Ewa Krzyżewska was born on February 7, 1939, in Warsaw. From a young age, she was surrounded by art, as her father, Juliusz Walerian, worked as a poet and radio broadcaster, immersing himself in the artistic bohemia of the capital. He even chose the distinguished Jeremi Przybora as her godfather, and their home often hosted notable figures like Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz and his wife, who were close family friends.
In Which Film Did Ewa Krzyżewska Debut? After Its Premiere, She Was Dubbed the "Polish Sophia Loren"
Right after the war, Krzyżewska moved with her mother to Krakow, where she began her studies at the theater school in 1956. She focused on her education, honing her skills, and had no intention of pursuing acting roles at that time. Everything changed in her second year when she was offered an internship on the set of "The Magic Shoes." It was there that she caught the attention of Janusz Morgenstern, who had been working with Andrzej Wajda for years as his assistant and "right-hand man." Knowing that Wajda was looking for an actress for the lead female role in his latest film, Morgenstern introduced him to the 19-year-old.
Krzyżewska made a striking impression on Wajda, and he almost immediately decided that she would play the role of Krystyna in the now-iconic "Ashes and Diamonds." "While I hesitated for a long time about casting Zbyszek Cybulski, I chose Ewa immediately. She wasn't fully an actress yet, but she had independence and personality, and her beauty was striking," Wajda recalled in an interview. Her debut alongside Zbigniew Cybulski not only brought the young aspiring actress the admiration of audiences and critics but also earned her awards, including the Crystal Star from the French Academy of Cinema. Directors from around the world, including René Clair, Ingmar Bergman, and producer Carlo Ponti, who promised to make her "the next Sophia Loren," quickly became enamored with the Polish star.
She Was One of the Most Promising Polish Actresses. Krzyżewska Abandoned Her Career for Love
The success did not go to Krzyżewska's head, and in the following years, she diligently worked to establish herself in the film industry, appearing in productions such as "The Criminal and the Lady," "Susanna and the Boys," "Pharaoh," and "How Far, How Near." "I simply couldn't comprehend or understand what was suddenly happening around me; what forces had made me, a second-year theater student and merely a candidate for an acting career, the center of so much attention," she said in an interview. She appeared in a total of 22 productions before unexpectedly stepping back from the spotlight after the 1973 premiere of the film adaptation of Michał Choromański's novel "Jealousy and Medicine," directed by Janusz Majewski.
As it later turned out, she ended her career to focus on her family. Three years earlier, she had met lawyer and diplomat Bolesław Kwiatkowski, whom she married after just a year of acquaintance. When he decided to move to New York, she chose to leave everything behind to join him. In exile, she found employment at a library associated with the United Nations, later trying her hand as a real estate agent and fashion designer. She lived a colorful life, full of adventures and exotic travels, which she regularly embarked on with her beloved. However, they were not destined to grow old together. At the end of July 2003, the couple was involved in a serious car accident in which her husband died on the spot, while she fought for her life in the hospital for two more days. She was 64 years old at the time of her death.
