Actor Wojciech Pszoniak dies aged 78

Wojciech Pszoniak graduated from the National Academy of Theatre Arts in Kraków in 1968. That same year his stage debut followed in Stanisław Wyspiański's "The Curse" directed by Konrad Swinarski.

Among many notable stage productions Wojciech Pszoniak played in there were: John Osborne's "Look Back in Anger", Nikolai Gogol's "The Government Inspector, and Dale Wasserman's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

The actor also played in some 100 movies. Born in Lviv in 1942, he was best known for his long-standing work with director Andrzej Wajda. Fyodor Dostoevsky's "Demons" was the first stage play they did together. Later on, Pszoniak played his legendary film roles in "The Promised Land", "Danton", and "The Wedding".

Wojciech Pszoniak was an actor of three Polish theatres: National Stary Theatre in Kraków (1968-1972), National Theatre in Warsaw (1972-1974) and Powszechny Theatre in Warsaw (1974-1980).

In the 1980s, he left for France, where he continued his acting career at Nanterre, Montparnasse and Chaillot theatres to name a few.

In 2008, he was awarded the French Officer's Order of Merit for "contributing to the development of Polish-French relations in the field of culture," and ten years later he became a Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres.