Helena Kowalczyk was born on February 25, 1907 in the village of Kosowo in Podlasie. Although she dreamed of performing on stage since childhood, her family did not approve of her plans for the future. Despite the lack of support, she did not stop striving for her goal. When she was 17, she started a drama course in Moscow, which was the beginning of her adventure.
She dreamed of acting since childhood. She found work and love in the theater
During the course, at the encouragement of Kowalczyk’s teachers, she joined the cast of the Volhynia Traveling Theatre. For a young girl, it was a dream come true and a great opportunity for development. Observing the work of professional actors, she trained her workshop and skills, drawing on their knowledge and experience. It was among the members of the group that she met her first and only love. In 1933, Edward Kowalczyk joined the cast. The actor, who is 2 years older, was just taking his first steps on the stage. They were connected by a common passion, ambition and the same stubbornness in pursuing the goal. However, it was 5 years before they got married. After the wedding, they decided to settle in Bydgoszcz, where they both got jobs at the Municipal Theatre.
The happiness did not last long, because less than a year later the war broke out. At that time, Edward Kowalczyk was active in the underground, while Helena Kowalczyk performed in the Theater of the First Polish Army in Lublin. After the end of the war, they decided to abandon their previous lives. They moved to the capital and joined the cast of the Classical Theater and later the Contemporary Theatre.
After more than 40 years, she got a role on the screen. She played over 80 roles
More than four decades have passed between Kowalczyk’s stage debut and her first screen role. She appeared in front of the camera only in 1972, playing an episode in Pościg, directed by Jan Łomnicki. Although she was 65 at the time, she immediately stole the hearts of viewers. She could also count on the recognition of the creators, who willingly entrusted her with the roles of housewives, grandmothers or women with a baggage of experience. Since then, she has appeared on the screen more than 80 times, playing in such productions as “Nights and Days” or “Sin of Childhood”. She gained the greatest popularity by playing the character of Henia’s mother, Lermaszewska, in the already cult series “Dom”.
She worked hard almost until the last moments of her life. Helena Kowalczyk died on August 7, 1999 at the age of 92. She was buried at Warsaw’s Bródno Cemetery next to her husband, Edward Kowalczyk, who passed away 21 years earlier.
Source: Gazeta
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