Piotr Fronczewski

{{Infobox person

| name = Piotr Fronczewski

| image = Piotr Fronczewski (00445).jpg

| caption =

| occupation = Actor, singer

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1946|6|8}}

| birth_place = Łódź, Poland

| years_active =

| alma_mater = The Aleksander Zelwerowicz National Academy of Dramatic Art in Warsaw

| children = Katarzyna Fronczewska
Magdalena Fronczewska

| spouse = Ewa Fronczewska

| parents =

| relatives =

| module = {{Infobox musical artist

| embed = yes

| background = solo_singer

| alias = Franek Kimono, Crazy Zdzich, Pan Kimono

| genre = Disco, ballad

| label = Arston, Polskie Nagrania Muza, Alcom, Columbia Records, Sony Music Entertainment Poland, Sony BMG Music Entertainment Poland, Vega, Polmark, Polton, Savitor, Brawo, Polskie Radio/Pomaton EMI

| years_active =

| associated_acts = Jan Pietrzak

| website =

}}

Piotr Fronczewski (born 8 June 1946) is a Polish actor and a cabaret and theatre singer. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most popular actors of his generation.{{Cite web |url=https://culture.pl/pl/tworca/piotr-fronczewski |language=pl |title=Piotr Fronczewski |access-date=15 October 2022}}

Life and career

He was born in Łódź to a Polish mother, Bogna Duszyńska (1912–2016) and a Polish-Jewish father, Władysław Fronczewski (1900–1969). His father was born as Władysław Finkelstein and changed his last name before the outbreak of World War II. He is a graduate of the Karol Świerczewski Liceum in Warsaw.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rdc.pl/informacje/urodziny-piotra-fronczewskiego-wybitny-aktor-konczy-75-lat/|title=Urodziny Piotra Fronczewskiego. Wybitny aktor kończy dziś 75 lat|publisher=RDC|accessdate=7 February 2022|language=pl}}

Piotr Fronczewski created a fictional character Franek Kimono he issued a disco LP in 1983 which was meant to be a musical joke but turned out to be a great success. Fronczewski started his acting career playing in the theater. He also performed in cabarets. His daughters – Kasia and Magda Fronczewska were very popular child-singers in late 1980s and early 1990s.

From his TV and movie work, he is best known as Pan Kleks (Mr Inkblot), the main character of a series of movies based on books written by Jan Brzechwa and illustrated by Craig Bonner. He also voiced Robert "Bob" Parr Mr. Incredible in the Polish dub of The Incredibles franchise and Diego in the Polish version of the Ice Age film series.

In 1990, Gustaw Holoubek ranked Piotr Fronczewski among the three greatest Polish dramatic actors post-1965 alongside Andrzej Seweryn and Wojciech Pszoniak. He played outstanding leading roles in some films of the prominent Polish directors, e.g. Andrzej Wajda, as well as countless supporting roles in big productions. Also, very well known for his unforgettable role of "Pan Piotrus" in the Cabaret of Olga Lipinska. Later became active and very successful on the Polish Cabaret and Standup Comedy scene. Piotr Fronczewski is known as a master of intelligent humour and snappy retort.{{cite news|url=https://www.gala.pl/artykul/piotr-fronczewski-skonczyl-70-lat-zobacz-wszystkie-wcielenia-pana-kleksa |title=PIOTR FRONCZEWSKI skończył 70 lat! Zobacz wszystkie wcielenia Pana Kleks |access-date=16 April 2020}}

Selected filmography

1958 – Wolne miasto as Boguś
1972 – Boleslaw Smialy as Brother Adalbertus
1974 – Ziemia Obiecana as von Horn
1975 – A Woman's Decision as Jan
1976 – Parada Oszustów as Narrator and additional roles
1978 – Halo Szpicbródka as Fred Kampinos / Szpicbródka
1979 – Kung-Fu as Witek Markowski
1980 – The Moth as Psychiatrist
1981 – The Quack as Dobraniecki
1982 – Aby do świtu... as Szczygieł
1983 – Akademia Pana Kleksa as Professor Ambroży Kleks and Jan Brzechwa
1983 – Szaleństwa Panny Ewy as dr Hieronim Tyszowski
1985 – Podróże Pana Kleksa as Professor Ambroży Kleks
1987 – Cesarskie cięcie as Dr. Erdman
1987 – Zabij mnie glino as Zientara
1988 – Pan Kleks w Kosmosie as Professor Ambroży Kleks
1989 – {{ill|Konsul (film)|pl|lt=Konsul}} as Czesław Wiśniak / Jacek Ben Silberstein
1989 – A Tale of Adam Mickiewicz's 'Forefathers' Eve' as Sobolewski
1990 – Escape from the 'Liberty' Cinema as Party Secretary
1994 – Tata, a Marcin powiedział as Dad
1995 – Awantura o Basię as Stanisław Olszowski
1997 – Rover Dangerfield as Rover Dangerfield (voice, Polish dub)
1998 – Billboard as „Kaleka”
1999 – Lot 001 as Captain
1999 – Tygrysy Europy as Henryk Laskowski
1999 – Rodzina zastępcza as Jacek Kwiatkowski
2001 – Tryumf pana Kleksa as Professor Ambroży Kleks (voice)
2002 – Day of the Wacko as TV doctor
2002 – Ice Age as Diego (voice, Polish dub)
2004 – The Incredibles as Bob Parr / Mr. Incredible (voice, Polish dub)
2006 – Rozmowy z katem as Jürgen Stroop
2016 – The Jungle Book as King Louie (voice, Polish dub)
2018 – Incredibles 2 as Bob Parr / Mr. Incredible (voice, Polish dub)
2018 – The Mire as Hotel Manager
2021 – Kontrakt as the Narrator
2021 – Pan Kleks. Wojna i milosc as the Narrator

References

External links

[https://archive.today/20070312011743/http://www.filmpolski.pl/fp/film1.dll/spisfilmow?osoba=799&baza=1 IBFP entry]
{{IMDb name|id=0296389|name=Piotr Fronczewski}}
[http://www.franekkimono.com/ Link to official Franek Kimono project page]

Category:1946 births

Category:20th-century Polish male actors

Category:Male actors from Łódź

Category:Living people

Category:Polish people of Jewish descent

Category:Polish Roman Catholics

Category:Polish cabaret performers

Category:Polish male film actors

Category:Polish male stage actors

Category:Polish male television actors

Category:Polish theatre directors

Category:Polish male voice actors