Famous Polish people (that we have actually heard of)

She was the mistress of Nicholas II before his marriage. Later she married one of his cousins.

@Paulina
Oh, there's plenty more. They're just the most famous, i.e. the tip of the iceberg.

When I was a kid, there used to be shampoo adverts showing someone with the caption "Rula Lenska - famous Polish actress". She's actually British with Polish patents and was born Countess Róża Maria Leopoldyna Łubieńska z herbu Pomian. Her father Count Łubieński was Josef Beck's private Secretary and later General Sikorski's adjutant.

She's remembered for her marriage to the late Denis Waterman and still works as an actress.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rula_Lenska

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Józef Konrad Korzeniowski. Ignacy Paderewski. Henryk Wieniawski. Krzysztof Penderecki. Grazyna Bacewicz (accent undoeable, it's my computer).

Here's Władyslaw Sikorski. As well as being Poland's best known wartime figure, he was also a great officer before that, during the illegal invasion of Poland in 1920, particularly distinguishing himself during the victorious Battle of Warsaw. He also won other battles against the invader.

The second photograph, as well as Winston and Clemmie, shows him with General Kukiel.

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In America the ads didn't have any label she just said something like "Hi, I'm Rula Lenska" as if the audience was supposed to recognize her... the ads were the pre-internet version of 'viral' in that they were the source of a lot of jokes.

I remember reading at the time that she was supposed to be famous in the UK (maybe not from what you write....)

Her fame came first from the shampoo ads then took off, especially after she married a tv actor who died last month.

Edit. I just had a look on Dr Google and there was something from America calling her a famous British actress.

In the U.K. people think of the connection with Poland because she's done TV about it and people know she's a Countess,

She was quite well known, not really as an actress, more as a 'celebrity' - and as Jon says, Denis Waterman's wife. She was one of those celebs who did 'tv appearances' on chat shows and things, rather than actual acting roles from what I recall anyway. Maybe she did/does theatre work. Lots of British actors who have brief tv fame actually do a lot of other work.

Actually, I once saw an interesting interview with Rula Lenska where she talked about her grandmothers, one of whom who had been in Ravensbruck concentration camp during the war and apparently granny said to Rula 'It is your enemy's duty to destroy you; it is your duty to survive.'

Two Wachowski brothers were born in Chicago in Pol Am family in 1960s. They directed 3 cult Matrix films. About ten years ago they changed into Wachowski sisters - Lana and Lilly. . Amasing!

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They looked better as brothers.

That is your private opinion. I think other posters prefer them as sisters. Who, for example?

No idea, Strzelec?, Novi?

Whatever.

Their films are pretty damn good and they are excellent at what they do.

Yes, I was thinking about him.


Exactly, I watched the first Matrix several times. It was a revelation to me.

I didn't realise that the late British actor Robert Donat (The 39 Steps, Goodbye Mr Chips, The Inn of the Sixth Happiness) was part Polish.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Donat

Geez that's a good name, it is sad the family went to the dogs and she became an actress.

She's a much loved actress, very elegant too.

She's a much loved actress, very elegant too. Famous for West End theatre and also has done documentaries.

What did he have to do with Serbia?

he died in Serbia fighting the Ottomans (look up the Battle of Golubac)