Ćwiklińska, Mieczysława

(Mieczysława Trapszo, 1879-1972)

   Acclaimed actress and singer. Born in a family of actors, Ćwiklińska was associated with Warsaw theaters at the beginning of the twentieth century, specializing in comedy and farce. Between 1911 and 1922, after studying voice in Paris, she appeared onstage in operettas in Warsaw, Dresden, and Berlin. Later she worked for Warsaw theaters, appearing in farces as well as in the classics. Following Ćwiklińska's film debut at the age of fifty-four in Michał Waszynski's His Excellency, the Shop Assistant (1933), starring Eugeniusz Bodo, Ina Benita, Konrad Tom, and Wiktor Biegański, she became one of the most sought after actresses. Within six years, until the outbreak of World War II, she played in thirty-five films, becoming one of the symbols of popular prewar Polish cinema. Her filmography, chiefly consisting of comedies and melodramas, includes works made by the most prominent prewar directors: Waszyński (Antek, the Police Chief, 1935, and The Quack, 1937), Juliusz Gardan (The Leper, 1936, and Heather, 1938), Józef Lejtes (The Line, 1938), Henryk Szaro (Krystyna's Lie, 1939), Mieczysław Krawicz (I'm the Boss Here, 1939), and Leonard Buczkowski (Professor Wilczur's Last Will, 1939/1942). After the war, she appeared on the screen only once, playing a supporting role as Jadzia's teacher in Aleksander Ford's Border Street (1949). Until her death at the age of ninety-three, she was active onstage, receiving critical praise and the appreciation of her audiences.

   Historical Dictionary of Polish Cinema by Marek Haltof