Jerzy Kawalerowicz
Jerzy Franciszek Kawalerowicz (19 January 1922 – 27 December 2007) was a Polish film director, screenwriter and politician, having been a member of Polish United Workers' Party from 1954 until its dissolution in 1990 and a deputy in Polish parliament since 1985 until 1989.
Also recorded as Jerzy Franciszek Kawalerowicz
Jerzy Kawalerowicz

Arnoldius · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Name
- Jerzy Kawalerowicz
- Born
- 19 January 1922
- Birthplace
- Gwoździec, Poland, (now Hvizdets, Ukraine)
- Died
- 27 December 2007
- Place of death
- Warsaw, Poland
- Occupation
- Film director Screenwriter
- Nationality
- Second Polish Republic · Poland
- Education
- Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow
- Honours
- Knight of the Order of Polonia Restituta · Golden Medal for Merit to Culture · Medal of the 10th Anniversary of People's Poland · Medal of the 40th Anniversary of People's Poland · Medal of the 30th Anniversary of People's Poland · Work Flag Order and 1st class
- Languages
- Polish · German
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
VALÉORINE documentary reading
Documentary summary
Jerzy Franciszek Kawalerowicz (19 January 1922 – 27 December 2007) was a Polish film director, screenwriter and politician, having been a member of Polish United Workers' Party from 1954 until its dissolution in 1990 and a deputy in Polish parliament since 1985 until 1989.
Admitted source layer · organised and presented by VALÉORINE
Note VALÉORINE
No house-authored Note is published until its assertions and sources pass the VALÉORINE evidence contract. The documentary article remains available in full while that enrichment is being consolidated.
Documentary enrichment in progress · no unsupported statement published
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Jerzy Kawalerowicz. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
Documentary evidence
Evidence Panel
not yet certified
- Identity
- resolved
- Independent source families
- 0
- Admitted assertions
- 0
- Open conflicts
- 0
Authority files
wikidata · Q561332 · wikipedia · Jerzy Kawalerowicz
In this article
Biography
Biography
Jerzy Kawalerowicz studied at Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. The recorded working language is Polish and German. Positions recorded include member of the Sejm of the Polish People's Republic. Distinctions recorded are Knight of the Order of Polonia Restituta, Golden Medal for Merit to Culture, Medal of the 10th Anniversary of People's Poland and Medal of the 40th Anniversary of People's Poland.

Jerzy Kawalerowicz, a Polish film director at AFI, Silver Spring, M.D. 2004.
John Mathew Smith from Laurel Maryland, USA · Andrzej Witold Wajda Polish director AFI Silver Spring M.D. 2004

Polish film director Jerzy Kawalerowicz.
Autor nieznany · „Kultura Filmowa” 1969 nr 5/6 (129-130), s. 40
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Jerzy Kawalerowicz • Born — 19 January 1922 • Birthplace — Gwoździec, Poland, (now Hvizdets, Ukraine) • Died — 27 December 2007 • Place of death — Warsaw, Poland • Occupation — Film director Screenwriter • Years Active — 1952–2001 • Political Party — PZPR • Illustration — Kawalerowicz's star on the Łódź Walk of Fame
Life and career
Life and career
Kawalerowicz was born in Gwoździec, Poland, as one of the few Poles living in an ethnically-mixed Ukrainian and Jewish town. Kawalerowicz's father's family originated from Armenia, originally having the surname Kavalarian. Jerzy Kawalerowicz was noted for his powerful, detail-oriented imagery and the depth of ideas in his films. After working as an assistant director, he made his directorial debut with the 1951 film The Village Mill (Gromada). He was a leading figure in the Polish Film School, and his films Shadow (Cień, 1956) and Night Train (Pociąg, 1959) constitute some of that movement's best work. Other noted works by Kawalerowicz include Mother Joan of the Angels (Matka Joanna od Aniołów, 1961) for which he was awarded the Jury Prize at the 1961 Cannes Film Festival, and a 1966 adaptation of Bolesław Prus' historical novel, Pharaoh (Faraon), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In 1955 Kawalerowicz was appointed head of the prestigious KADR production unit. He held that position again in 1972. He always resisted pressures from the communist administration to produce propaganda films. His studio produced some of the best Polish films by Andrzej Wajda, Tadeusz Konwicki and Juliusz Machulski. In 1969 he was a member of the jury at the 6th Moscow International Film Festival. In 1975 he was a member of the jury at the 9th Moscow International Film Festival. In 1976 he was the head of the jury at the 26th Berlin International Film Festival. Two years later, his film Death of a President won the Silver Bear for an outstanding artistic contribution at the 1978 festival. At the 11th Moscow International Film Festival he was a member of the jury and was awarded with the Honourable Prize for the contribution to cinema.
Death
Death
He died on 27 December 2007 in Warsaw. His last film, Quo Vadis, had the largest budget for a Polish movie as of 2011.
Selected filmography
Selected filmography
• The Village Mill (Gromada, 1952) • Celuloza (1953) by novel of Igor Newerly • Under the Phrygian Star (Pod gwiazdą frygijską, 1954) • Shadow (Cień, 1956) • The Real End of the Great War (Prawdziwy koniec wielkiej wojny, 1957) • Night Train (Pociąg, 1959) • Mother Joan of the Angels (Matka Joanna od Aniołów, 1961) by short story of Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz • Pharaoh (Faraon, 1966) by novel of Bolesław Prus • The Game (Gra, 1968) • Maddalena (1971) • Death of a President (Śmierć prezydenta, 1977) • Encounter on the Atlantic (Spotkanie na Atlantyku, 1980) • Austeria (The Inn) (1983) by novel of Julian Stryjkowski • The Hostage of Europe (Jeniec Europy, 1989) by novel of Juliusz Dankowski • Bronstein's Children (Bronsteins Kinder, 1991) • Why? (Za co?, 1995) by short story of Leo Tolstoy • Quo Vadis? (2001) by novel by Henryk Sienkiewicz
Identity
Identity
Jerzy Kawalerowicz is recorded as having received Knight of the Order of Polonia Restituta, Golden Medal for Merit to Culture and Medal of the 10th Anniversary of People's Poland.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
Explore 1922–2007
The full dated record · 3 entries
1922
Jerzy Kawalerowicz born at Hvizdets.
1956
Shadow (Cień, Jerzy Kawalerowicz, 1956) (1956) is digitised and catalogued by Internet Archive.
2007
Jerzy Kawalerowicz died at Warsaw.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Hvizdets.
Birth place
Warsaw.
Death place
Recognition and collections
Where the work is held
Recognition and collections
Jerzy Kawalerowicz received Knight of the Order of Polonia Restituta, Golden Medal for Merit to Culture, Medal of the 10th Anniversary of People's Poland, Medal of the 40th Anniversary of People's Poland, Medal of the 30th Anniversary of People's Poland and Work Flag Order, 1st class.
Documents and archives
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q561332: Jerzy Kawalerowicz
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
- “Jerzy Kawalerowicz”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
scholarly publication
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.filmpolski.pl. Jerzy Kawalerowicz.
- 2.Privett, Ray. For God and Country (Or Maybe Not): Polish director Jerzy Kawalerowicz interviewed. Central European Review. CERce-review.org. 3. 1. 3 December 2001.
- 3.The 39th Academy Awards (1967) Nominees and Winners. oscars.org.
- 4.BBC. Who's better, Who's back: Quo Vadis back on screen. BBC Online. 11 April 2000.
- 5.6th Moscow International Film Festival (1969). MIFF.
- 6.9th Moscow International Film Festival (1975). MIFF.
- 7.Juries 1976: International Jury. Berlin International Film Festival.
- 8.Prizes & Honours 1978: International Jury. Berlin International Film Festival.
- 9.11th Moscow International Film Festival (1979). MIFF.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
scholarly publication
Verifiedreference work
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
The authorities additionally record the heading Jerzy Franciszek Kawalerowicz. His recorded languages were Polish and German. He married Lucyna Winnicka. Recorded position is member of the Sejm of the Polish People's Republic. He belonged to Polish Film Academy and Stowarzyszenie Filmowców Polskich.
Identity and origins
Career and activity
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Film memorabilia
37,515 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Jerzy BińczyckiPerson
- Jerzy DuszyńskiPerson
- Jerzy GrotowskiPerson
- Jerzy HoffmanPerson
- Jerzy LeszczyńskiPerson
- Jerzy RadziwilowiczPerson
- Jerzy SkolimowskiPerson
- Jerzy Stefan StawińskiPerson
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Jerzy Kawalerowicz?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.