Tadeusz Fijewski was born on July 14, 1911 in Warsaw as one of nine children of Marianna and Wacław. His family was poor, his father worked as a house painter and his mother was a housewife. However, this did not prevent him or his three siblings from conquering the stage, on which he first stood when he was only 10 years old. He owed this to a neighbor who worked as a machinist at the Polish Theater and arranged for him the role of an extra in the play “Sick of Delusion”.
They didn’t want him in the army because he was “too bony.” Fijewski’s youthful appearance earned him many roles
Young Fijewski quickly caught the bug and that was the beginning of his great passion, which he continued in the following years, performing in children’s performances. He made his screen debut in 1927 in Henryk Szaro’s silent film “The Call of the Sea”. And although he was 16 at the time, he played a 10-year-old. – More of a boy than a man. And a bit ageless in general. Dry, short, bony – director Erwin Axer talks about him. Due to his small stature, when the outbreak of war in September 1939, he was not accepted into the army, although he volunteered. A year later, together with Jerzy Kaliszewski, also an actor, as a result of a round-up, he was sent to Pawiak. His friend’s mother saved him from concentration camps, where he spent a total of 1.5 years. – I have two mothers, the one who gave me life and the one who gave it to me for the second time – he said.
Later he became involved with the underground military theater, where he performed alongside, among others, Danuta Szaflarska or Andrzej Łapicki. In August 1944, he again fell into the hands of the Germans, who drove him and several passers-by into the basement of the National Museum, where fighting with the insurgents took place. He probably would have died if he hadn’t had a heart attack. He was taken to hospital, where, after a series of tests, it turned out that… there was nothing wrong with him. – I started pretending to be dying of heart disease, so it was actually my best role, best played – .
The series’ Czereśniak from “Four Tank Men and a Dog” wanted to become a father. This was not given to him
During this time, Fijewski actively participated in the actions. Under the pseudonym “Kostek” he joined the ranks of the “Krybar” Battle Group. Ultimately, he was sent to a prisoner of war camp in the Third Reich, where he continued to perform in a one-man theater. Throughout this time, he did not lose his cheerful spirit, although he suffered from numerous ailments related to heart disease, which was diagnosed in his childhood.
He certainly saved many of his colleagues with his humor, constant jokes, long monologues and antics
– wrote Tadeusz Domaniewski in the book “Not far from the truth. Oflag II C in Grossborn”. After liberation, he returned to the stage, abandoning the image of an urchin in favor of old man roles.
He appeared in over 50 screen productions, gaining recognition from international stars, including: . His most popular acting roles include: Anatol Kowalski in Jan Rybkowski’s films, old Czereśniak in the series and Rzecki in the film adaptation of “The Doll”. In the meantime, he fell madly in love with his colleague, Helena Makowska, with whom he raised her son from his first marriage. He did not manage to fulfill his dream of having a child of his own, but he poured out his love for the children of the Warsaw orphanage, which he financially supported in secret until his death on November 12, 1978.
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.
