Joanna Pacuła (; born 30 December 1957) is a Polish actress and model. Born in Tomaszów Lubelski and immigrating to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in the early 1980s, she first gained prominence through her modeling work for '' Vogue''. Her breakthrough performance in the 1983 film '' Gorky Park'' earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture. In the years since, she established herself as a character actress, appearing in numerous high-profile films and television series.

Life and career

Pacuła was born in Tomaszów Lubelski, Poland, to a

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, is a healthcare professional who is knowledgeable about preparation, mechanism of action, clinical usage and legislation of medications in ...

mother and an engineer father.Joanna Pacuła zrobiła zbyt małą karierę, by zasłużyć na honorowe obywatelstwo Tomaszowa Lubelskiego?
, pomorska.pl, 11 October 2010, retrieved 2011-07-30 She has a sister, Ewa Pacuła, a model and TV personality who has also worked in the United States. In 1979, Pacuła graduated from the Aleksander Zelwerowicz State Theatre Academy. After graduation, she joined the

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

Dramatic Theatre, where she acted until 1981. She began her career playing in productions of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's ''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

'', '' Othello'', and '' As You Like It''. She also found work in a few films, including Krzysztof Zanussi's ''

Camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...

'' (''Barwy ochronne'', 1977) and

Sergiu Nicolaescu Sergiu Florin Nicolaescu (; 13 April 1930 – 3 January 2013) was a Romanian people, Romanian film director, actor and politician. He was best known for his historical films, such as ''Michael the Brave (film), Mihai Viteazul'' (1970, released in ...

's ''Last Night of Love'' (''Ultima noapte de dragoste'', 1980) in

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. In 1981, Pacuła was in Paris when the communist authorities in Poland declared martial law. She did not return to her homeland, and in 1982 emigrated to the United States, where she specialized in playing European temptresses. Her feature debut came in appearing opposite William Hurt in '' Gorky Park'' (1983). She was praised by

Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański (; born 18 August 1933) is a Polish and French filmmaker and actor. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Roman Polanski, numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three Britis ...

for that role. She played in numerous American TV series and movies, including the Holocaust drama '' Escape From Sobibor'' (CBS, 1987),Rosenberg, Howard (1987) "In the Spotlight", ''

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'', 12 April 1987, p. 3 (TV section) '' The Kiss'' (1988), '' E.A.R.T.H. Force'' (CBS, 1990), and the TV series, ''The Colony'' (ABC, 1996). She also starred in Lewis Gilbert's '' Not Quite Paradise'' released in 1985.Shefy Gefen, Pearl (1984)
This Polish Actress turns Holiday into a Movie Career in the West
, ''

Montreal Gazette ''The Gazette'', also known as the ''Montreal Gazette'', is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper which is owned by Postmedia Network. It is published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the only English-language daily newspape ...

'', 4 December 1984, p. E1 She was featured in '' Marked for Death'' (1990) as an expert on Jamaican voodoo and gangs;Harris, Mark (1990)
Marked For Death starring Steven Seagal And Joanna Pacula
", straight.com, 18 October 1990, retrieved 2011-07-30 in the Italian erotic thriller '' Husband and Lovers'' (1992) as a free-spirited adultress; '' Tombstone'' (1993) as Doc Holliday's lover, Kate; in '' The Haunted Sea'' (1997); and in the film ''

Virus A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living Cell (biology), cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. Viruses are ...

'' (1999), playing a Russian scientist."'Virus' is piece of garbage – even its big names stink", ''

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'', 17 January 1999 She currently resides in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

Milestones

* Pacula was chosen by ''

People The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...

'' as one of its 50 Most Beautiful People in the world (1990). * She was listed as one of 12 "Promising New Actors of 1984" in John Willis's ''Screen World'', volume 36.

Filmography

Film Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pacula, Joanna 1957 births Living people Aleksander Zelwerowicz National Academy of Dramatic Art in Warsaw alumni People from Tomaszów Lubelski Actresses from Lublin Voivodeship Polish emigrants to the United States Polish film actresses Polish stage actresses Polish television actresses 20th-century Polish actresses 21st-century Polish actresses