Actress Zofia Kucówna has died

Zofia Kucówna is dead – an outstanding actress and teacher

Information about the actress’s death was published on the Facebook profile of the Association of Polish Stage Artists. “We say goodbye to Zofia Kucówna – an excellent actress, teacher, author of books, social activist. Today she left her beloved Skolimów, a place close to her heart, to which she gave her time and strength, which she took care of for years, infecting the young generation of her students, leaving us in sadness, grief and reflection,” we read.

Biography and beginnings of Zofia Kucówna’s career

Zofia Kucówna was born on May 12, 1933 in Warsaw. In 1955, she graduated from the Acting Department of the State Theater School in Krakow. In the same year, she made her debut at the Young Audience Theater in Krakow – in the show “Ballads and Romances” by Adam Mickiewicz, directed by Halina Gallowa. She performed at the Young Audience Theater until 1957, and in the years 1957-59 she belonged to the ensemble of the Theater. Juliusz Osterwa in Lublin. In the following years, she played on stages in Warsaw: at the Powszechny Theater (1959-1964, 1966-1968), the Ateneum Theater (1964-1965, 1982-1986), the National Theater (1968-1982) and the Contemporary Theater (1986-2006).

The actress’s first significant success was the role of Nora in “A Doll’s House” by Henryk Ibsen, directed by Jerzy Goliński (Juliusz Osterwa Theater in Lublin, 1958).

Zofia Kucówna’s most important theater roles

Kucówna’s next important theater roles in the 1960s are related to the performances of Adam Hanuszkiewicz (whom she was married to), staged at the Powszechny Theater. The actress played, among others, The Bride in “Wesele” by Stanisław Wyspiański (1963), Sonia in “Crime and Punishment” based on Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1964), Kazimiera Wąsowska in “Pan Wokulski” based on “Lalka” by Bolesław Prus (1967) and Diana in “Fantazy” by Juliusz Słowacki (1967). She also appeared in performances directed by Hanuszkiewicz, staged at the National Theater. She was, among others, Wife in “Un-Divine Comedy” by Zygmunt Krasiński (1969); she also played, among others, Masha in Anton Chekhov’s “Three Sisters” (1971) and Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” (1972).

In 1973, she created one of her most interesting roles from that period – she played the role of Berta in “Exiles” by James Joyce, directed by Andrzej Łapicki (National Theater).

At Maciej Englert’s on the stage of the Contemporary Theater she was, among others, Charlotta Schoen in Peter Shaffer’s “Letycja and Lovage” (1989), creating a star duet with Maja Komorowska. In 1991, she played Stara in “Chairs” by Eugene Ionesco, directed by Szczepan Szczykno (Dramatyczny Theater in Warsaw). She also played on the stage of Współczesny in Warsaw, among others. The Second Widow in “Widows” by Sławomir Mrożek, directed by Erwin Axer (1992). She appeared in plays directed by Zbigniew Zapasiewicz: Mrs. Tooth in “Everything in the Garden” by Edward Albee (1998) and Jean Horton in “Quartet” by Ronald Harwood (2000). In 2001, she played the role of Mother in “Bambini di Praga” in a play by Agnieszka Glińska based on Bohumil Hrabal. She could also be seen as Connie in the play “You’ve Got to Be Happy” by Simon Burt, directed by Jan Bratkowski at the Ochota Theater in Warsaw (2006).

Television and film achievements of Zofia Kucówna

Kucówna’s television achievements include several dozen roles in the Television Theater, with which she began collaborating in 1959. One of her first roles on the small screen was Mandula in fragments of Słowacki’s “Zawisza Czarny” directed by Hanuszkiewicz (1959). Then she appeared in his next performances, including: in “Biała” by Adolf Rudnicki as Flora (1960), as Zosia in “Pan Tadeusz” by Adam Mickiewicz (1966) and as the title character Miss Julia from August Strindberg’s drama (1971).

Her filmography is more modest. He has had over a dozen film and series roles to his credit. The first one she played in Leonard Buczkowski’s drama film “Rainy July” (1957). Then there was, among others, Bronka in the love tragedy “Wiano” by Jan Łomnicki (1963), Teresa in the television drama “Bariery sound” by Zbigniew Kuźmiński (1968) and the doctor Maria in “Spirala” by Krzysztof Zanussi (1978). She appeared in the title role in “Sabina”, a psychological film directed by Kazimierz Tarnas (1998). She could also be seen in “Exam of Life”, “Two Sides of a Medal”, “House on the Water”.

Kucówna as a writer and performer of songs

Kucówna was also known as a singer of songs including: from Kabaret Starskich Panów and Agnieszka Osiecka (she sang, among others, the famous “Kaziu, zapowiedzuj”), as well as the author of the books “Stop Time” (1990, reissued in 2008), “Zdarzenia potoczne” (1993), “Odor Lipsticks” (2000) and a collection of columns “Owieści Moje” (2000) and “Grey Hour” (2013). For many years she was a lecturer at the Theater Academy in Warsaw.

She died on Saturday. She was 90 years old. (PAP)