He made his debut as Sta¶ in “In Desert and Wilderness”. He has been with Maria, whom he met on set, for almost half a century

Although Tomasz Mędrzak was once considered one of the most popular actors in Poland, he did not immediately know that he wanted to become one. After graduating from high school, he worked as a photojournalist in weekly magazines such as “Razem” and “Świat Młodych” and planned to become a journalist. His mother had a completely different vision for his future. From the very beginning she claimed that he should be on the other side of the camera, because she saw his potential and his extraordinary talent, but he did not want to listen to her at all.

He played Staś in “In Desert and Wilderness”. Mędrzak did not want to be an actor. His mother signed him up for the casting

When the news spread in the early 1970s that Władysław Ślesicki was assembling the cast for the film adaptation of Henryk Sienkiewicz, Mędrzak was not interested in the topic. Then his mother decided to take matters into her own hands and enrolled him and his brother Jan, who was a year younger than him, to take part in the auditions. – Our mother, Stefania, worked in the juvenile court in Łódź, just like the wife of the second director of “In Desert and Wilderness”, said Jan in one of the interviews. – She found out that the team was looking for a boy to play Staś. Test shots were to take place. My mother took a photo of me and my brother. And that’s how we found ourselves in test photos, he recalled.

Despite his reluctance, Tomasz decided to try his hand at it, but when he entered the studio and saw the queue of candidates waiting for their turn, he immediately doubted the success of this plan. How surprised he was when he passed each stage with flying colors and the director finally entrusted him with creating the character of Staś Tarkowski. At that time, he had no idea that the role would change not only his professional path, but also his entire life.

How long did “In Desert and Wilderness” take to film? On the set of the cult comedy, Mędrzak found the love of his life

Shortly after the castings ended, Mędrzak left the country to take part in the filming, which took place, among others, in Egypt, Bulgaria and Sudan. Work on the set was intensive and lasted, with minor breaks, for about 3 years. It finally hit the big screens in October 1973, attracting over 30 million viewers to cinemas. For a 19-year-old it was a huge success, opening the door to a great career for me, but the debut turned out to be important not only for this reason.

On the set, he met and became friends with Maria, who was the daughter of his friend Ślesicki. Over time, the initial sympathy began to develop into a deep feeling that resulted in a relationship. In 1977, the actor asked his beloved to marry him, and just a few months later they got married. Although they have been married for almost half a century and have a daughter, Marta, they protect their privacy and avoid the spotlight.

Ultimately, after the premiere of the film, Mędrzak changed his life plans and started studies at the Acting Department of the Łódź Film School, which he successfully completed in 1979. For almost 30 years he performed on the stage of the Ochota Theater, where he also served as deputy director and then general and artistic director. In the meantime, he also appeared on screen, and has played roles in many excellent titles, such as “Polonia Resituta”, “Republika Ostrowska”, “And the violin stopped playing” or (available on vod.tvp.pl). If you feel like it, vote in our poll below.