Krzysztof Globisz

One of the most acclaimed Polish actors, a stage star of Stary Teatr, and professor at Kraków's Academy of Dramatic Arts. While Globisz gained popularity through memorable roles in films directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski, Andrzej Wajda and Jan Jakub Kolski, he declares that the most important moments in his career are those spent on theatre stage: "I, Krzysztof Globisz, I know little about the world, but when I play Macbeth, Hamlet, Claudius, Sajetan I convey to the world some knowledge - and it brings great joy "- says the actor in his book.

Portrait image

Podpis obrazka portretowego

Krzysztof Globisz, photo: Photopass.pl

Tytuł w nagłówku strony

Krzysztof Globisz

Born in 1957 in Siemianowice Śląskie, Krzysztof Globisz graduated from The Ludwik Solski State Theatre School in 1980. The following year he worked at the Polish Theatre in Wrocław. Since 1981 he’s been a full – time actor of the Stary Theatre in Kraków.

Stage debut

He made his successful stage debut as Karl Rossman in Franz Kafka’s America, directed by Jerzy Grzegorzewski in Wrocław (1980). Anna Schiller in the review for Kultura (1980, No. 48) observes that Globisz performed

"(...) with great sensitivity and sincerity in acting, purely and without apparent effort (...) This Karl, dark and dressed in dark clothes exudes a clear simplicity and naturalness, he is likeable.

On the stage of the Stary Teatr, his career began with the role of Laertes in Tragiczna historia Hamleta (Hamlet’s Tragic Story), directed by Andrzej Wajda (1981). In 1983 he created his first outstanding performance as Segismundo in Życie jest snem (Life Is a Dream) by Calderon under the direction of Jerzy Jarocki. With this role he inscribed his name in the tradition of the great romantic acting creations of Kraków scene.

Segismundo is a relative of enthusiasts who led a dispute about Poland and Poles on the stage of the Stary Teatr. Those of Wyspiański and Mickiewicz. -argued Barbara Osterloff quoting a passage from Joanna Godlewska’s The recent history of Polish theater, Wrocław 1999.

Film debut

In the same period Globisz started performing in films by Andrzej Wajda. He appeared in the television series Z biegiem lat, z biegiem dni (Over the years, over days) (1980) and in acclaimed Danton (1982), where he portrayed Amar; then he played in Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Krótki film o zabijaniu (Short film about killing) (1988) and in TV series Modrzejewska by Jan Łomnicki (1989). Globisz quickly became one of the leading young actors of Kraków Theater. In the 80s he played big roles in major productions of theatre scene at Plac Szczepański. In theatre plays directed by Andrzej Wajda he took on the role of Hajmon in Sophocles' Antygona Antigone (1984) and Chanon in Simon Ansky’s Dybuk Dybbuk (1988). It was in Dybbuk where Globisz, who has always enraptured the audience with declamations, played a great scene

where he recited the Song of Songs. Reciting a small part of the poem (...) Globisz showed how brilliantly he has mastered the art of interpreting poetry. Bringing out the musicality of Miłosz’s translation, he transformed his recitation almost into singing. (Krzysztof Kopka, Teatr, 1988, No. 8).

Globisz has confirmed his talents by creating poignant portraits of characters in films directed by other directors. He took on the title role of Friedrich Schiller's Don Carlos under the direction of Laco Adamik (1984). In this role, as Barbara Osterloff observed

not only Calderon’s Segismundo, but also, in another way, Shakespeare's Hamlet reminisced- not so much because of his complaints on tormented soul, but due to this motif of ironic tomfoolery towards the people around. (Teatr 1984, No. 11)

Globisz has also successfully performed as a main character in Moliere's Don Juan, directed by Yves Goulais (1988), where he created a great duet with Leszek Piskorz as Sganarelle.

Jakub Porcari's Jekyll/Hyde at Warsaw's Polonia Theatre - Image Gallery

Embeded gallery style

display gallery as slider

Engaging stage presence

Globisz belongs to the kind of actors who have very engaging stage presence. There is something very lyrical about him. However, he can play rough, even daring. This manner of acting he presented when playing in productions under the direction of Tadeusz Bradecki and Rudolf Zioło. The first one was Mephistopheles in Wzorzec dowodów metafizycznych (The Pattern of metaphysical evidence) directed by Bradecki (1985). He was

so suggestively evil, that you couldn’t have any doubts regarding his nature – wrote Joanna Godlewska in Teatr (1985, No. 8)

Globisz as Mephistopheles is sharp, dynamic and passionate - noted, Bożena Winnicka- he is by turns wry, sad, serious, ironic, mocking and dramatic. He appears in all of the places, he has a diabolical dexterity, but a truly human face. (Życie Literackie, 1985, No. 30)

Another very distinct role of Globisz was Puk in Shakespeare's Sen nocy letniej (Midsummer Night's Dream), directed by Zioło (1992). Globisz

heavily swings on the bar, while chatting with ephebic elf. After a while, however, this heaviness passes (...). An animal comes out of this forest sybarite. His movements become dynamic and precise (...), but still with a hint of laziness. Puk runs around the gates and platforms of the proscenium; he even descends the stage and mixes with the audience. This is the best role here. - Tomasz Kubikowski, Teatr (1992, No. 6)

Portraying classics

In the 90s Globisz played Juliusz Słowacki’s Fantazy directed by Bradecki (1991), Journalist / Hetman in Stanisław Wyspiański’s Wesele (The Wedding) directed by Wajda (1991), and took on a major role in Molière's Mizantrop (The Misanthrope) directed by Krzysztof Nazar (1992). He collaborated with Jerzy Jarocki. Under his direction Globisz played Semenka in Juliusz Słowacki’s Sen srebrny Salomei (Silver Dream Of Salomea) (1993), the old gravedigger / devil in Grzebanie (Grave digging) (1996) and the Director in Goethe's Faust (1997). He also performed as Teltscher in Hermann Broch’s Lunatycy (Sleepwalkers) directed by Krystian Lupa (1995), as Henrik Ibsen’s Peer Gynt directed by Marek Fiedor (1997), and as Tankred Dorst in Fernando Krapp napisał do mnie list (Fernando Krapp wrote me a letter) directed by Krystyna Meissner (1998) and as Natan in Wyspiański’s Sędziowie (Judges) staged by Jerzy Grzegorzewski at the National Theatre (1999).

Globisz created two great roles in Witold Gombrowicz’s Ślub (The Marriage) directed by Jarocki (1991) and in Wyspiański’s Noc Listopadowa (November Night) directed by Grzegorzewski (1997). In Ślub Globisz played (not exactly plastered) Drunkard who was a silly and clever partner of Henryk played by Jerzy Radziwiłowicz. In Noc Listopadowa as Grand Duke Constantine

(...) in the most poignant manner of all the protagonists he internalized a mocking game within himself. And he didn`t give up the internal anxiety, mental torment of his character, that bordered on pathology - wrote Elżbieta Morawiec (Teatr 1998, No. 1).

In 2000, Globisz played Pankracy in Nie-Boska Komedia (The Un-divine Comedy) by Zygmunt Krasiński directed by Krzysztof Nazar. The same year, once again he took on a role in Shakespeare's Hamlet at the Teatr STU under the direction of Krzysztof Jasiński. This time he was cast in the role of Claudius. Recently, it was his performance as Sajetan Tempe in Trzeci Akt (Third Act) based on Witkiewicz’s Szewcy (Shoemakers) and directed by Jarocki (2002), that brought him the biggest recognition. Subsequent great roles of Globisz include the character of Gombrowicz in Gombrowicz’s Tango directed by Mikołaj Grabowski (2003), Superiusza in Pieszo (On Foot) by Sławomir Mrożek and directed by Kazimierz Kutz (2003), Macbeth directed by Andrzej Wajda (2004) and Verkhovensky in Biesy (The Devils) by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, directed by Krzysztof Jasiński (Kraków Teatr STU, 2007).

Globisz continually confirms his versatility as an actor. He played almost farcical, “over the top”, naive and sometimes violent Orgon in Molier’s Tartuffe directed by Grabowski (2006). However, he has used quite other techniques from his acting inventory to portray Zarathustra-Fritz in Krystian Lupa’s production of Zarathustra based on texts of Friedrich Nietzsche and Einar Schleef (2005). The character he built was a loner, who has paid for his independent and intense thinking with the disease and was doomed to existence in familial hell with his mother and sister. Globisz shows how Zarathustra’s strength turns into weakness, and madness turns out to be an escape from the world. Most recently, he has worked with young directors on the contemporary drama. He played Ian in Zbombardowani (Blasted) by Sarah Kane, directed by Maja Kleczewska (2007) and Jacek - the main protagonist of the Oczyszczenie (Purification) written and directed by Peter Zelenka (2007).

Experimentation in acting

Globisz successfully combined traditional acting technique with alternative experimentation in masterful monodrama Jekyll/Hyde at Warsaw Polonia Theatre. He played nine characters in this performance. He has also collaborated with Jan Klata. Under his direction Globisz played in the acclaimed interpretation of Sienkiewicz’s Trylogia (Trilogy), on which he commented in a review for Rzeczpospolita:

I follow Klata’s artistic actions with great satisfaction, for he is creative and avoids schematic way of thinking. It suffices to watch his performances based on Trilogy. Who would have such a wicked idea to stage those bulky volumes by Sienkiewicz? And to cast me as Kmiecic against my looks required unusual imagination and he went even further. Each of the actors was at the same time a kind of sign, and that proves his higher level of imagination and initiation. To stage Wesele hrabiego Orgaza (The wedding of count Orgazo) you need to have a lot of cheek as well.

In 2013 he has performed in controversial Do Damaszku (To Damascus), which caused a sensation after part of the audience protested against the show, and in Bitwa warszawska 1920 (Warsaw Battle 1920) by Monika Strzępka i Paweł Demirski.

A scene from To Damascus directed by Jan Klata. Krzysztof Globisz, photo: Magda Hueckel Stary Teatr in Kraków

Krzysztof Globisz has performed in around one hundred TV theatre productions. In recent years he played in several films, and his roles include: Aleksander Wat in Wszystko, co najważniejsze (The most important things) directed by Robert Gliński (1992), Mieczysław Moczar in Pułkownik Kwiatkowski (Colonel Kwiatkowski) directed by Kazimierz Kutz (1995), Major Płuta in Pan Tadeusz (Sir Thaddeus) directed by Wajda (1999), Szymek in Weiser Dawidek directed by Wojciech Marczewski (2000), Barwicki in Przedwiośnie (The coming spring) directed by Filip Bajon (2000), Hipolit in Pornografia (Pornography) directed by Jan Jakub Kolski (2001), Anioł Giordano in Anioł w Krakowie (Angel in Kraków) directed by Artur Więcek (2002) and in its sequel Zakochany Anioł (Angel in love) (2005). He has also incorporated shy Bogdan Lewicki, a main character of Długi Weekend (Long weekend) directed by Robert Gliński (2004).

In subsequent years he played in magical Jasminium directed by Jan Jakub Kolski, Drzazgi (Splinters) directed by Maciej Pieprzyca, Uwikłanie (Entanglement) directed by Jacek Bromski, 80 millions directed by Waldemar Krzystek, Ki directed by Leszek Dawid, Jack Strong directed by Władysław Pasikowski and Kamienie na szaniec (Stones for the Rampart) directed by Robert Gliński.

Globisz teaches at Kraków’s School of Dramatic Art. In 2002-2005 he was the dean of acting department, and from 2005 the vice – rector of the school. He is a co-author of autobiographic Notatki o skubaniu roli (Notes on teasing a role) where he reflected on his work:

This is one of the few professions that give lots of pleasure, though not everyone can be an actor - some people realize that very quickly and drop out of the profession. But the real actors make compensation, but not for his/her own frustrations, his/her own nature or complexes. I would call it a compensation of thoughts: I, Krzysztof Globisz, I know little about the world, but when I play Macbeth, Hamlet, Claudius, Sajetan, I convey some knowledge of the world - with which one can argue, disagree, dispute. At least during those two hours of the performance I have some knowledge or emotions-and it brings great joy. Then I can go home and again know nothing. I am a stupid man, wisdom, in my opinion, is not the fact that you know some things, but that you do not know - maybe in this sense I am smart. The role compensates the fact of my ignorance, but I can also, by using means God provided me with, persuade people to certain things: I can present them the world, move them, fool them, teach them - do with them what I want. My intentions are obviously good. It is the nature of acting. Whether the effect is achieved by using a technique, or by reaching for your own humanity - I do not know, but I think both are necessary.

Selected Awards:

1986 - Actor award for his role of Mephistopheles in the play Wzorzec dowodów metafizycznych directed by Tadeusz Bradecki's in the Stary Teatr in Kraków at the 25th Festival of Polish Contemporary Art in Wrocław;
1987 - Leon Schiller's Award
1988 - Scholarship from Arnold Szyfman Fund
1988 - StanisławWyspiański's Award for acting achievements at the Stary Teatr in Kraków; Award for the title role in a production of Peter Handke's Kaspar directed by Andreas Wirth at the Stary Teatr in Kraków at 28th Kalisz Theatre Meetings;
1991 - Award for the role of Ismael, Tartaglia in a play Księżniczka Turandot by Carl Gozzie directed by Rudolf Zioło at Stary Teatr in Kraków on 31st Kalisz Theatre Meetings;
1994 - Actor award for his role of Semenka in Sen srebrny Salomei Juliusza Słowackiego directed by Jerzy Jarocki at Stary Teatr in Kraków at 19th Opole Theatre Confrontations
1996 - Distinguished Cultural Activist; Actor award for his roles in the play Grzebanie directed by Jerzy Jarocki at the Stary Teatr in Kraków at the 2nd National Competition for Staging of Polish Contemporary Drama inWarsaw;
1997 - Actor award for title role Peer Gynt Henrik Ibsendirected by Marek Fiedor at Stary Teatr in Kraków at 37th Kalisz Theatre Meetings;
1998 - Award for the role of Vincentin in Shakespeare's Miarka za miarkę directed by Tadeusz Bradeckie at the Stary Teatr in Krakówze at 2nd Nationwide Comedy Festival Talia '98 in Tarnów,; award for the same role at 3rd Nationwide Competition for Staging Shakespeare's Dramas, award for the roles in TV Theatre: title role of Alek by Jan Józef Szczepański directed by Paweł Woldan and in Krawiec by SławomirMrożek directed by Michał Kwieciński at 4th Nationwide Competition for Staging Polish Contemporary Drama in Warsaw
2000 - Golden Mask; Ludwik - award from Kraków Theatrical Circle for the title in Kariera Arturo Ui by Bertolt Brecht directed by Tadeusz Bradeckie at Stary Teatr in Kraków
2002 - Award for best actor for the role of Józef Struziak in short film by Kinga Lewińska Pas de deux at 1st TV Film Festival of Cable TV and Sky Piastowskie in Zielona Góra; Aleksander Zelwerowicz's award for the role of Sajetan Tempe in Trzeci akct based on Szewcy by Witkacy directed by Jerzy Jarocki at Stary Teatr in Kraków; statuette of Jańcio Wodnik for the title role - Anioł Giordano in film Anioł w Krakowie directed byArtur 'Baron' Więcek at Festival Prowincjonalia in Września; Golden Laurel for Mastery in the Arts
2003 - Third place in the audience poll for the role of Superiusz in Pieszo by Sławomir Mrożek directed by Kazimierz Kutz at Modrzejewska's National Stary Teatr in Kraków at 42nd Rzeszów Theatre Meetings; award for the role of Sajetan Tempe in Trzeci akt based on Szewcy by Witkacy directed by Jerzy Jarocki at Stary Teatr in Kraków at 28th Opole Theatrical Confrontations
2004 - Award for supporting actor for his role in the radio play Szach -mat by Stokowski on the 4th Festival of Polish Radio and Polish Television Theatre Dwa Teatry in Sopot; Jury Award for best leading actor - for his role in the film Długi weekend directed by Robert Gliński (ex aequo with Marian Dziędziel for his role in the filmWesele ) at the 29th Polish Film Festival in Gdynia; Warszawa-Kłapy 2003 - Award of The Walt Disney Company for the best actors creating Polish language version of the animated films - Marlin for his role in the film Finding Nemo;
2005 - Silver Medal Gloria Artis - Merit to Culture;
2006 -Sopot - 6th Festival of Polish Radio Theatre and TV Theatre Dwa Teatry - the award for the role in the TV production of Tajny Agent by Joseph Conrad, directed by Krzysztof Zaleski and Giorgia in the play Małe piwo by Alister Beaton, directed by Waldemar Krzystek at the 6th Festival of Polish Radio and Polish Television Theatre "Dwa Teatry in Sopot; award for the role of Zarathustra III-Fritz in the play of Nietzsche's and Schleef's Zarathustra directed by Krystian Lupa at Modrzejewska's National Stary Teatr in Kraków on the 1st National Competition for Staging the of Ancient Works of European Literature in Warsaw.

Author: Monika Mokrzycka-Pokora, June 2003; update: December 2008.
update: July 2014, source: ninateka.pl, rp.pl, edited byAL, transl. GS, August 2014

actor

theatre

stary theatre in Kraków