Franciszek Pieczka

Franciszek Pieczka was born and raised in Godów, a village in Upper Silesia. He was the youngest of six siblings. His father was a participant in the Silesian uprisings and a church organist. Pieczka developed a passion for cinema from an early age and walked several kilometers to watch movies in nearby towns. After World War II, he worked as a miner and then studied engineering in Gliwice, but soon switched to acting. He graduated from the National Higher School of Theatre in Warsaw in 1954 and made his debut in the theatre in Jelenia Góra. He then moved to the Ludowy Theatre in Nowa Huta, where he performed from 1955 to 1964. In 1974, he joined the Powszechny Theatre in Warsaw, where he stayed until 2015. He appeared in over 100 films, both Polish and foreign, working with renowned directors such as Krzysztof Kieślowski, Wojciech Jerzy Has, Andrzej Wajda, Jerzy Kawalerowicz, Jan Jakub Kolski, and Kazimierz Kutz. He won the award for Best Actor at the Polish Film Festival in 1976 for The Scar. He also starred in the popular TV series Czterej pancerni i pies, playing the role of Gustlik, a tank driver. He was also a voice actor, dubbing characters in animated and live-action films, such as Mateusz Cuthbert in Anne of Green Gables and Santa Claus in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. He received many awards and honors for his individual roles and his contribution to Polish culture, including the Order of the White Eagle, the highest state decoration, in 2017. He was an honorary citizen of the Godów commune. He died on 23 September 2022, at the age of 94.