Maciej Damiêcki spent his childhood in the theater. “We threw balls on the stage. The show was interrupted”

On November 17, 2023, information about the death of one of the most popular Polish film and theater actors circulated in the media. He made his screen debut in 1956 with a role in “The Secret of the Wild Shaft”. During a career spanning over six decades, he created many outstanding characters, including: in “Satan from the Seventh Grade”, “Peasants” or “Controlled Conversations”, while TV viewers might recognize him from the series “Home” or . Although he was triumphant on screen, in private he was often tested by fate.

Damian Damięcki and Maciej Damięcki. They spent their childhood behind the scenes of the theater

was born on January 11, 1944 in the village of Podszkodzie near Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, where he lived until the end of the war. His parents, Irena Górska and Dobiesław Damięcki, were actors and for many years they lived in an informal relationship, because the man was married to Jadwiga Hryniewiecka. Later, the family moved to Warsaw and lived in a small apartment at Aleje Ujazdowskie. The couple’s children, Maciej and Damian, who is 3 years older than him, spent every moment with them at the theater, watching rehearsals and exploring backstage. – In “The Marriage” of Figaro, the mother slapped the father who was kneeling in front of her on one knee. We then shouted: “Mother, don’t hit your father!” There was consternation in the audience, said the older brother in . – In Shaw’s “The Devil’s Apprentice”, the father was hanged. So we threw balls of paper on the stage and shouted, “Don’t hang daddy!” The performance was interrupted – recalled Maciej Damięcki.

However, their childhood was not as colorful as the stories would suggest. The boys’ father was a legionnaire and a member of the Pepes movement, he also took part in the Silesian Uprising. After the war, he did not intend to join the party, which is why the Security Service did not leave his side. At some point, interrogations became almost an everyday occurrence. – I remember how, after my father was arrested for his activities in the Polish Military Organization (…), the Security Service took him to performances and took him back for interrogations – recalled the older brother. It was then that Dobiesław Damięcki was diagnosed with cancer, which he failed to defeat. He died on April 10, 1952.

Maciej Damięcki is dead. The children followed in his footsteps

Maciej Damięcki’s love life was almost as complicated as his father’s. He met his first wife, Anita Dymszówna, daughter of comedian Adolf Dymsza, during his studies. During this time, he secretly sighed for her, but was afraid to talk about his feelings. He confessed his love to her only a few years later, when they met at a rehearsal for a Television Theater show in which they both appeared. The actress reciprocated his feelings and on April 1, 1970, they got married. They had a common passion, but their characters were completely different and only a few years later the marriage ended in divorce. – She was a fantastic, talented actress, but she herself said that she was marked by fate as a fatal woman. She had several fiancés, all of whom tragically died. She often called and said: “It’s a good thing we divorced, because at least you’re the only one alive” – ​​actor.

In the 1980s, however, fate smiled on him again when Joanna Stankiewicz appeared in his life. Mutual sympathy quickly turned into love, which in turn resulted in a wedding. They had two children, Mateusz and Matylda, who decided to continue the family tradition and also became actors. Although there were many difficult moments in their life together, his wife always stood by his side. They were married until Maciej Damięcki’s death on November 17, 2023.