Zbigniew Cybulski

Zbigniew Cybulski (better known as Zbyszek Cybulski; November 3, 1927 - January 8, 1967) was a Polish actor, one of the best-known and most popular personalities of Polish cinema after World War II. For his unique acting style, he is often called "the Polish James Dean." Like Dean, he played nonconformist rebels, and like him he died young — run over by a train he was trying to catch on his way home from a film shoot.

Life

Zbigniew Cybulski was born November 3, 1927 in a small village of Kniaże near Stanisławów (currently in Ukraine, then Poland). After World War II he joined the Theatre Academy in Kraków. He graduated in 1953 and moved to Gdańsk, where he made his stage debut in Leon Schiller's Wybrzeże Theatre. Also, with his friend Bogumił Kobiela, Cybulski founded a famous student theatre Bim-Bom. In early 1960s, Cybulski moved to Warsaw, where he joined the Wagabunda experimental theatre. He also appeared on stage of the Ateneum theatre, one of the most modern and least conservative Warsaw-based theatres of the epoch.

However, Cybulski is best remembered as a screen actor. He first appeared in a 1954 film "Kariera" as one of the extras. His first major role came in 1958, when he played in Kazimierz Kutz's "Krzyż Walecznych". The same year he also appeared as one of the main characters in Andrzej Wajda's "Ashes and Diamonds" and Aleksander Ford's "Eighth Day of the Week" based on a short story by Marek Hłasko. Since then, Cybulski was seen as one of the most notable actors of the Polish Film School and one of the "young and wrathful", as his generation of actors were called at the time.

His most famous films include Wojciech Has' "The Manuscript Found in Saragossa". He also appeared in numerous Television Theatre plays, including ones based on works by Colib Robertson, Truman Capote, Anton Chekhov and Jerzy Andrzejewski.

Cybulski died in an accident at a Wrocław train station on January 8, 1967. He was running to catch a train bound for Warsaw. As he jumped for the already speeding train (as he had often done), he slipped on the steps, fell under the train, and was run over. He was buried in Katowice.

Heritage

Cybulski remains a legend of the Polish cinema. No doubt this is partly due to his premature deathFact|date=August 2008. The place is now marked with a small monument and is visited each year by hundreds of his fans. In 1996, readers of "Film" magazine awarded him the title of "Best Polish Actor of All Time."

Filmography

* 1954 - "Kariera" (an extra, "bus passenger")
* 1954 - "A Generation" (as Kostka)
* 1955 - "Trzy starty" (Leśniak)
* 1956 - "Koniec nocy" (Romek)
* 1956 - "Tajemnica dzikiego szybu" (as a miner)
* 1957 - "Wraki" (Rafał Grabień)
* 1958 - "Krzyż walecznych" (Wiecek)
* 1958 - "Eight Day of the Week" ("Ósmy dzień tygodnia", as Piotr)
* 1958 - "Ashes and Diamonds" ("Popiół i diament", as Maciek Chełmicki)
* 1959 - "Night Train" ("Pociąg", as Staszek)
* 1959 - "Zamach"
* 1960 - "Do widzenia, do jutra" (as Jacek and screenwriter)
* 1960 - "Niewinni czarodzieje" (Edmund)
* 1960 - "Rozstanie" (as renown actor)
* 1962 - "How to Be Loved" ("Jak być kochaną", as Wiktor Rawicz)
* 1962 - "La Poupee (film)"
* 1962 - "Miłość dwudziestolatków" ("L'Amour a vingt ans", as Zbyszek)
* 1963 - "Ich dzień powszedni" (Andrzej)
* 1963 - "Milczenie" (Roman)
* 1963 - "Rozwodów nie będzie" (Gruszka)
* 1963 - "Zbrodniarz i panna" (captain Ziętek)
* 1964 - "Att älska" (Fredrik)
* 1964 - "Giuseppe w Warszawie" (Staszek)
* 1964 - "Pingwin" (Łukasz)
* 1964 - "The Saragossa Manuscript" ("Rękopis znaleziony w Saragossie", as Alfons Van Worden)
* 1965 - "Jutro Meksyk" (coach Jańczak)
* 1965 - "Salto" (Kowalski/Malinowski)
* 1965 - "Sam pośród miasta" (Konrad)
* 1966 - "Cała naprzód" (Janek)
* 1966 - "Iluzja" (TV)
* 1966 - "Mistrz" (TV)
* 1966 - "Przedświąteczny wieczór" (Zapała's colleague)
* 1966 - "Szyfry" (Maciek)
* 1967 - "Jowita" (coach Księżak)
* 1967 - "Morderca zostawia ślad" (as Rodecki, unfinished because of Cybulski's death)

Trivia

*Cybulski died in real life while trying to catch a train. His character in "Ashes and Diamonds" was gunned down while trying to catch a train.

ee also

*List of Poles

External links

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