Janusz Rewiński, an eminent Polish actor, satirist, and former Member of Parliament, passed away on Saturday, June 1, at the age of 74.
The artist's death was announced on Tuesday by his son, Jonasz Rewiński:
“Dad fought a battle against his poor health. Unfortunately, this time he did not make it. For years, Dad was a source of joy and laughter, not just for us, but for all around. Now, the world is seemingly the same but it’s like it was robbed of a smile,” the younger Rewiński wrote on social media.
Janusz Rewiński was born on September 16, 1949, in Żary, western Poland. He graduated in acting from the Ludwik Solski State Drama School (now the National Academy of Theatre Arts) in Krakow. He began his career with ‘Spotkanie z balladą,’ a satirical program broadcast by TVP2, and as a member of ‘Piwnica pod Baranami,’ a satirical and literary cabaret named for the eponymous Krakow townhouse where it performs.
In the 1970s, his theatrical roles included parts in Aleksander Fredro’s ‘Revenge’ and Bertolt Brecht’s ‘The Good Person of Szechwan,’ both directed by Roman Kordziński, as well as Nikolai Gogolo’s ‘Marriage,’ directed by Bogdan Hussakowski.
His big screen debut came in 1983 and the performances he is most widely renowned for among Polish audiences were those in film and television, with many of his early roles in children's movies, such as Boatswain Bank in ‘Podróże Pana Kleksa’ (1986, dir. Krzysztof Gradowski) based on Jan Brzechwa’s characters, and as King Padella in ‘The Rose and the Ring’ (1986, dir. Jerzy Gruza), an adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray’s 1854 satirical fantasy children’s novel.
Apart from his collaboration with Gruza (e.g. ‘Zmiennicy’,‘Tygrysy Europy,’ 1999), his other collaborations were with satirist and journalist Olga Lipińska, as well as celebrated film and television comedy directors Stanisław Bareja (‘Zmiennicy,’ 1986) and Juliusz Machulski.
His collaboration with Machulski brought to life his arguably most beloved character of mob boss Stefan ‘Siara’ Siarzewski in the 1997 ‘Kiler’ (The Hitman) and its 1998 sequel.
Rewiński also had a brief stint as a politician, having been one of the founding members of the Polish Beer-Lover’s party, founded in 1990 and of which he was chosen leader in 1991. What started as a well-meaning joke meant to promote drinking beer as an alternative to stronger liquors (alcoholism being a serious problem in post-Soviet and post-Communist countries), eventually shifted toward a broader agenda of advocating for tax reform and green politics. Rewiński was one of the 16 MPs of the party who were elected in the 1991 elections with 3.27% of the vote (prior to the introduction of a 5% electoral threshold) and remained in parliament until the 1993 snap elections.
His work as a satirist as well as the short fling with national politics made him an ideal host of satirical programs focusing on politics, and his collaboration with Krzysztof Piasecki, another satirist, brought about the advent of modern satirical commentary on politics in Polish television, first with ‘Ale Plama’ (1998-2004, TVN) and then ‘Szkoda gadać’ (2007-2008, TVP).
He was awarded the Gloria Artis Medal for Merit to Culture, Poland’s highest decoration awarded specifically to artists and creators of culture, twice, in 2010 (silver medal) and in 2016 (gold medal).
Janusz Rewiński passed away on June 1, 2024, at the age of 74. He is survived by his wife, actress Iwona Biernacka, and two sons: Jonasz, a journalist and TVP World anchor, and Aleksander, an opera singer.
“Dad fought a battle against his poor health. Unfortunately, this time he did not make it. For years, Dad was a source of joy and laughter, not just for us, but for all around. Now, the world is seemingly the same but it’s like it was robbed of a smile,” the younger Rewiński wrote on social media.
Janusz Rewiński was born on September 16, 1949, in Żary, western Poland. He graduated in acting from the Ludwik Solski State Drama School (now the National Academy of Theatre Arts) in Krakow. He began his career with ‘Spotkanie z balladą,’ a satirical program broadcast by TVP2, and as a member of ‘Piwnica pod Baranami,’ a satirical and literary cabaret named for the eponymous Krakow townhouse where it performs.
In the 1970s, his theatrical roles included parts in Aleksander Fredro’s ‘Revenge’ and Bertolt Brecht’s ‘The Good Person of Szechwan,’ both directed by Roman Kordziński, as well as Nikolai Gogolo’s ‘Marriage,’ directed by Bogdan Hussakowski.
His big screen debut came in 1983 and the performances he is most widely renowned for among Polish audiences were those in film and television, with many of his early roles in children's movies, such as Boatswain Bank in ‘Podróże Pana Kleksa’ (1986, dir. Krzysztof Gradowski) based on Jan Brzechwa’s characters, and as King Padella in ‘The Rose and the Ring’ (1986, dir. Jerzy Gruza), an adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray’s 1854 satirical fantasy children’s novel.
Apart from his collaboration with Gruza (e.g. ‘Zmiennicy’,‘Tygrysy Europy,’ 1999), his other collaborations were with satirist and journalist Olga Lipińska, as well as celebrated film and television comedy directors Stanisław Bareja (‘Zmiennicy,’ 1986) and Juliusz Machulski.
His collaboration with Machulski brought to life his arguably most beloved character of mob boss Stefan ‘Siara’ Siarzewski in the 1997 ‘Kiler’ (The Hitman) and its 1998 sequel.
Rewiński also had a brief stint as a politician, having been one of the founding members of the Polish Beer-Lover’s party, founded in 1990 and of which he was chosen leader in 1991. What started as a well-meaning joke meant to promote drinking beer as an alternative to stronger liquors (alcoholism being a serious problem in post-Soviet and post-Communist countries), eventually shifted toward a broader agenda of advocating for tax reform and green politics. Rewiński was one of the 16 MPs of the party who were elected in the 1991 elections with 3.27% of the vote (prior to the introduction of a 5% electoral threshold) and remained in parliament until the 1993 snap elections.
His work as a satirist as well as the short fling with national politics made him an ideal host of satirical programs focusing on politics, and his collaboration with Krzysztof Piasecki, another satirist, brought about the advent of modern satirical commentary on politics in Polish television, first with ‘Ale Plama’ (1998-2004, TVN) and then ‘Szkoda gadać’ (2007-2008, TVP).
He was awarded the Gloria Artis Medal for Merit to Culture, Poland’s highest decoration awarded specifically to artists and creators of culture, twice, in 2010 (silver medal) and in 2016 (gold medal).
Janusz Rewiński passed away on June 1, 2024, at the age of 74. He is survived by his wife, actress Iwona Biernacka, and two sons: Jonasz, a journalist and TVP World anchor, and Aleksander, an opera singer.
Source: PAP, TVP World
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