Joanna Kulig (; born 24 June 1982) is a Polish actress and singer. She gained recognition for her starring role in the 2018 historical drama film Cold War, which earned her the European Film Award and the Polish Academy Award for Best Actress.
After an unsuccessful attempt at a career as a jazz singer, Kulig enrolled at the AST National Academy of Theatre Arts in Kraków, graduating in 2007. She began performing on stage while still in drama school, debuting in the play A Midsummer Night's Dream. Her first starring film role in the 2007 drama Wednesday, Thursday Morning won her the award for Best Debut at the Gdynia Film Festival. She received further acclaim for her performance in the 2011 film Elles, which earned her a Polish Academy Award and her second award at the Gdynia Film Festival, both for Best Supporting Actress.
Kulig became known for her frequent collaborations with director Paweł Pawlikowski. She appeared in three of his films: The Woman in the Fifth (2011), the Academy Award-winning Ida (2013) and Cold War (2018). Her other notable credits include the highest-grossing Polish film of all time Clergy (2018), and the Netflix series The Eddy (2020).
Early life and education
Kulig was born on 24 June 1982 in Krynica, Lesser Poland Voivodeship. Her mother worked as a cook at a local kindergarten and her father was a folk poet. She was raised with four siblings—two older brothers and two younger sisters—in Muszynka. One of her sisters, Justyna Schneider, is also an actress and adopted their great-grandmother's surname to avoid confusion as their first names are similar.
As as child, Kulig sang in a church choir. She graduated from the Frédéric Chopin First Degree State Music School in Krynica, where she studied piano. At 18, she moved to Kraków, and enrolled at the Mieczysław Karłowicz State Music School Complex, from which she graduated in singing. In the meantime, she also completed the Kraków Vocational Technical High School for Hotel Administration. In 2007, Kulig earned an acting degree with a specialisation in singing from the AST National Academy of Theatre Arts in Kraków. She was the first in her family to graduate from a university. Kulig initially wanted to be a professional jazz singer. She applied twice to study jazz at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music, but was rejected on both occasions. She was also interested in conducting, but was also unsuccessful. She explained: "no one wanted me, so I went to university to do drama and singing," which started her acting career.
Career
1998–2018: Career beginnings and stardom in Poland
In 1998, Kulig won an episode of the Polish television talent show A Chance for Success by performing Grzegorz Turnau's song "Między ciszą a ciszą". She took part in the show's annual final, and came third. Turnau later invited her to sing with him on his 2002 album Nawet. Kulig also participated in season two of the Polish television talent show Idol in 2002. She was eliminated in the semi-finals.