Gołas, Wiesław

(1930-)

   Popular actor known for his film, theatrical, and cabaret roles. After appearing in an episodic role in Andrzej Wajda's A Generation (1955), Gołas played in several films made during the Polish School period. He delivered strong supporting roles in Witold Lesiewicz's Deserter (1958), Wadim Berestowski's Rancho Texas (1959), Andrzej Wajda's Lotna (1959), and Wojciech Has's How to Be Loved (1963). His breakthrough came in 1961 with the title role in Ewa and Czesław Petelski's cruel postwar action drama The Artillery Sergeant Kaleń (1961). He also received critical acclaim for his lead role as a circus mime in Stanisław Jedryka's The Impossible Goodbye (1962). Gołas became one of the most popular actors of the 1960s. He acted in several films directed by Stanisław Bareja, including the lead roles in a crime film, Touch of the Night (1961), and in a popular comedy, The Wife for an Australian (1964), in which he was paired with Elżbieta Czyżewska. In addition, he became a television personality. He starred in Bareja's first Polish television crime series Captain Sowa Investigates (1965), in sophisticated television program Cabaret of Elderly Gentlemen (Kabaret starszych panów), and he appeared in the supporting role of Tomasz Czereśniak in the extremely popular television war adventure series Four Tankmen and a Dog (Czterej pancerni i pies, 1966-1967), directed by Konrad Nałęcki. Gołas also played the leading role in Henryk Kluba's The Skinny and Others (1967) and had a number of other memorable supporting roles.

   At the beginning of the 1970s, Gołas had the leading role in another successful television series, Sylwester Chęciński's The Road (1973), played in Andrzej Kondratiuk's films, and had the lead role in Jerzy Gruza's comedy The Woodpecker (Dzięcioł, 1971). His later films made in the 1980s were never as popular as his earlier works. His last major role was in Jan Jakub Kolski's The Saber from the Commander (1995).

   Historical Dictionary of Polish Cinema by Marek Haltof