Janusz Zakrzeński (8 March 1936 – 10 April 2010) was a Polish film and theatrical actor. Zakrzeński was born in

Przededworze Przededworze is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Chmielnik, within Kielce County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in south-central Poland. It lies approximately west of Chmielnik and south of the regional capital Kielce Kielce ...

. He graduated from high school III LO in

Wrocław Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...

, Poland, in 1953. He was an actor in the

Juliusz Słowacki Theatre Juliusz Słowacki Theatre ( pl, Teatr im. Juliusza Słowackiego w Krakowie) is a 19th-century Eclectic theatre-opera house in the heart of Kraków, Poland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Erected in 1893, it was modeled after some of the best ...

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

(1960–1967), the Polski (1967–1974), the Nowy (1974–1984), and the Narodowy (1984–1985) theatres of Warsaw. He acted at the Polski in Warsaw from 1985 until his death in 2010. He wrote the books ''Moje spotkania z Marszałkiem'' and ''Gawędy o potędze słowa''. In 2008, the Polish organization Międzynarodowy Zjazd Sybiraków (World Congress of the

Sybirak A sybirak (, plural: ''sybiracy'') is a person resettled to Siberia. Like its Russian counterpart '' sibiryák'' the word can refer to any dweller of Siberia, but it more specifically refers to Poles imprisoned or exiled to Siberia or even to thos ...

s) awarded him the prize "Ambassador of Sybiraks" for his role in the play ''Silent Scream''. In 2009, the Congress also granted him the title "Ambassador of Sybiraks" for lifetime achievement. He was awarded numerous film and state awards, including the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta ( pl, Order Odrodzenia Polski, en, Order of Restored Poland) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on al ...

. Zakrzeński was among those killed in the

2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash On 10 April 2010, a Tupolev Tu-154 aircraft operating Polish Air Force Flight 101 crashed near the Russian city of Smolensk, killing all 96 people on board. Among the victims were the president of Poland, Lech Kaczyński, and his wife, Maria, ...

Smolensk Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest c ...

Honours and awards

* Gold Medal of the

Gloria Artis Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkins) ...

(2010,

posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death * ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987 * ''Posthumous'' (E ...

) * Commander's Cross of the

(2010, posthumously; previously awarded the Officer's Cross in 2009) * Gold and Silver Crosses of Merit (1974 and 1967, respectively) * Bronze Medal for his contribution to national defence (1973) * Order of Merit for the Nation and the Church, awarded by the Polish Roman Catholic

Primate Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians (monkeys and apes, the latter including huma ...

External links

Janusz Zakrzeński
at filmpolski.pl * 1936 births 2010 deaths People from Kielce County Polish male film actors Polish male stage actors Victims of the Smolensk air disaster Officers of the Order of Polonia Restituta Commanders of the Order of Polonia Restituta Recipients of the Silver Cross of Merit (Poland) Recipients of the Gold Cross of Merit (Poland) Recipients of the Gold Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis Clan of Poraj {{Poland-actor-stub