Alicja Bachleda-Curuś (pron. ; born 12 May 1983) is a Polish actress and singer who has appeared in films including ''

Trade Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. Traders generally negotiate through a medium of cr ...

'', '' Ondine'' and ''

Pan Tadeusz ''Pan Tadeusz'' (full title: ''Sir Thaddeus, or the Last Foray in Lithuania: A Nobility's Tale of the Years 1811–1812, in Twelve Books of Verse'') is an epic poem by the Polish people, Polish poet, writer, translator and philosopher Adam Micki ...

''.

Early life

Bachleda-Curuś was born in

Tampico Tampico is a city and port in the southeastern part of the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. It is located on the north bank of the Pánuco River, about inland from the Gulf of Mexico, and directly north of the state of Veracruz. Tampico is the fif ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. She is the daughter of Lidia and Tadeusz Bachleda-Curuś, a geologist who was working in Mexico at that time. She has a brother, Tadeusz Bachleda-Curuś and half-sister, Urszula Welenc. Her uncle, Adam Bachleda-Curuś, is the former mayor of

Zakopane Zakopane (Gorals#Language, Podhale Goral: ''Zokopane'') is a town in the south of Poland, in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998, it was part of Nowy Sącz Voivodeship; since 1999, it has ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, the city where she was raised. While growing up in Poland, Bachleda studied at the Elzbieta Armatys' Theater, Music and Dance Studio with an additional profile with extended learning of Spanish and English. She studied Iberian studies and cultural studies at the Jagiellonian University, but suspended her studies due to professional reasons She studied acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, as well as psychology at the University of California where she graduated with a degree in art history.

Acting career

At age 15, Bachleda landed a lead role in the 1999 film ''

'', directed by

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

-winning Polish director

Andrzej Wajda Andrzej Witold Wajda (; 6 March 1926 – 9 October 2016) was a Polish film and theatre director. Recipient of an Honorary Oscar, the Palme d'Or, as well as Honorary Golden Lion and Honorary Golden Bear Awards, he was a prominent member of the "P ...

. Four years later, she won a role in Polish soap opera '' Na dobre i na złe''. Bachleda then began crossing over into mainstream films outside Poland, appearing in the German film '' Sommersturm,'' a coming of age story, in 2004. Bachleda-Curuś returned to Mexico to film the 2007 thriller ''

'', starring

Kevin Kline Kevin Delaney Kline (born October 24, 1947) is an American actor. In a career spanning over five decades, he has become a prominent leading man across both Kevin Kline on screen and stage, stage and screen. List of awards and nominations recei ...

, an unflinching look at the world of

human trafficking Human trafficking is the act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receiving individuals through force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of exploitation. This exploitation may include forced labor, sexual slavery, or oth ...

. Bachleda then returned to Europe to play a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

girl in the

historical drama A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents history, historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction s ...

', which took place during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

, Romania. Her next film was 2009's '' Ondine'', a film about an Irish fisherman who thinks he catches a

selkie Selkies are mythological creatures that can shapeshift between seal and human forms by removing or putting on their seal skin. They feature prominently in the oral traditions and mythology of various cultures, especially those of Celtic and ...

, a mythological seal/human. In 2012 Bachleda-Curuś starred as Eleanor of Austria, Queen of Poland in '' September Eleven 1683'', and appeared in a lead role in '' The Girl Is in Trouble''.

Personal life

On 7 October 2009 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, Bachleda-Curuś gave birth to her son Henry with Irish actor

Colin Farrell Colin James Farrell (; born 31 May 1976) is an Irish actor. A Leading actor, leading man in blockbuster (entertainment), blockbusters and independent films since the 2000s, he has received various List of awards and nominations received by Col ...

. He was baptized on 29 December 2009 in the Roman Catholic Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Kraków. It was reported on 15 October 2010 that Farrell and Bachleda-Curuś had separated.

Filmography

Film

Television series

Video games

Discography

Albums

* ''Klimat'' (2001)

Singles

* "Dotknąć nieba" (with Piotr Cugowski (son of Krzysztof Cugowski)) (2007) * "Klimat" (2001) * "Ich verlier mich gern in Dir" (from the film ''Heart Over Head'') (2001) * "Marzyć chcę" (1999)

References

External links

*
Alicja in New York Times May 2007

Alicja in GQ Magazine July 2007

Interview with Alicja Bachleda Presented by Linda O'Brien
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bachleda-Curus, Alicja 1983 births Living people People from Tampico, Tamaulipas Mexican film actresses Polish film actresses Mexican Roman Catholics Polish Roman Catholics 21st-century Polish actresses Mexican people of Polish descent Jagiellonian University alumni Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute alumni Polish women pop singers Polish pop singers Singers from Tamaulipas 21st-century Mexican singers 21st-century Polish singers 21st-century Mexican women singers German-language singers of Poland