Barbara Brylska was born in Skotniki, Poland on June 5,
1941. Her early childhood was marked by the trauma of survival under the Nazi
occupation of Poland during the Second World War. At the age of 15, she was
cast in the film “Kalosze szczescia”. After this role, she took acting lessons
in a theater school and became a student at the National Film School in Łódź.
In 1967 she completed her acting education at the Warsaw School of Theatre,
Film and Television.
Brylska's first major role was in the film “Ich dzień
powszedni” (1963). In 1966 she played the Phoenician priestess Kama in the
feature film “Pharaoh”, based on the novel by Bolesław Prus.
Apart from Polish-directed movies, she has also played in
films directed by Soviet, Bulgarian and Czechoslovakian directors.
For her role as Nadya in the 1975 film “Irony of Fate”,
directed by Eldar Ryazanov, she received a Soviet state award. Her acceptance
of this award created controversy in her home country. Nonetheless she became a
popular actress in the Soviet Union. She would later claim that her success
caused jealousy in the Polish film community and led it to ignore her work.
In 1977 she was a member of the jury at the 10th Moscow
International Film Festival.
After her daughter’s death and a burglary in her
apartment in Warsaw, Brylska suffered from a nervous breakdown, but she
continued acting.
Since 2000 Brylska has been acting in stage plays,
primarily in Russia. She reprised the role of the aged Nadya in the 2007 “Irony
of Fate: The Sequel”.
BRYLSKA,
Barbara (aka Barbara Brilska, Barbara Bryl) [6/5/1941, Skotniki,
Lódzkie, Poland - ] – model, stage,
film, TV actress, married to mathematician Jan Borovets (1958-1961), married to
Jerzy Zelnik (196?-196?), married to gynecologist Ludwig Kosmal (1970-1988)
mother of model Barbara Kosmal [1973-1993], economist Ludwig Kosmal [1983- ].
Trail of the Falcon – 1968 (Catherine Emmerson)
White Wolves – 1969 (Catherine Emerson)
