Leszek Kowalewski was well known in the artistic community of Warsaw, and not only because of his role as a shy poet who spoke with a characteristic “r” with “”. He himself was an amateur poet and sculptor. He even ran a workshop in a small backyard. He was the true life of the party, entertaining and sociable, not limited to artists and writers.
He became famous for his role in the film “Rejs”. Leszek Kowalewski was well known in Warsaw
As Zbigniew Hołdys recalled in 2013:
He appeared in various places, always with a bundle of cards written in verses, he was warmly welcomed everywhere, he drank willingly, and he was also hospitable when he could, that is, he would buy something. We listened to his stories from the set, interspersed with graphomaniac stanzas of his poetry.
Krzysztof Bogdanowicz, the manager, recalled in the program that during the audition, when asked what he could do, Kowalewski honestly admitted that he couldn’t actually do anything, but he could sing. – He sang Paul Robeson’s “Mississippi” – he revealed. It’s actually the song “Ol”. Man River” from the musical “Show Boat”, the choice turned out to be a good one, which is why he got his nickname.
The name meant nothing to anyone. Half of Warsaw knew him as Mississippi
– Hołdys revealed. Kowalewski was then 24 years old, a pensioner, and after suffering from meningitis as a child, he struggled with health problems for the rest of his life.
After the role in “Rejs”, there were further proposals for small episodes in such productions as “Trzeba się miłość”, “Sanatorium pod Klepsydrą”, “Excuse me, are they beating people here?”, “Polish roads” and “What will you do to me if you see me?” “you’ll catch it”, but none of them equaled the popularity of their debut. When he wasn’t appearing in episodic roles, he held various jobs. He was a bachelor and lived with his parents, although he sometimes slept in his studio. He last appeared on screens in 1989 in the series “Reflections”. A year later he was murdered.
A body was found in the Kabacki Forest. It turned out to be Leszek Kowalewski. The death was a shock
On August 10, 1990, in the Kabacki Forest in Warsaw, walkers accidentally found the body of a man. It turned out to be Leszek Kowalewski, although his identity was established not thanks to documents, but thanks to fingerprints. There were 41 stab wounds on his body and he was severely beaten. What happened? Nobody knows this yet. It is known that he was last seen on August 9.
On the fateful day, he was sitting in the Miodek bar on the corner of Narbutta and Puławska […]. Then he left. End of the movie
– wrote Zbigniew Hołdys. He showed up at the bar in question in the morning. Earlier, he allegedly drank with a mysterious man, whose identity has not been established to this day. He was in “Miodek” for quite a short time that day, when he left he said he was going “to his woman”. She was, but she lived in an open relationship. On August 9, apart from the woman and Leszek, her husband and another man were also at home. Kowalewski received his pension that day and, friends, he usually drank most of it with his friends.
After the argument, around 7 p.m., Mississippi left his lover’s apartment. What happened next? The police threw up their hands. The autopsy showed that he had over 2.5 per mille of alcohol in his blood. The officers suspected that he had died elsewhere. Family and friends were interrogated. The findings were contradictory, witnesses gave inconsistent testimonies, which may have been influenced by the amount of alcohol consumed that day. One thing was established – the time of the murder, which took place on the night of August 9-10. The wounds were inflicted with at least three different tools, probably knives and an ax or cleaver. The investigation was discontinued in 1991.
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.
