She made a sensation by playing Kargul’s daughter in “Samy’s own”. A few years later she disappeared from the screens

Ilona Kuśmierska was born on June 16, 1948 in Zabrze. Since childhood, she dreamed of conquering the stage, but her parents encouraged her to study medicine and become a doctor. However, she did not want to hear about it and consistently implemented her plan. Although she had no experience, she made her screen debut in 1966 in the Polish-Soviet biographical film “Lenin in Poland”, defeating hundreds of candidates for the role of Ulka.

She played Karugl’s daughter in “Samy Sami”. She found out that she had won the casting during the holidays

Shortly after the premiere, she took the entrance exams to the Warsaw theater school, believing that it would help her get her dream grade. The reality was completely different. – Kazimierz Rudzki put his finger to his lips: “Shhh, just don’t tell me you played in a movie.” It was a time when the theater was sacred, and also cruelly jealous, so theater actors were not allowed to play in films – in “Kurier Lubelski”. She listened and was accepted the first time. She was an exemplary student, but from the beginning she followed her own rules. It was within the walls of the university that she met Ireneusz Kocyłak, who turned out to be the love of her life. Before she graduated, she became pregnant and gave birth to twin girls. – Back then, a pregnant student was an exception. I paved the way – she said in “Rewia”.

Her greatest popularity came with the cult trilogy “Sami swoi” directed by , in which she played the role of Jadźka Kargul. Interestingly, she showed up for the casting without much hope, and right after it she went on holiday to Budapest with her family. How surprised she was when a friend she accidentally met while on vacation informed her that the director was looking for her… on the radio. She immediately returned to her homeland and showed up on the set. The premiere was a huge success for her, and critics predicted a spectacular career for her.

After her success on screen, she took up dubbing. She died the day after the 55th anniversary of “Samich’s own”

Her role as Emilia in Jerzy Antczak’s film, in which she starred alongside , who played her character’s mother, was also a breakthrough for her. During this time, she also successfully developed her stage career, performing in such capital theaters as Buffo, Syrena, Komedia and Ziemia Mazowiecka. In the 1980s, she unexpectedly withdrew from the screens to focus on dubbing cartoons and animations. In her voice she spoke, among others: Piggy Pig in “The Muppet Childhood” or Minnie Mouse in the “Mickey Mouse and Friends” series, beloved by the youngest viewers. Then she had her third child, a son.

Her peaceful life turned upside down in 1998, when she drove her car into a tram, suffering extensive injuries that excluded her from work for many months. – I was broken, wrecked like a car. I was in the hospital for three months and returned home on a stretcher. I used a wheelchair and learned to walk again – in “Rewia”, adding that the accident helped her understand what was most important. It is true that she later returned to the profession, but to a much lesser extent than before, and finally ended her career in 2013. Ilona Kuśmierska died unexpectedly on September 18, 2022, just one day after the 55th anniversary of the premiere. She was 74 years old.