She was born on 26th June 1933, in Bydgoszcz. She was a theatre and film actress, as well as an opposition activist during the time of the Polish People’s Republic.
In 1957, she graduated from the Leon Schiller National Film School. She worked as an actress for Powszechny Theatre in Łódź (in the years 1946-57), the Aleksander Węgierko Drama Theatre in Białystok (in the years 1957-1959), the combined theatres in Bydgoszcz and Toruń, which operated under the common name of Teatr Ziemi Pomorskiej (in the years 1959-1961), the Polish Theatre in Bydgoszcz (in the years 1961-1964), the Stefan Jaracz Theatre in Olsztyn (with a branch in Elbląg) (in the years 1964-1966), the so-called Lower Silesia Theatre in Jelenia Góra (in the years 1966-1967), Wybrzeże Theatre in Gdańsk (in the years 1967-1970), and the Helena Modrzejewska National Stary Theatre in Kraków (in the years 1970-1971). In 1971, Halina Słojewska returned to perform on stage of Wybrzeże Theatre in Gdańsk and worked there until the end of her acting career, in 2001. She gave her last stage performance as Death in the play ,,Tragedya o Bogaczu i Łazarzu” (A Tragedy about Rich man and Lazarus) directed by Krzysztof Babicki, which premièred on 8th June 2001. Starting in 1974, she was appointed the Speaker of the Board for the Gdańsk Department of the Polish Actors Association (ZASP).
In 1980, working closely with other actors from the TriCity, she supported striking workers with performances at the BHP Hall of the Vladimir Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk. As an opposition activist, Halina Słojewska helped other opposition activists, who had to hide during martial law in Poland, by acting as part of a charity commission established at St. Bridget’s Church in Gdańsk.
Halina Słojewska was also a film actress, who played in the film ,,Prom”/”The Ferry” directed by Jerzy Afanasjew, in which she partnered up with Henryk Abbe , also a native of Bydgoszcz, in ,,Tajemnica wielkiego Krzysztofa” (1972) directed by Mieczysław Waśkowski, or in ,,Wróżby Kumaka”/”The Call of the Toad”(2005) directed by Robert Gliński, and many others. The actress also appeared in a number of television productions, such as the TV series ,,Radio Romans”/”Radio Romance” (1995) directed by Ireneusz Engler and Janusz Dymek, and in television plays, for example as the main protagonist Jadwiga in the play ,,Polityka” (1981) directed by Jerzy Afanasjew.
In 2006, Halina Słojewska was awarded the Order of Polonia Restituta Fourth Class (the Officer’s Cross), and just one year later received the Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis. She died on 1st November 2018, in Gdańsk.
Selected Filmography
- 1970 – ,,Prom”/”The Ferry”, dir. by Jerzy Afanasjew
- 1972 – ,,Tajemnica wielkiego Krzysztofa”, dir. by Mieczysław Waśkowski
- 1978 – ,,Znaki zodiaku”/”The Signs of Zodiac”, dir. by Gerard Zalewski
- 1988 – ,,Dziewczyna z Hotelu Excelsior”/”A Little Girl from the Hotel ‘Excelsior”, dir. by Antoni Krauze
- 1994 – Molly, dir. by Nick Laughland (TV series)
- 1995 – ,,Radio Romans”/”Radio Romance”, dir. by Ireneusz Engler, Janusz Dymek (TV series)
- 2000 – ,,Piotrek zgubił dziadka oko, a Jasiek chce dożyć spokojnej starości”/”Peter Lost His Grandpa’s Eye, Johnny Wants To Reach a Ripe Old Age”, dir. by Maciej Wojtyszko (TV series)
- 2005 – ,,Wróżby Kumaka”/”The Call of the Toad”, dir. by Robert Gliński
