Marian Kociniak (11 January 1936 – 17 March 2016) was a Polish film and theatre actor, most notable for appearing in the 1970 film ''

How I Unleashed World War II ''How I Unleashed World War II'' ( pl, Jak rozpętałem drugą wojnę światową) is a Polish feature film made in 1969, based on Kazimierz Sławiński's novel "''Przygody kanoniera Dolasa''" (''The Adventures of Dolas the Cannoneer''). It wa ...

''.

Biography

Born in

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

, Kociniak graduated from

The Aleksander Zelwerowicz National Academy of Dramatic Art in Warsaw ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

in 1959 from the teachings of

Ludwik Sempoliński Ludwik Sempoliński (18 August 1899 – 17 April 1981) was a Polish film actor. He appeared in twenty films between 1935 and 1966. Selected filmography * '' Jaśnie pan szofer'' (1935) * '' Barbara Radziwiłłówna'' (1936) * '' Róża'' ( ...

. From 1959 to his death, almost without interruption, he acted at the

Ateneum Theatre The Ateneum Theatre in Warsaw ( pl, Teatr Ateneum im. Stefana Jaracza w Warszawie) is a Polish dramatic theatre founded in 1928. It resides in a building erected a year earlier in the interwar Poland as headquarters for the Professional Union o ...

. He appeared on televised Theatre, reenacting many novels from the time. He also appeared in

Kabaret Starszych Panów Kabaret Starszych Panów (''Elderly Gentlemen's Cabaret'') was a Polish satirical cabaret (Polish term for revue) made for TV in the late 1950s to mid-1960s . Numerous leading actors and performers participated in its episodes. The hosts and produ ...

. His screen debut came in the 1959 film Mr. Professor. He appeared in over 30 films since then. He also collaborated with radio appearing in the magazine ''60 minut na godzinę'', where he paired with Andrzej Zaorski on

Polskie Radio Program III Polskie Radio Program III (Polish Radio Three), known also as Radiowa Trójka or shortly Trójka is a radio channel broadcast by the Polish public broadcaster, Polskie Radio. It is a music station playing a wide variety of music from rock, altern ...

. The popularity of the actor influenced creations of Franek Dolas in the famous Polish comedy

and as a burgrave in the show Janosik, directed by

Jerzy Passendorfer Jerzy Passendorfer (April 8, 1923 in Wilno – February 20, 2003 in Skolimów, near Warsaw, Poland) was a Polish film director, specialising in films about the German occupation of Poland in World War II, and member of parliament. Passendorfer gr ...

. In 2003, during the VIII Festival of Stars in

Międzyzdroje Międzyzdroje (;), known as Misdroy in English, is a city and a seaside resort in northwestern Poland on the island of Wolin on the Baltic coast. The city is located in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, and is a seat of the Kamień County and the ...

, he performed on the Promenade of Stars. Since the beginning of his career, he did not agree to interviews. The exception is the interview for the BBC to mark the 50th anniversary of his artistic work. From 2010 to 2016, he had been working with the Wola theatre. He was an honorary member of the support committee for

Bronisław Komorowski Bronisław Maria Komorowski (; born 4 June 1952) is a Polish politician and historian who served as President of Poland from 2010 to 2015. Komorowski served as Minister of Defence from 2000 to 2001. As Marshal of the Sejm, Komorowski exercised ...

ahead accelerated presidential elections in 2010 and before the presidential elections in Poland in 2015. He died in 2016 at Warsaw.

Private life

For over 50 years he was married to Grażyna Kociniak (died February 11, 2016), a film editor, member of the Polish Filmmakers Association. They had one daughter. Marian Kociniak was the cousin of Jan Kociniak, a theater and film actor who died in 2007.

Awards

* Order of Polonia Restituta (2001) * Cross of Merit * Medal for Merit to Culture (2010).

References

External links

* 1936 births 2016 deaths Polish Lutherans Polish film actors Polish male stage actors Polish male voice actors Polish cabaret performers Polish male film actors Male actors from Warsaw People from Warsaw Voivodeship (1919–1939) 20th-century Lutherans 20th-century Polish male actors 21st-century Polish male actors Recipients of the Gold Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis Aleksander Zelwerowicz National Academy of Dramatic Art in Warsaw alumni {{Poland-actor-stub