Bogusz Bilewski was one of the most popular actors of the Polish People’s Republic, and he repaid the audience’s gratitude with great activity both in front of the camera, on stage and with a microphone. Although today almost all of us associate him with the unforgettable role of Fieldfare in “Janosik” by Jerzy Passendorfer, before he gained weight and gained his characteristic beard, he played the roles of lovers and handsome men. You will find more interesting texts on the home page.
Bogusz Bilewski was born in Starachowice in 1930. Already from his youth, he knew that he would connect his life with acting, so his words were followed by actions, and at the beginning of the 1950s he got into the Krakow film school (interestingly, he studied for one year with Zbyszek Cybulski ). He received his diploma in 1954 and then set off on a journey to theaters all over Poland. Starting from the Krak family, he soon moved to the Wybrzeże Theater in Gdańsk, and after a year he came to Warsaw to perform in the local Polish Army Theater. That’s how he fell in love with the capital and stayed there for a long time.
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And since he was considered one of the most handsome guys in the industry at that time, film roles were open to him. He was the main character of “Winter Twilight” (1956) and “Two from One River” (1958). He also starred in the iconic “Deluge” by Jerzy Has, playing the role of Kulwiec Hippocentaurus.
But over time, the impeccable figure gave way to a plump, overweight line, and the actor’s face was replaced by a sloppy, impressive beard. However, he never lost his character, and this is how Witold Sadowy described him on the website of Dziennik Teatralny: “He was a great friend and a cordial colleague. He was very sensitive and had a sense of humor. He treated the world and people, and above all, himself with great respect. distance. He was well-organized in his head. He never got hit with a ‘soda’, as often happens in this profession.”
He overpaid and sold the car. The birth of the fieldfare legend
But Bilewski’s most characteristic role came in 1973, when he played Waluś Kwiczoł in “Janosik”. The actor himself took it extremely seriously and was deeply involved in working on the series. In Podhale localities, he learned the dialect and highlander customs. And because he did not shy away from good food and alcohol, he became an icon of those areas. Local legend says that when he ran out of money from his acting salary… he decided to cash in his Trabant.
Bilewski did not shy away from excesses and numerous fights, and perhaps that is why he was so authentic in the roles of robbers and scoundrels. But despite this, he also won people over, forming great friendships with Marian Łącz and Witold Pyrkosz on the set of “Janosik”. Moreover, he had a great influence on the life of the TV series Pyzdra, as it turned out in the future.
Bogusz Bilewski and Witold Pyrkosz in the series ‘Janosik Screenshot of the series ‘Janosik’, dir. Jerzy Passendorfer, source: vod.tvp.pl
Private life and death. Signpost for Pyrkosz
The actor was married twice and had two children – son Bogusz Jr. and daughter Maria, but he did not devote enough time to them. As he explained, acting was his passion for more than one job. His travels were marked by visits to subsequent film sets, theaters and social trysts over a glass. The latter in particular ultimately led to tragedy.
Bogusz Bilewski died on September 14, 1995 after a hemorrhagic stroke at the age of 65. It cannot be denied that a very intense lifestyle and a weakness for alcohol had an influence. “It was a great loss. And a warning for me: I went on a diet and stopped abusing alcohol,” Witold Pyrkosz, his long-time friend, once admitted.
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.
