Jacek Koman (born 15 August 1956) is a Polish actor and singer.

Early life

Koman was born in

Bielsko-Biała Bielsko-Biała (; cs, Bílsko-Bělá, german: Bielitz-Biala, szl, Bjylsko-Bjoło) is a city in southern Poland, with a population of approximately 168,319 as of December 2021, making it the 22nd largest city in Poland, and an area of . It is a ...

, Poland, to actors Halina Koman (née Dobrowolska; born 3 January 1923) and Adam Koman (24 December 1922 – 1 December 2005), and came to Australia in 1982 with his brother Tomek. They landed in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

before heading over to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

, where he began acting again. Koman attended the

National Film School in Łódź National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

, where he studied acting alongside Małgorzata Potocka, Andrzej Szczytko and Piotr Skiba (1974-78). His first professional stage appearance was as Lysander in a production of ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict a ...

'' in Bielsko-Biała in 1978.

Career

In Melbourne, Koman met his partner, Australian actress Catherine McClements, in the late 1980s at the Anthill Theatre. They now have two children together – Clementine Coco (born July 2001) and Quincy (born May 2007). The couple have worked together a number of times, including films ''Redheads'' and ''Floodhouse'', as well as an episode of '' Rush'' in 2009, and theatre productions ''Cruel and Tender'' (2005), ''

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

'' (2003), ''The Blind Giant is Dancing'' (1995) and ''

Angels in America ''Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes'' is a two-part play by American playwright Tony Kushner. The work won numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Tony Award for Best Play, and the Drama Desk Award f ...

'' (1994). In 2011, he was nominated for an AACTA award for his guest performance in ''

Spirited ''Spirited'' is an Australian television Supernatural fiction, supernatural comedy-drama series made for subscription television channel W that aired for two seasons, 2010 and 2011. The series stars Claudia Karvan as dentist Suzy Darling, wh ...

''. In 2012, he appeared as "The Great Hypno" in the Australian television series ''

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries ''Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries'' is an Australian drama television series. It was first broadcast on ABC on 24 February 2012. It is based on author Kerry Greenwood's historical mystery novels, and it was created by Deb Cox and Fiona Eagger ...

''. In 2013, he returned to the stage after an eight-year absence, in

Tom Holloway Tom Holloway is an Australian playwright, based in Melbourne . Holloway's plays have been performed across Australia and internationally, including '' Beyond the Neck'' at Belvoir St Theatre (2007), ''Red Sky Morning'' at Red Stitch Actors Theat ...

's translation of Durrenmatt's ''

Dance of Death The ''Danse Macabre'' (; ) (from the French language), also called the Dance of Death, is an artistic genre of allegory of the Late Middle Ages on the universality of death. The ''Danse Macabre'' consists of the dead, or a personification of ...

'' at the Malthouse Theatre in Melbourne.

Music career

Koman is also the lead singer of VulgarGrad, a Melbourne band who play Russian-style music and who formed in 2004.

Filmography

* ''Bezposrednie polaczenie'' (TV, 1979) – Slawek Tietz * '' Holidays on the River Yarra'' (1991) − Mercenary * ''Redheads'' (1992) – Lawyer * '' Phoenix'' (TV, 1993) – Steward (one episode) * ''Lucky Break'' (1994) – Detective Yuri Borodinoff * ''

Twisted Tales ''Twisted Tales'' was a horror comics anthology published by Pacific Comics and, later, Eclipse Comics, in the early 1980s. The title was edited by Bruce Jones and April Campbell. Publication history ''Twisted Tales'' was published on a bi-mon ...

'' (TV, 1995) * '' What I Have Written'' (1996) – Jeremy Fliszar * '' Thank God He Met Lizzie'' (1997) – Raoul * '' Wildside'' (TV, 1998) – Barry Lipinski (one episode) * '' The Sound of One Hand Clapping'' (1998) – Picotti * ''

Moulin Rouge! ''Moulin Rouge!'' (, ) is a 2001 jukebox musical romantic drama film directed, co-produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. It follows a young English poet, Christian, who falls in love with the star of the Moulin Rouge, cabaret actress and co ...

'' (2001) – The Unconscious Argentinean * '' The Secret Life of Us'' (TV, 2001) – Dominic * ''Horseplay'' (2002) – Roman * ''Floodhouse'' (TV, 2003) – Anselm * '' Stingers'' (TV, 2003) – Daniel Tedesco (one episode) * ''

Mary Bryant Mary Bryant (1765 – after 1794) was a Cornish convict sent to Australia. She became one of the first successful escapees from the fledgling Australian penal colony. Early life Bryant was born Mary Broad (referred to as Mary Braund at the ...

'' (TV, 2005) – Wanjon (part II) * ''

Children of Men ''Children of Men'' is a 2006 dystopian action thriller film co-written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón. The screenplay, based on P. D. James' 1992 novel ''The Children of Men'', was credited to five writers, with Clive Owen making uncredited ...

'' (2006) – Tomasz * '' Tripping Over'' (TV, 2006) – Magnus * ''

Romulus, My Father ''Romulus, My Father'' is a biographical memoir, first published in 1998, written by the Australian philosopher Raimond Gaita. The memoir outlines the life of his father, Romulus Gaita (1922 – May 1996). Plot Romulus Gaita fled his hometown o ...

'' (2007) – Vacek * ''

Defiance Defiance may refer to: Film, television and theatre * ''Defiance'' (1952 film), a Swedish drama film directed by Gustaf Molander * ''Defiance'' (1980 film), an American crime drama starring Jan-Michael Vincent * ''Defiance'' (2002 film), a ...

'' (2008) – Koscik * ''

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

'' (2008) – Ivan * ''Kochaj i tańcz'' (English title: Love and Dance) (2008) – Jan Kettler * '' Rush'' (TV, 2009) – Anton Buczek (one episode) * ''Lonesdale'' (2010) * ''Kolysanka'' (English title: Lullaby) (2010) – Postman Kaminski * ''

City Homicide ''City Homicide'' is an Australian television drama series that aired on the Seven Network between 27 August 2007 and 30 March 2011. The series was set on the Homicide floor of a metropolitan police headquarters in Melbourne. The main characte ...

'' – Andro Budjman (one episode, 2010) * ''Ratownicy'' (TV, 2010) – Piotr Rojek * ''

Usta usta ''Usta Usta'' is a Polish comedy-drama television series based on the British series ''Cold Feet''. It ran on TVN for three seasons from March 6, 2010 to May 3, 2011. Fourth season ran on TVN TVN may refer to: * TVN (Australian TV channel), a fo ...

'' (TV, 2010) – Pawel Sliwinski (one episode) * '' East West 101'' (TV, 2011) – Roman Wisniewski (two episodes) * '' The Hunter'' (2011) – Middleman * ''

Small Time Gangster Small Time Gangster is an Australian comedy series produced by Boilermaker-Burberry Entertainment for Movie Extra subscription television channel. It also screened on SBS One in 2013. The series follows the adventures of Tony Piccolo, a man w ...

'' (TV, 2011) – Artie (two episodes) * ''

'' (TV, 2011) – Potter the Man (four episodes) * '' Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance'' (2011) – Terrokov * ''

Jack Irish ''Jack Irish'' is an Australian television drama series first broadcast on ABC TV on 14 October 2012. The series stars Guy Pearce as the title character, a former criminal lawyer turned private investigator and debt collector. Much of the acti ...

'' (TV, 2016 - 2021) - Orton (13 episodes) * ''

'' (TV, 2012) – Mr Merton (one episode) * ''The Doctors'' (TV, 2012) – Leon Jasinski * ''

The Great Gatsby ''The Great Gatsby'' is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby ...

'' (2013) * '' Top of the Lake'' (TV, 2013) – Wolfgang Zanic * ''

Shopping Shopping is an activity in which a customer browses the available goods or services presented by one or more retailers with the potential intent to purchase a suitable selection of them. A typology of shopper types has been developed by scho ...

'' (2013) - Bennie * ''

Son of a Gun Son of a gun is an Interjection, exclamation in American English, American and British English. It can be used encouragingly or to compliment, as in "You son of a gun, you did it!" Definition The ''Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary'' and ''W ...

'' (2014) - Sam * ''

Mustangs FC ''Mustangs FC'' is a 2017 Australian comedy-drama TV series aimed at young teenagers and starring Emmanuelle Mattana as the lead character. The show is set in suburban Australia, and focuses on Mustangs FC, an all-girls soccer team, and focuses ...

'' (TV, 2017 - 2019) - Danny * ''

Jungle A jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past recent century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''ja� ...

'' (2017) * ''

Rake Rake may refer to: * Rake (stock character), a man habituated to immoral conduct * Rake (theatre), the artificial slope of a theatre stage Science and technology * Rake receiver, a radio receiver * Rake (geology), the angle between a feature on a ...

'' (TV, 2018) - Jakub (eight episodes) * '' Tidelands'' (Netflix series, 2018) - Gregory Stolin * ''

The Hater ''The Hater'' ( pl, Sala samobójców. Hejter) is a 2020 Polish social thriller film directed by Jan Komasa and written by Mateusz Pacewicz. The plot centres around an expelled university student from Warsaw who attempts to steer the interne ...

'' (2020) - Robert Krasucki * ''

The Woods (miniseries) ''The Woods'' ( pl, W głębi lasu, italic=yes) is a Polish mystery thriller television miniseries, based on the 2007 novel of the same name by Harlan Coben. The series premiered on Netflix on 12 June 2020. It is the second Polish-language ser ...

'' (TV, 2020) - Dawid Goldsztajn

Theatre work

* ''The Emigrants'' (1987, The New Dolphin Theatre, Perth) * ''The Hope'' (1987, The Arts Centre, Melbourne and The Playhouse, Perth) * '' Moliere'' aka ''The Cabal of Hypocrites'' (1988, Key Studios, Melbourne) – Brother Strength * ''

The Imaginary Invalid ''The Imaginary Invalid'', ''The Hypochondriac'', or ''The Would-Be Invalid'' (French title ''Le Malade imaginaire'', ) is a three- act '' comédie-ballet'' by the French playwright Molière with dance sequences and musical interludes (H.495, H.4 ...

'' (1989, Anthill Theatre, Melbourne) – Cleante * '' The Maids'' (1989, Anthill Theatre, Melbourne) – Solange * ''The Master and Margarita'' (1993, Five Dollar Theatre Company) - The Master * ''

'' (1994, The Playhouse, Melbourne) – Roy Cohn * '' Blue Murder'' (1994, Belvoir St Theatre Downstairs, Sydney) – Blue * ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'' (1994, Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney) – Claudius * ''The Blind Giant is Dancing'' (1995, Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney) – Ramon Gris * ''

The Caucasian Chalk Circle ''The Caucasian Chalk Circle'' (german: Der kaukasische Kreidekreis) is a play by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht. An example of Brecht's epic theatre, the play is a parable about a peasant girl who rescues a baby and becomes a ...

'' (1998, Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney) – Azdac * ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 h ...

'' (1999, Belvoir St Theatre) – Jacques * ''

The Marriage of Figaro ''The Marriage of Figaro'' ( it, Le nozze di Figaro, links=no, ), K. 492, is a ''commedia per musica'' (opera buffa) in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with an Italian libretto written by Lorenzo Da Ponte. It premi ...

'' (2000, Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney) – Figaro * ''Emma's Nose'' (2001, Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney) – Wilhelm Fliess * '' Endgame'' (2003, Sydney Theatre Company) – Hamm * ''

'' (2003, Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney) – Macbeth * ''

'' (2004, Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney) – Nick Bottom * ''Cruel and Tender'' (2005, Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney) – The General

References

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Koman, Jacek 1956 births Male actors from Melbourne Musicians from Melbourne Australian male singers Australian male film actors Australian male stage actors Australian male television actors Polish emigrants to Australia People from Bielsko-Biała Living people Łódź Film School alumni