorary doctorate from the University of Silesia in Katowice in 2007.- Actress
- Writer
- Director
Grazyna Trela was born on 13 May 1958 in Lencze, Malopolskie, Poland. She is an actress and writer, known for Sexmission (1984), Big Shar (1983) and The Christening (2010).- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Maciej Stuhr is a Polish actor, comedian, and occasional film director. He majored in psychology at Jagiellonian University before moving on to study acting at the National Academy of Theatre Arts in Krakow. He made his debut as an actor in The Decalogue (1989). His performance as Aleks in the movie Fluke (1999) gained him popularity. Some of his most notable roles include movies like Boys Don't Cry (2000), Poranek kojota (2001), and 33 Scenes from Life (2008). He also starred in TV shows such as Glina (2004), Without Secrets (2011), and The Teacher (2016). He also continues to perform at the New Theatre in Warsaw.- Wiktoria Filus was born on 10 September 1994 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland. She is an actress, known for The Hater (2020), All That Sex (2023) and Autumn Girl (2021).
- Joanna Kanska was born on 1 April 1957 in Nowy Sacz, Malopolskie, Poland. She is an actress, known for The Tall Guy (1989), A Very Peculiar Practice (1986) and Screen One (1985).
- Producer
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Max Fleischer was an American animator, inventor, and film producer from Krakow. As an inventor, Fleischer is primarily known for inventing the rotoscope, an animation technique that allowed animators to draw realistic images and movements, based on live-action images. He later co-founded the short-lived animation studio Fleischer Studios (1929-1942), and served as the studio head for its entire history. The studio was primarily known for creating short film featuring the animated characters Koko the Clown, Betty Boop, and Bimbo the Dog. It also introduced the first animated adaptations of both Popeye and Superman. Fleischer lost control over his studio to Paramount Pictures, though he would continue to work in animation for decades.
In 1883, Fleischer was born to a Jewish family in Krakow, Austria-Hungary. His father was the tailor Aaron Fleischer, and his mother was the housewife Malka "Amelia" Palasz. The Fleischer family emigrated to the United States in 1887, settling in New York City. Aaron became an exclusive tailor to high society clients, and the family enjoyed a middle-class life for about a decade. Aaron lost control over his tailor shop in the late 1890s, forcing the family to move to an impoverished section of Brooklyn.
Fleischer received commercial art training at the Cooper Union, a private college located at Cooper Square in New York City. He received formal art training at the Art Students League of New York. His teacher there was the Canadian painter George Bridgman (1864-1943). Fleischer also received further education at "Mechanics and Tradesman's School".
After completing his education, Fleischer was hired as an errand boy by the newspaper "The Brooklyn Daily Eagle" (1841-1955, 1960-1963). He remained there for years, working variously as a photographer, a photoengraver, and a staff cartoonist. He initially drew only single-panel editorial cartoons. He later created the satirical comic strips "Little Algie" and "S.K. Sposher, the Camera Fiend".
Fleischer left the newspaper c. 1905, in order to work as a technical illustrator for the Electro-Light Engraving Company in Boston. In 1909, he was hired as a catalog illustrator for the Crouse-Hinds Company. In 1910, he was hired as an art editor by the magazine "Popular Science". By 1914, the first commercially produced animated short films appeared in movie theaters. The characters; movements were generally "stiff and jerky", and so Fleischer started working on a method to trace images from a live-action film. He worked on his rotoscope from 1914 to 1916, and was granted a patent for the invention in 1917. This allowed the production of realistic animation.
Fleischer partnered up with his brother Dave Fleischer, to produce the animated film series "Out of the Inkwell" (1918-1929). It included 62 animated films, mostly featuring Koko the Clown as the protagonist. The character was inspired by Dave's previous job as a clown at Coney Island. The selling point of the series were the on-screen interactions between live-action artists and their pen and ink creations. The Fleischer brothers were eventually able to hire the experienced animator Dick Huemer, who produced more fluid animation for their films.
In 1924, Fleischer and a number of partners co-founded the film company Red Seal Pictures Corporation, which owned 36 theaters on the East Coast of the United States. One of Fleischer's partners was the inventor Lee de Forest (1873-1961). De Forest was working on a method to produce sound-on-film recordings for films. Fleischer gained access to de Forest's Phonofilm process, and went to work in creating animated short films with sound. The first of them was "My Old Kentucky Home" (1926), which also featured the first use of lip-synch in animation. Fleischer eventually worked on 19 early sound films, but the Red Seal went bankrupt in 1927.
From 1927 to 1929, the Fleischer brothers had a brief business partnership with film producer Alfred Weiss. They agreed to produce animated short films for Paramount Pictures, which would serve as their distributor. The partnership dissolved due to the mismanagement of Weiss, but the Fleischer brothers would maintain a working relationship with Paramount for the following 15 years.
In 1929, Fleischer co-founded the Fleischer studios. The company's staff initially set up operations at the Carpenter-Goldman Laboratories in Queens. Only 8 months later, they moved to a new location in Broadway. This would remain their main headquarters until 1938.Fleischer and his staff started work on the film series "Screen Songs" (1929-1938). It featured sing-along animated shorts, teaching the lyrics of various songs to the audience. The short films featured performances by popular musicians of the 1930s, such as Lillian Roth, Ethel Merman, and Cab Calloway.
The short film "Dizzy Dishes" (1930) introduced the character of Betty Boop, a caricature of a Jazz Age flapper. She quickly became a recurring character, and served initially as an imitation of real-life singer Helen Kane (1904-1966). Betty was a hit with the audience, and she was granted her own film series in 1932. She starred in 90 films between 1932 and 1939, and had guest-star roles in other 36 films between 1930 and 1933. She was the most popular character of the Fleischer Studios, regarded as the first "sex symbol" on the animated screen.
In late 1932, Fleischer licensed the rights to the comic strip character Popeye the Sailor. The character was granted a film series of his own, appearing in 109 short films between 1933 and 1942. The series introduced animated adaptation of several comic strip characters from the series "Thimble Theatre" (1919-1994), such as the damsel-in-distress Olive Oyl, the muscular bully Bluto, and the gluttonous scam artist J. Wellington Wimpy. The characters became household names, with Popeye himself said to surpass Mickey Mouse in popularity by the end of the 1930s.
Due to a business deal, the Fleischer Studios acquired much of its funding from a long-term partnership with Paramount Pictures. At times when Paramount itself was facing financial problems, the studio found itself suffering from a lack of funding. Fleischer was initially unable to secure rights to the innovative three-color Technicolor process in 1932. The studio introduced its first color cartoons in 1934, but had to use the limited two-color processes of Cinecolor (red and blue) and Two-Color Technicolor (red and green). They introduced their first film in three-color Technicolor in 1936. By that point, the rival studio Walt Disney Animation Studios was considered to be more innovative in its uses of color animation.
In the mid-1930s, Fleischer patented the use of three-dimensional effects in animation. He promoted these under the name the "Stereoptical Process". The process was used to great effect in the featurettes "Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor" (1936) and "Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves" (1937). Max Fleischer started petitioning Paramount to fund an animated feature film, but their executives were doubtful of its commercial value. Following the box office success of the animated feature film "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1937), Fleischer received sufficient funding to work on his own feature film.
In 1938, the Fleischer Studios moved its headquarters to Miami, Florida. The studio staff started working on "Gulliver's Travels" (1939), the second American animated feature film to be produced. During its production, the personal relationship between brothers and business partners Max and Dave Fleischer deteriorated. Max reportedly disapproved of Dave's love life, and attempted to end one of Dave's romantic relationships. The film was eventually completed and grossed more than $3 million dollars at the American box office.
To Max Fleischer's disappointment, the Fleischer Studios found itself in debt due to their first feature film. Paramount received a lion's share of the profits from the American box office, and the animation studio had no rights to any profits from the film's releases in foreign markets. In addition, Paramount penalized the animation studio with the debt of 350,000 dollars. The film had exceeded its original budget, and this violated a contract agreement with Paramount. The Fleischer Studios were now indebted to their distributor.
In 1940, Fleischer Studios introduced three new animated series: "Gabby", "Animated Antics", and "Stone Age Cartoons". "Gabby" was a spin-off from "Gulliver's Travels" , featuring the adventures of the film's town crier. "Animated Antics" was an anthology series, often featuring supporting characters from "Gulliver's Travels". "Stone Age Cartoons" featured a surprisingly modern take on Stone Age life, and has been cited as a precursor to "The Flintstones". All three series were regarded as commercial failures, generating little interest from exhibitors.
In search for a more viable series, Fleischer licensed to the superhero character Superman. The studio created a short-lived series for the character, releasing 9 short films between 1941 and 1942. It was the character's first animated adaptation, and featured more technically complex elements than most of its contemporaries in animation. Each episode had a budget of about 50,000 dollars, twice the budget of the typical Popeye cartoon in the same period. Frustrated that they had to animate the character leaping from place to place (as in the comics), the Fleischer brothers came up with the idea that Superman could fly on his own. The high cost of the series turned out to be a problem, but the series was popular.
Meanwhile, the Fleischer brothers were working on their second animated feature, at the request of Paramount. The film in question was "Mr. Bug Goes to Town", a tale of anthropomorphic insects. It was scheduled for release in early December 1941, but its release was postponed for months due to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Theater owners showed only a limited interest in the film, and it turned out to be a box office bomb.
With the Fleischer Studios heavily in debt to Paramount and Dave Fleischer having already resigned, Paramount decided to claim ownership over the animation studio and its characters. Max Fleischer was forced to resign, while the studio was re-organized into the Paramount subsidiary Famous Studios (1942-1967). The most notable character of the new studio was Casper the Friendly Ghost.
Fleischer was briefly out of work. He subsequently was hired as the head of the animation department for "The Jam Handy Organization", a Detroit-based company owned by film producer (1886-1983). Fleischer primarily worked on animated training films for the Army and Navy during World War II. He continued working for Handy until 1953. His most notable film for this entire period was "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (1948), the first animated adaptation of a 1939 Christmas story by Robert L. May. Fleischer personally directed the film.
In 1953, Fleischer was hired as a production manager by Brayco. It was a company which primarily produced filmstrips from the late 1960s to its closing in 1963. It had formed as a corporate successor to the animation studio Bray Productions (1912-1928), where Fleischer had briefly worked in his early career.
In 1955, Fleischer won a lawsuit against Paramount Pictures. They had the rights to re-release most of his former films, but the court decided that they did not have the right to remove Fleischer's name from the film credits. In 1958, Fleischer and his new partner Hal Seeger (1917-2005) founded the minor animation studio "Out of the Inkwell Films". They had the intention to revive "Out of the Inkwell" as a television series. They eventually produced 100 color episodes of the new series, released from 1960 to 1961. Due to his failing health, Fleischer decided against appearing in person in the live-action segments.
For most of the 1960s, Fleischer made efforts to reclaim ownership over Betty Boop, his most popular character. Paramount had sold its rights to the character in 1958, but the courts were unable to decide which person or company held the exclusive rights to the character.
In 1967, Fleischer and his wife Essie retired to the Motion Picture Country House, a retirement community for film industry people. The retirement community was located at the southwest end of the San Fernando Valley, and had been operational since 1942. In September 1942, Fleischer died there, due to "arterial sclerosis of the brain". He was 89-years-old at the time of his death, having survived several of his former partners and employees.
Fleischer's animated works eventually found a new audience in animation fans who regard them as an alternative to Walt Disney's works, and who often find them to be more appealing to older audiences. Works of the Fleischer Studios have also been popular with animation historians, which regard them highly for their innovations. Fleischer remains one of the most famous animated film producers of the 20th century, but his reputation mostly endures due to the cult following of some of his characters.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Bartlomiej Topa was born on 26 May 1967 in Nowy Targ, Malopolskie, Poland. He is an actor and producer, known for Three Colors: White (1994), Karbala (2015) and Traffic Department (2012).- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Lukas DiSparrow is a 5'2 London-based British-Polish actor, filmmaker, and comedy creator. His first film experience was as a stand-in on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011). After working behind the camera on several feature films and watching directors at work, Lukas was inspired to create his own short films such as You and Me Now (2012), The Christmas Horror Story (2017), and webseries Mobsters (2013) and The Musician (2014).- Born in Oswiecim, Poland on March 6, 1960, Teresa "Tess" Elzbieta Foltyn moved from Poland to New York City where a friend of hers tried to get her into fashion modeling. Being only 5'8" Tess found it difficult to find work, due to being too short for fashion work. This prompted her to move to Los Angeles where her modeling career took off. While living in Los Angeles, she also broke into commercial work with her first commercial being a Miller beer ad. Tess also did stand-up comedy before breaking into acting.
- Cinematographer
- Director
- Camera and Electrical Department
One of the most respected cinematographers in the industry, Polish-born Rudolph Mate entered the film business after his graduation from the University of Budapest. He worked in Hungary as an assistant cameraman for Alexander Korda and later worked throughout Europe with noted cameraman Karl Freund. Mate was hired to shoot some second-unit footage for Carl Theodor Dreyer and Erich Pommer, and they were so impressed with his work that they hired him as cinematographer on Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) (US title: "The Passion of Joan of Arc"). Mate was soon working on some of Europe's most prestigious films, cementing his reputation as one of the continent's premier cinematographers. Hollywood came calling in 1935, and Mate shot films there for the next 12 years before turning to directing in 1947. Unfortunately, while many of his directorial efforts were visually impressive (especially his sci-fi epic When Worlds Collide (1951)), the films themselves were for the most part undistinguished, with his best work probably being the film-noir classic D.O.A. (1949).- Director
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Born in Kraków, Poland, in 1925. Feature film director. Graduated in 1946 from Cracow Film Institute, also studied painting. From 1947 to 1957 made a number of documentary shorts and educational films. Feature film debut: _The Noose_ (Petla, 1958, co-scr.). Other films: _Farewells_ (Pozegnania, 1958, co-scr.), awarded in Locarno and London 1959; _Roommates_ ((Wspolny pokoj, 1960, co-scr.); _Parting_ (Rozstanie, 1961); _Gold_ (Zloto, 1962); _How to Be Loved_ (Jak byc kochana, 1962), Polish Film Critics award, also awarded in San Francisco 1963 and beirut 1964; _The Saragossa Manuscript_ (Pamietnik znaleziony w Saragossie, 1964), awarded in San Sebastian and Edinburgh 1965, in Sitges 1966; _Codes_ (Szyfry, 1966), _The Doll_ (Lalka, 1968, co-scr.), awarded in Panama 1969; _The Sandglass_ (Sanatorium pod Klepsydra, 1973), awarded in Cannes 1973, Grand Prix in Trieste 1974.- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Additional Crew
Adam Greenberg was born on 11 April 1937 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland. He is a cinematographer, known for Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Ghost (1990) and The Terminator (1984).- Zofia Jastrzebska was born on 7 December 1998 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland. She is an actress, known for A Girl and an Astronaut (2023), Kundel (2022) and Na dobre i na zle (1999).
- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Marius Biegai was born on April 27, 1968 in Krakow, Poland. His family moved to Germany in the early seventies. He lived in Berlin for most of his childhood. His younger brother is famed composer Christian Biegai. Marius spent his college years in Ulm, where he obtained a major in Theatre from the " Theaterakademie Spielstatt Ulm". After college he worked in theatre & television in Munich and Berlin. He soon moved to New York looking for new artistic experiences. Once he was there, he joined the "Artaban Theatre Company" (Theatre du Soleil a. Robert Gourp), he also worked and taught several acting workshops & joined director Gene Frankel's prestigious acting Master Class, where he met Mexican actor - choreographer Veronica Falcón. On August 1998, they got married in a simple ceremony in Mexico City.
They moved to Berlin that same year & founded together "Creactors & Co." a bilingual Theatre - Performance Company. While living in Germany, Marius worked mostly in television & theater. By the year 2000, they decided to relocate back to Mexico City. Once in Mexico, Marius could not work as much while he was learning Spanish, for obvious reasons. So, therefore he only did commercial work, playing non speaking parts and yet, he soon became the most sought after actor in advertisement. At one point he had 10 commercials running simultaneously. That was unheard of in the advertisement world, but Mr. Biegai has a chameleonic ability as an actor that allowed him to pull it off.
As soon as he became fluent Spanish, roles started pouring in. He worked non stop in television, film & theatre. His resume as an actor includes: dozens of shorts, more than twenty-five films, over forty television shows & several stage productions in Mexico & abroad. His breakthrough performance in film was, when he played the role of Sasha Boginski in the Box Office Hit Private Pérez (2011), the film was directed by Beto Gomez & established Marius within the Mexican Film Industry.
In Television he became a star, when he played El Menona, audiences fell in love with his interpretation of this naif child-like character & loved his comedic timing. Los héroes del norte (2010) became a huge hit. To this day, the show is considered, the most successful comedy series ever produced in Mexico. While working on the 2nd season of Los héroes del norte (2010), Mr. Biegai did something very few actors back there, had done then or since. He became the first and only actor to simultaneously play two leading roles (an antagonist & a protagonist) & air at the same time.
He played the iconic villain "Hiram Alos", a neo Nazi Dr., one of the most terrifying characters ever to be seen in a Hispanic television show. Dr. Hiram Alos, the character was introduced on the 3rd season of the hit HBO dramatic series Capadocia (2008). At the same time Marius was still playing The Menona. It was unheard of producers allowing an actor to do that, working for two different networks, in two different shows that were on air at the same time. It was unprecedented. Audiences accepted him & loved him in both roles. Few actors can accomplish that in television.That's a testament to Mr. Biegai's astounding range, charisma & talent.
Along with his cast mates, Mr. Biegai won twice (2012 & 2013) the Mexican equivalent of the People's Choice Award (The TV Novela Award) as part of the Best Ensemble Cast on a TV comedy series, for their work in Los héroes del norte (2010). Marius was at a time, the most successful foreign actor working in Mexico & he is a creative force behind many productions. His credits include several projects as producer, director & creative consultant. He's worked in advertisement, film, theater, opera & television. He has performed in ten different languages & he is fluent in German, Polish, French, Spanish & English. In 2014 Mr. Biegai moved to Los Angeles, where he lives his wife actor, Veronica Falcón Queen of the South (2016) & their only son.- Dominika Paleta was born on October 23, 1972 in Krakow, Poland. Dominika was named after the daughter of one of her father's friends from Poland. The name is common in Poland, and comes from Latin's "Dominica", which means "God's own". She moved to Mexico at a young age, along with her sister Ludwika, because they offered her father, who is a musician, a job. She speaks 3 languages: Spanish, English, and Polish. In 1998, she won an Eres Award for Best New Female Artist, for her as "Gema" in "La Usurpadora". She also has an Art History bachelor's degree from "Universidad Iberoamericana" in Mexico. If she were not an actress, she would have liked to have been a writer or a private investigator. She enjoys watching Friends, Seinfeld, and the Discovery Channel. Her favorite cities in the world are: New York, Krakow, and Paris. She loves to travel in her free time, and would love to be a millionaire so she can travel to anywhere she wants all the time, without having to worry about money. She met her husband in Coyoacan, Mexico in the "Plaza de la Conchita", and at first disliked him very much. She married him in 2000 and had a daughter, Maria.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Marcin Kowalczyk was born on 28 July 1987 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland. He is an actor, known for You Are God (2012), Alpha (2018) and How I Became a Gangster (2019).- Mr. Denner began studying in Paris with Charles Dullin in 1945. Four years later, he joined the National Popular Theater. In 1962, he was offered his first big film role, in Bluebeard (1963). He made thirty films after that, notably with Claude Lelouch and François Truffaut. Over the years, he worked under some of France's best-known directors, including Louis Malle. During the 70's and 80's, he notoriously personified police detectives in famous French "Films Noirs" such as Mille milliards de dollars (1982) or The Night Caller (1975).
- Magdalena Zawadzka was born on 29 October 1944 in Filipowice, Malopolskie, Poland. She is an actress, known for 39 i pól (2008), Przygody pana Michala (1969) and Theatre Macabre (1971).
- Ewa Krzyzewska, a film and theater actress of Polish and American nationality, was a student at the Ludwik Solski State Drama School in Krakow. She debuted in Andrzej Wajda's Ashes and Diamonds (1958), leaving a lasting impression on the audience. Her roles often portrayed women filled with internal pain and bitterness, creating a melancholic, delicate, and mysterious image. Her film career ended abruptly in 1973.
- Radoslaw Kaim was born on 7 October 1973 in Skawina, Malopolskie, Poland. He is an actor, known for Capital (2015), Wallander (2008) and Spies of Warsaw (2013).
- Filip Plawiak was born on 26 September 1989 in Nowy Sacz, Malopolskie, Poland. He is an actor, known for One Way Ticket to the Moon (2013), Aftermath (2012) and Prosta historia o morderstwie (2016).
- Miroslaw Haniszewski was born on 7 August 1978 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland. He is an actor, known for The Informer (2019), I'm a Killer (2016) and General. Zamach na Gibraltarze (2009).
- Actor
- Director
Marek Kondrat was born on 18 October 1950 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland. He is an actor and director, known for Day of the Wacko (2002), Prawo ojca (1999) and Wszyscy jestesmy Chrystusami (2006). He has been married to Antonina Turnau since 19 September 2015. He was previously married to Ilona Ludgarda Gagajek.- Gustaw Holoubek was born on April 21, 1923. He was a Polish actor, director, member of the Polish Sejm, and a senator. Holoubek participated in the September Campaign and was a prisoner of war during the Nazi German Occupation of Poland. His father was a Czech immigrant who settled in Poland after the First World War, and his mother was Polish. Holoubek had his first role as an actor in 1947, thus beginning his lifelong career in theatre and film in Poland and abroad. His political career began in 1976, when he was elected to the Sejm, the lower house of the Polish Parliament. He was re-elected in 1980, but resigned in 1981 when martial law was declared. In 1989, he was elected to the Senate, the upper house. That same year, he took a position as a professor at the Academy of Theatre in Warsaw. Holoubek was a recipient of the Order of Polonia Restituta (Knight's Cross, Commander's Cross with Star, Grand Cross). He was married to Magdalena Zawadzka, Danuta Kwiatkowska and Maria Wachowiak. He died on March 6, 2008 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.
- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Sebastian Lach was born on 29 September 1975 in Kraków, Malopolskie, Poland. He is an actor and director, known for The White Ribbon (2009), Four Cups of Coffee or Three (2020) and Pakt (2015).- Actor
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Michal Sikorski was born on 5 September 1995 in Wadowice, Malopolskie, Poland. He is an actor, known for Sonata (2021), Open Your Eyes (2021) and Chcesz pokoju, szykuj sie do wojny (2023).- Urszula Grabowska, a Polish actress, completed her studies at the Acting Department of the National Academy of Theatre Arts in Krakow. She debuted as an actress at the Bagatela Theatre in Krakow during her studies. Her movie career includes notable roles in Joanna (2010) which earned her an Eagle Award for the best female lead role. She also appeared in TV series like Magda M. (2005), Glina (2004), Na dobre i na zle (1999), and Na krawedzi (2013). She is also a lecturer at the National Academy of Theatre Arts in Krakow.
- Jan Wieczorkowski was born on 24 February 1972 in Rabka-Zdrój, Malopolskie, Poland. He is an actor and producer, known for Tajemnica twierdzy szyfrów (2007), Na dobre i na zle (1999) and Enduro Bojz (2000).
- Pope John Paul II was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his death in 2005. He was elected pope by the second papal conclave of 1978, which was called after John Paul I, who had been elected in August to succeed Pope Paul VI, died after 33 days. Cardinal Wojtyla was elected on the third day of the conclave and adopted the name of his predecessor in tribute to him. Born in Poland, John Paul II was the first non-Italian pope since Adrian VI in the 16th century and the second-longest-serving pope after Pius IX in modern history.
- Jerzy Nowak was born on 20 June 1923 in Brzesko, Malopolskie, Poland. He was an actor, known for Schindler's List (1993), Three Colors: White (1994) and The Promised Land (1975). He was married to Maria Andruszkiewicz-Nowak. He died on 26 March 2013 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland.
- Actor
- Producer
Marcin Czarnik was born on 23 March 1976 in Oswiecim, Malopolskie, Poland. He is an actor and producer, known for Son of Saul (2015), Woman of... (2023) and The Reverse (2009).- Director
- Producer
- Writer
W. Lee Wilder was born on 22 August 1904 in Sucha, Galicia, Austria-Hungary [now Sucha Beskidzka, Malopolskie, Poland]. W. Lee was a director and producer, known for Once a Thief (1950), The Big Bluff (1955) and Killers from Space (1954). W. Lee died on 14 February 1982 in Los Angeles, California, USA.- Jedrzej Hycnar was born on 6 April 1997 in Tarnów, Malopolskie, Poland. He is an actor, known for Wataha (2014), Ludzie i bogowie (2020) and Zakochani po uszy (2019).
- Michal Balicki was born on 6 April 1996 in Nowy Targ, Malopolskie, Poland. He is an actor, known for Freestyle (2023), Innego konca nie bedzie and Cracow Monsters (2022).