The author of the article is the Gazeta.pl journalist, Roksana Pamuła.
Shortly after the end of World War II, Zdzisław Maklakiewicz began his studies at the Kraków drama school, but after just two years, he transferred to Warsaw, where he finally obtained his desired diploma in 1950. There, he began performing on the stages of theaters such as Syrena, Polski, and Ludowy. His film debut came only in the late 1950s with a small role in Wojciech Jerzy Has's "Wspólny pokój" ("The Common Room"). From then on, he regularly appeared on screen in productions such as "Rejs" ("The Cruise"), "Hydrozagadka" ("The Hydromystery"), "Stawka większa niż życie" ("More Than Life at Stake"), and "Czterdziestolatek" ("The Forty-Year-Old"), securing his place in the history of cinema.
Maklakiewicz's mother did not accept his partners. It was because of her that his two marriages fell apart
Despite many professional successes, his private life was not as fortunate. Those close to the actor attributed this to his overly close relationship with his mother. Czesława Maklakiewicz gave birth to Zdzisław at the age of 23 and from that moment practically never left his side. She made decisions for him during his childhood, later in his teenage years, and continued to do so even when he became an adult. She did not accept his independent choices, especially in matters of love, and was jealous of his partners. She was particularly hard on his first wife, Renata Firek.
She claimed that the woman did not have good intentions toward him and tried at all costs to persuade him to change his mind about getting married. When that failed, she decided to control their lives and moved in with them. Even the birth of Marta, Maklakiewicz’s first child, did not put an end to this.
"Grandma Czesia made life a living hell for my mom. She believed that Zdzisław’s wife should primarily be a good housekeeper, but my mom didn’t fit those expectations. She was an artist: she played the piano, painted, wrote beautiful poems, and was a great actress as she also graduated from drama school," described his daughter in the book "Maklak. Oczami córki" ("Maklak. Through the Eyes of a Daughter"). Eventually, Renata reached her limit and decided to leave. For a while, she even urged him to move out as well, hoping they could rebuild their relationship, but "he didn’t have the strength" to do so. He couldn’t stand up to his mother, even when she limited his contact with his child. "She was even jealous of me," Marta recalled. The fate of Maklakiewicz’s first wife was quickly shared by his second love, Wiesława Kosmalska. From their first meeting, the future mother-in-law made her feelings clear, but Wiesława tried to remain optimistic, hoping she would be accepted. However, that never happened, and soon after the birth of their daughter, Agata, she also decided to leave.
They performed together on screen and drank vodka. Alcoholism led Maklakiewicz to tragedy
It is no secret that, besides his mother, Maklakiewicz was also addicted to alcohol. His drinking companion was Jan Himilsbach, whom he met in the 1970s on the set of Marek Piwowski’s comedy "Rejs" ("The Cruise"). They quickly became friends, forming a duo both on screen, in many acclaimed productions, and off it. "They drank with great joy, but then they blamed each other for getting drunk. They argued, then made up over another drink, and the cycle repeated," recalled the director. Alcohol ultimately proved to be Maklakiewicz’s downfall.
On October 9, 1977, after a heavily drunken party at the "Kamieniołomy" club, he got into an argument with security guards outside the Hotel Europejski. This escalated into a fight during which he was reportedly struck on the head, leading to his death a few hours later. The case, however, raised many doubts as the accounts varied, and no one could determine the true sequence of events. There were rumors that the actor returned home on his own and only later felt unwell. He was said to have been taken to the hospital, where, unaware of his diabetes, a doctor administered glucose, causing his death. Others claimed that he died shortly after being beaten in his mother's apartment.
