Irena Kwiatkowska

Irena Kwiatkowska was a popular Polish actress, known for her many cabaret roles and monologues, as well as appearances in (mostly comedy) movies and television shows. She graduated from the National Theatrical Arts Institute in 1935 and worked in various theaters until the outbreak of World War II. During the war, she fought in the Home Army and participated in the Warsaw Uprising. After the war, she moved to Kraków, where she performed in the Seven Cats cabaret, where the renowned poet Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński wrote many roles for her. He also created the prominent character of Hermenegilda Kociubińska, a hermetic-sympathetic poetess, especially for Kwiatkowska. In 1948, she returned to Warsaw, where she appeared in the Syrena Theater and the famous Dudek and Szpak cabarets. She was also a prominent member of the cast in the televised Kabaret Starszych Panów. Kwiatkowska's other famous television roles included the cult series Wojna Domowa and Czterdziestolatek, where she portrayed the memorable "Working Woman", a recurring character who performs various unusual or absurd jobs. She also appeared in many theatrical movies, mostly in comedies and musicals, including memorable cameos in later years. Her résumé included frequent voice acting on the radio, where she read poems and stories for children, such as those by Jan Brzechwa and Julian Tuwim. She also received numerous awards, including the Grand Splendor Polish Radio Theatre Award and the Superwiktor, a special lifetime achievement award for outstanding television personalities. She worked with the Polish Theater in Warsaw, where she continued to appear in an interpretation of Gałczyński's Zielona Gęś. She died in Skolimów on 3 March 2011.