Zdzisław Maklakiewicz and created one of the most popular duets in Polish cinema. It all started in the early 1970s, when Marek Piwowarski cast them in the main roles in the comedy “Rejs”. Although they seemed to be separated by everything, from origins, through education, to experience, they had much more in common than many might think.
They formed a harmonious duo on screen. Privately, they were each other’s drinking companions
When Maklakiewicz appeared on the set of “Rejs”, he had already produced several highly regarded productions. He was happy to offer advice and help to his friend, who was 4 years younger than him and for whom it was his acting debut. They quickly found a common ground and became each other’s best friends, not only on screen, but also in life. They understood each other almost without words. They both had difficult experiences behind them, as Maklakiewicz was a war veteran and twice divorced, and he had a difficult childhood. They most often talked about their painful past over vodka. – Maklakiewicz and Himilsbach got drunk with great joy, but then they blamed each other for it. They accused each other of getting each other drunk. They started arguing, and finally they drank together and everything started from the beginning – Piwowarski in one of the interviews.
They were famous among viewers for their colorful characters on screen, with whom many could identify. They performed together, among others: in “Assumption”, “How It’s Done” or “Seven Red Roses”. However, they did not have the best reputation in the community, and behind the scenes the only talk was about their drunken exploits. It happened that they could disappear without a trace for several days and nights in a row. Only when Himilsbach got into fights, as he usually did when he was drunk, was it known where they were hiding.
He got into a fight and died a few days later. It was a blow for Himilsbach
Everything changed in October 1977. During one of the lavishly drinking parties, Maklakiewicz clearly overdrank alcohol. Leaving the Warsaw club “Kamieniołomy”, he got into an argument with the security guards. From word to word it started to get more and more unpleasant, until finally a fight broke out. Then the actor was hit on the head by a policeman who intervened. He returned home on his own, but his condition was deteriorating hour by hour. At first he thought it was a bad hangover, but when the symptoms began to get worse, he was taken to hospital. However, it was too late to save him. Zdzisław Maklakiewicz died on October 9. He was only 50 years old.
The death of a friend was an unimaginable blow. After the funeral, he paid for the erection of a monument to him and visited his apartment once again. Hoping that maybe it was just a bad dream from which he couldn’t wake up, but he was met with deafening silence. – I cannot come to terms with this – with bitterness. Although he starred in a few more films, he clearly withdrew from public life because he could not find his place on the screen without Maklakiewicz by his side. This made him sink even deeper into addiction. In the last years of his life he drank almost constantly. He died at the age of 57 after a few days of binge drinking on November 11, 1988.
If you are struggling with addiction or want to find out how you can help a loved one, you can contact the specialists on duty at these numbers:
- National Addiction Helpline (daily from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.): 800-199-990
- Telephone Trust for behavioral addictions (daily from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.): 800-889-880
- Orange line for parents of children drinking alcohol (Monday to Friday, 2-8 p.m.): 801-140-068
- National Emergency Service for Victims of Domestic Violence Blue Line (24 hours a day): 800-120-002
More information can be found on the websites
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
