Krzyżewska, Ewa

(1939-2003)

   Popular actress who achieved fame after starring in the role of Krystyna in Ashes and Diamonds (1958), directed by Andrzej Wajda, where she was partnered with Zbigniew Cybulski. The success of the film and Krzyzewska's instant popularity were followed by several leading roles in films revolving around World War II, such as Tadeusz Konwicki's All Souls' Day (1961) and Stanisław Jędrykas Return to Earth. She was once again paired with Cybulski in a crime drama directed by Janusz Nasfeter, The Criminal and the Maiden (1963). In the 1960s, she also played strong supporting roles in films such as The Pharaoh (1966) by Jerzy Kawalerowicz; Truly Yesterday (1963) and Way of Life (1966), both by Jan Rybkowski; and Hell and Heaven (1966) by Stanisław Różewicz. At the beginning of the 1970s, she starred in the postwar political drama Operation "Brutus" (1970, Jerzy Passendorfer) and another film by Konwicki, How Far from Here, yet How Near (1972). The powerful leading role of Rebeka Widmarowa in Janusz Majewski's Jealousy and Medicine (1973) became her last major screen appearance.

   See also Polish School.

   Historical Dictionary of Polish Cinema by Marek Haltof