Grażyna Staniszewska was born on July 23, 1936 in Łódź, where, before starting acting studies at the Warsaw State Drama School, she played in an amateur theater. She made her debut on the silver screen as a student, when in 1956 she played the role of Jadwiga Skorabiewska in the film “Sketches with Charcoal”. Later we could admire it, among others: in Andrzej Wajda’s film entitled “Ashes and Diamonds” or “The Assassination” by Jerzy Passendorfer from 1958. When she finished her studies and received her diploma in 1960, she was already a respected and promising actress. In the same year, she appeared on a professional theater stage for the first time and started working on the set of “Teutonic Knights” directed by Aleksander Ford.
Who was Danusia from “Teutonic Knights”? She was played in the film by 24-year-old Grażyna Staniszewska
For “Teutonic Knights”, a film adaptation of one of Henryk Sieniewicz’s novels, new faces were sought, young ones who did not yet have much artistic achievements. Participation in the film was supposed to be a breakthrough for their career, especially since the production ultimately turned out to be a big hit. Grażyna Staniszewska, fresh from defending her diploma, also appeared on the set and played one of the main roles. She was to play the role of Danusia, who saved Zbyszek from Bogdaniec by shouting “you’re mine” and throwing a white scarf over Zbyszek from Bogdaniec. The artist hoped that by playing in Aleksander Ford’s film, she would receive many tips that would help her create the character of Danusia perfectly. However, it turned out differently.
It turned out that the director did not interfere much with the actors’ visions, and at most made small comments and allusions when he didn’t like something. – Danusia was supposed to have a face, someone’s silhouette. I lent her mine and that was basically the end of my contribution as an actor – an actress after many years, adding that Ford didn’t want to impose anything and only spoke up when he was dissatisfied with something. Despite relatively little experience and lack of help from the director, 24-year-old Staniszewska managed to achieve success and create an extremely credible character of Danusia, which was also appreciated by critics.
“Teutonic Knights” turned out to be a hit. For Staniszewska they were a curse
Despite the enormous success of the production and the recognition for the role of Danusia, Staniszewska’s film career came to a standstill. Although she played in many shows, she did not appear on television for the next 13 years. She hoped her breakthrough came in 1973, when she landed a supporting role in “Jealousy and Medicine.” However, this did not change much. Staniszewska appeared on the silver screen twice more. She ended her acting career in the 1990s. Privately, she was the wife of Wojciech Noszczyk, a professor of medicine. The couple had two children, daughter Maria and son Bartłomiej. She died on March 4, 2018 at the age of 81.
Source: Gazeta
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