Świderski initially studied law at Warsaw University. In 1935 he became a student of the Acting Department at the State Theatre Art Institute. He completed this program three years later and immediately signed on with the Teatr Polski / Polish Theatre in Poznan. He debuted as a servant in Wojciech Bogusławski's Spazmy modne / Stylish Spasms (1938). The advent of World War II interrupted his progress as an actor. In 1946, with the war over, he began studying directing under Leon Schiller. He successfully defended his thesis project in stage direction in 1948 at the State Higher School of Theatre in Warsaw, which was based at the time in the much less destroyed city of Łódź.
Świderski began appearing on stage in 1944. He played Przełęcki in Stefan Żeromski's Uciekła mi przepióreczka ["My little quail is gone"]{C}{C}{C}{C} directed by Gustawa Błońska at the Voivodeship Theatre in Białystok, which was founded by Marian Meller. Later, he took part in a legendary production of Stanisław Wyspianski's Wesele / The Wedding (1944), which many consider to mark the post-war rebirth of theatre in Poland. In this production staged at the Polish Army Home Theatre in Lublin, which was run by Władysław Krasnowiecki and Meller, Świderski played the Bridegroom in this production directed by Jacek Woszczerowicz. Świderski remained with this stage until 1949, throughout its initial period of operation in Lublin and subsequently in Łódź. Once in Łódź, Świderski's roles included Anuchkin in Nikolai Gogol's Ożenek / The Marriage directed by Henryk Szletyński (1947) and the title role in Constantine Simonov's Harry Smith Discovers America as directed by Leon Schiller (1947). His first important performance came as the Baron in Maxim Gorky's The Lower Depths, also staged by Schiller (1949). It was noticed that the actor presented his characters exquisitely, down to the smallest details, precisely constructing on stage the images of a man at the threshold of pathology, but simultaneously a deeply suffering character that was by all measures thoroughly human.
In 1950 the actor relocated to Warsaw where he remained a member of the ensemble at the Polish Theatre, directed at the time by Bronisław Dąbrowski, until 1954. Świderski perfected his acting skills at this Warsaw theatre, where he received an opportunity to appear in contemporary plays directed by individuals who had a worldview and artistic temperament altogether different from his own. He first portrayed the Military Court Major, and almost evil incarnate, in Sandor Gergely's propaganda play Sprawa Pawła Eszteraga / The Case of Paul Eszterag directed by Ludwik René (1950), and then portrayed the weak and good natured Jonas in Jozef Baltuszis' Pieją Koguty / The Cocks Are Crowing directed by Bohdan Korzeniewski (1951). The actor succeeded in making the often two-dimensional characters in poor plays believable; critics often wrote of his improving the status and deepening the complexity of his characters. Character variation that was at once replete with subtlety is something he could fully demonstrate when he played Astrov in Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya directed by Maria Wiercińska (1953). At this time, in virtually all of Świderski's characterizations, clearly perceptible was an accusatory tone. He refused to defend his characters, in a way playing "against" them, against the fascist Major, against Jonas' opportunism, against Astrov's visions. While revealing the evil forces residing in man, he did so in a manner that was thoroughly convincing and creative, one replete with strength and clarity.
In 1955 Świderski transferred to the Polish Army Home Theatre, newly opened at the Palace of Culture and Science. In 1957 this institution was renamed the Dramatic Theatre. Świderski, along with Marian Meller, Jan Kosiński and Ludwik René, was one of the chief members of the stage's artistic management (1955-1961), then served as the theatre's artistic director (1961-1966), and ultimately as the general manager of this Warsaw theatre (1962-1966). He appeared in many contemporary plays at this theatre, confirming his exceptional ability to create psychologically complex characters who manifest maturity and an awareness of their predicament. He analyzed his characters in great detail, seeking to bring them to life on stage in a manner that would make them demonstrative not only of their own situation but of more general life truths as well. He was very skilled at accusing his characters while simultaneously defending them, defending these individuals fighting for their cause in a world filled with adversity. Thus, he usually created ambiguous images that defied simple description, images of people who often faced true suffering.
"He destroyed what was contrived, imitated, inauthentic," Ewa Natorska recalled. "He taught me that it was worth being honestly independent in the name of the individual search for truth. The true sense in acting he saw as residing precisely in the cognitive values it offered. (...) The stage provided the opportunity to learn the truth about oneself, because it was one place where one needn't surrender to life stereotypes and established schemes that determine everyday feelings and behavior. He assigned the status of art to the work performed by actors only once that effort did not merely confirm our knowledge of people, but expanded it. (...) He furiously combated contemporary superstitions like modernity equated with what is promoted, popular, fashionable" ("Kalendarz Teatralny" / "Theatrical Calendar," 01.01.1991).
At the Dramatic Theatre he portrayed the Provocateur of the anarchists in Vsevolod Vishnievsky's Tragedia optymistyczna / An Optimistic Tragedy directed by Lidia Zamkow (1955). Then he provided a lesson in the art of acting as the grotesque Old Man in Eugene Ionesco's The Chairs directed by Ludwik René (1957). He then played the Prisoner in a self-directed production of Sławomir Mrożek's Policja / The Police (1958), and followed this with an excellent performance as John Proctor in Arthur Miller's Proces w Salem / The Salem Witch Trial staged by René (1959) and then as Berenger in another contemporary play, Ionesco's Nosorożec / The Rhinoceros directed by Wanda Laskowska (1961). The greatest and an outright legendary role for him in Warsaw was that of the title character in Friedrich Dürrenmatt's Romulus Wielki / Romulus the Great in a production staged by Halina Mikołajska and Andrzej Sadowski in 1959, and then revived by René in 1966.
"In his performance, Świderski left the audience a surprise at the end: heroism. Yet it was a quiet heroism, and thus rather modest," noted Witold Filler. "But his Romulus, in his final conversation with Odoaker, the leader of the Visigoths, through this very modest heroism succeeds in winning for this production a tone of honest, human tragedy. He begins as a clown pretending to be a philosopher and gradually becomes a philosopher pretending to be a clown. He was a hero for perhaps the last few minutes. And these minutes determined the greatness of the performance. (...) Świderski's tremendous performance eclipsed Dürrenmatt, giving the play an entirely new meaning" (W. Filler, "Jan Świderski," Warsaw, 1977).
In 1967 Świderski joined the ensemble at the Athenaeum Theatre. His first performances came as Mendel Krzyk in Isaac Babel's Zmierzch / Dusk directed by Bohdan Korzeniewski (1967) and as the chief announcer of the Marquis de Sade's madhouse in Peter Weiss' Męczeństwo i Śmierć Jeana Paula Marata... / Marat/Sade as staged by Konrad Swinarski (1967). He followed this with other excellent performances, in both contemporary and classical plays. Among other roles, Świderski played Kürmann in Max Frisch's Biografia / Biography (dir. Janusz Warmiński, 1968), Solomon in Arthur Miller's Cena / The Price (dir. Warmiński, 1969) and Phillip II in Friedrich Schiller's Don Carlos (dir. Maciej Prus, 1972). While still at the Dramatic Theatre, the actor demonstrated his capability to use grotesque characterization effectively on stage and to psychologically various his characters. At the Athenaeum, he developed his ability to transform psychologically, creating characters who were often solitary, suffering, marked by a tragic inner rift. Protagonists of this kind included those from the works of Fyodor Dostoevsky - Stefan Verchovensky from Biesy / The Devils directed by Warmiński (1971) and Świderski's favorite role, that of Marmeladov from the one-man play of the same title based on Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, a production which Świderski mounted for Television Theatre (1972).
"In the case of the Baron from 'The lower depths', I made some attempts to be accusatory," Świderski admitted. "But over the years something changed, not only in my acting but in myself, because with Marmeladov I saw only opportunities to defend this man who has fallen so low. Today, I seem to believe that it is better when we defend others" ("Kultura" / "Culture," 1976, no 5 in: W. Filler, "Jan Świderski," Warsaw, 1977).
He achieved a similarly human and tragic expression as Captain Edgar in August Strindberg's Taniec śmierci / The Dance of Death (dir. Świderski and Zdzisław Tobiasz, 1974), a cruel schizophrenic and sadist who as portrayed by Świderski could also be warm, and in playing the title character in Henry Ibsen's John Gabriel Borkman (dir. Aleksander Bardini, Teatr Współczesny / Contemporary Theatre in Warsaw, 1975).
Świderski was also successful in portraying characters from the classical, Polish repertoire, very capably handling both Fredro's verse and Słowacki's strophes. Among others, he played the title character in Mr. Geldhab (dir. Świderski, Television Theatre, 1969), Cześnik in Zemsta / Revenge (dir. Gustaw Holoubek, Dramatic Theatre, 1970), and the Chamberlain in Tadeusz Rittner's Głupi Jakub / Stupid Jack (dir. Świderski, Athenaeum Theatre, 1970), a role he revived two years later for Television Theatre, Jakub Szela in Stefan Żeromski's Turoń (dir. Jan Kulczyński, Television Theatre, 1977) and the Captain in Jerzy Szaniawski's Żeglarz / The Sailor (dir. Wojciech Solarz, Television Theatre, 1986). In productions of the dramas of Słowacki, he portrayed Kossakowski in Ksiądz Marek / Father Mark (dir. Adam Hanuszkiewicz, Dramatic Theatre, 1963), the Voivode in Mazepa (dir. Holoubek, Television Theatre, 1969), and Rzecznicki in Fantazy (dir. Prus, Athenaeum Theatre, 1973).
Beginning in 1952 Świderski devoted much time to directing, often also playing the main part in the productions he chose to stage. His directing debut was a staging of Tadeusz Łomnicki's Kąkol i pszenica / Ryegrass and Wheat, mounted at the Teatr Ludowy (People's Theatre) in Warsaw. At around the same time, the actor staged the only Stanisław Wyspiański drama to be staged at the time in Poland. This production of Wyspianski's Klątwa / The Curse was actually the thesis production of Świderski's acting students at the school in Warsaw. As this was the Socialist-realist era, the Wyspiański production led to Świderski being accused of propagating mysticism, considered destructive to the upbringing of young people. He did not attempt another staging of the play until 1958, after the post-Stalinist thaw, when he staged the work at the Osterwa Theatre in Lublin. Świderski's other repertory theatre directing projects included Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett's Pamiętnik Anny Frank / The Diary of Anne Frank (Dramatic Theatre, 1957), Nikolai Gogol's Ożenek / The Marriage (Dramatic Theatre, 1961), Moliere's The School for Wives (Dramatic Theatre, 1966), Maxim Gorky's The Lower Depths (Athenaeum Theatre, 1973), and Fredro's Śluby panieńskie / Maidens' Vows (Athenaeum Theatre, 1976) and Pan Geldhab / Mr. Geldhab (Polish Theatre in Warsaw, 1980). He also directed a number of Television Theatre productions, among them, Ibsen's Hedda Gabler (1974) and The Wild Duck (1976).
Świderski was also an educator. He taught acting classes at the State Higher School of Theatre in Warsaw for a number of years beginning in 1949, educating several generations of actors, his students including the likes of Krystyna Borowicz, Stanislaw Jasiukiewicz, Ignacy Gogolewski, Mariusz Dmochowski, Zbigniew Zapasiewicz, Franciszek Pieczka, Andrzej Seweryn, and Piotr Fronczewski. He achieved the status of tenured professor in 1964. In 1952-1954 and 1957-1963 he was the vice-rector of the Warsaw-based school. Świderski was also an active member of several professional organizations. In 1950 he was among the co-founders of the Association of Polish Theatre and Film Artists - Union of Polish Stage Artists and subsequently served for many years on the organization's Central Board, including serving from 1954-1975 as the association's vice president. His credits also include a number of film appearances, including the role of Ryszard in Leonard Buczkowski's Zakazane piosenki (1946), Generał Sokolnicki in Andrzej Wajda's Popioły / Ashes (1965), Henryk in Krzysztof Zanussi's Spirala (1978) and the shepherd boy Teodor in Andrzej Kondratiuk's Pełnia / Full Moon (1979).
In the 1980s the actor continued to appear on stage at the Athenaeum and Wola theatres in Warsaw, and in Lublin at the Juliusz Osterwa Theatre. He was also associated with the Scena na Piętrze [Stage Upstairs] in Poznań, where he directed a number of productions, including Sławomir Mrożek's Policja / The Police (1985) and Karol Hubert Rostworowski's Niespodzianka / The Surprise (1987). His final theatrical performance came in the bit part of Firs in Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard directed by Janusz Warmiński at the Athenaeum Theatre in Warsaw (1986).
Awards and distinctions:
- 1950 - State Award, 3rd class (ensemble award), for his performance as the Military Tribunal Major in a production of Sandor Gergely's Sprawa pawła Eszteraga / The Case of Paul Eszterag staged at the Polish Theatre in Warsaw by Ludwik Renè
- 1952 - Golden Cross of Merit
- 1953 - State Award, 3rd class, for exceptional achievement as an actor
- 1955 - Cavalier's Cross of the Order of the Restitution of Poland; Polish People's Republic 10th Anniversary Medal
- 1959 - Officer's Cross of the Order of the Restitution of Poland
- 1961 - State Award, 1st class, for lifetime achievement in theatre, film, and television
- 1964 - Order of the Banner of Labor, 1st class; State Award, 1st class, for lifetime achievement as a theatre and television actor
- 1965 - Award of the Polish State Radio and Television Committee for his performance as Pacala in a television production of Edmund Niziurski's Ucieczka z Betlejemu / Escape from Bethlehem directed by Zbigniew Kuźmiński, and as the Mayor in a radio play by Jerzy Krzysztoń titled Towarzysz N / Comrade N; Golden Screen Award
- 1966 - Bronze Medal of Merit for the National Defense; Golden Screen Award for his performances in Television Theatre productions, including the title role in Ben Johnson's Volpone directed by Zygmunt Hübner, and the role of the Retired prosecutor in Przygody pana Trapsa / The Adventures of Mr. Traps based on a novella by Friedrich Dürrenmatt and directed by Konrad Swinarski
- 1967 - Polish Millennium Badge
- 1968 - Award of the Polish State Radio and Television Committee for his performance as the Voivode in the Television Theatre production of Juliusz Słowacki's Mazepa directed by Gustaw Holoubek
- 1971 - Warsaw Municipal Award for exceptional achievements in the propagation of culture
- 1972 - Cultural Activist of Merit; Award of the Polis State Radio and Television Committee for his exceptional performances on Polish Television Theatre and Polis Radio Theatre
- 1973 - Award of the Minister of Culture and Art, 1st class, in the ream of theatre for lifetime achievements as an actor and director
- 1974 - Polish People's Republic 30th Anniversary Medal; National Festival of Radio Plays, award for his performance in the radio play titled Radio based on a short story by Ireneusz Iredyński
- 1976 - Starred Commander's Cross of the Order of the Restitution of Poland; State Award, 1st class, for exceptional performances as an actor and fir his activities as a stage director in the years 1974-1975
- 1977 - Award, 1st class, of the chairman of the Polish State Radio and Television Committee for his achievements as an actor and director
- 1978 - acting award for his performance as the Father in a Television Theatre production based on Karol Hubert Rostworowski's Niespodzianka / The Surprise directed by himself at the 2nd Festival of Television Films and Programming in Osztyn
- 1980 - Golden Badge of Merit to the Białystok Region
- 1984 - Polish People's Republic 40th Anniversary Medal; Award, 1st class, for his performance as Professor Sonnenbruch in Leon Kruczkowski's Niemcy / The Germans directed by Andrzej Rozhin at the Wola Theatre in Warsaw at the 24th Contemporary Polish Drama Festival in Wroclaw
- 1987 - Award of the chairman of the Polish State Radio and Television Committee for his exceptional performance as the Captain in Jerzy Szaniawski's Żeglarz / The Sailor directed by Wojciech Solarz for Polish Television Theatre
Autor: Monika Mokrzycka-Pokora, December 2006