Janusz Gajos is a Polish film, television and theatre actor who also works as a pedagogue and photographer. He is a professor of theatre arts and an honorary doctor of the National Film School in Łódź, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest Polish actors. Over his career he has received numerous state and industry honours, including the Gold Cross of Merit and several Polish Film Awards.
Early life and training
Gajos was born in Dąbrowa Górnicza and moved to Będzin at the age of eleven, where he finished secondary school in 1957. He graduated from the National Film School in Łódź in 1965 as one of its best students, despite having been rejected in entrance examinations three times. He made his debut while still a student, in the children's film Panienka z okienka in 1964.
Film and stage career
Shortly after his debut he was cast as Janek Kos in the popular television series Czterej pancerni i pies, set during the Second World War. He went on to appear in many films, including works by Krzysztof Kieślowski, Andrzej Wajda and Władysław Pasikowski. He also performed in several Warsaw and Łódź theatres and, from 2003, taught at the National Film School in Łódź.
Honours and public role
In 2007 he received the Gloria Artis Medal for Merit to Culture, and in 2011 the Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta. He has won several Polish Film Awards, including a lifetime achievement award in 2016. In 2010 he publicly endorsed the presidential candidacy of Bronisław Komorowski.