Anna Prucnal, a Polish actress, singer, and theatre personality, was born on December 17, 1940, in Warsaw, Poland. Her father, a surgeon, was tragically killed by the Nazis during World War II, leaving Anna and her sister to be raised by their mother, a woman of noble descent and a distant relative of King Stanislas Leszczyński of Poland.
Anna's early life was marked by a passion for music, as she studied piano and lyrical song. She began her acting career at the Studencki Teatr Satyryków in Warsaw, before making her film debut at the age of twenty-two in the popular release "Sun and Shadow".
In 1970, Anna relocated to France, where she embarked upon a successful theatrical career, appearing in numerous productions of Bertolt Brecht's plays. She worked with some of the most renowned directors of the time, including Jorge Lavelli, Georges Wilson, Roger Planchon, Jean-Louis Barrault, Marc'O, Petrika Ionesco, Lucian Pintilie, and Jacques Lassalle.
Anna's film career was also marked by several notable releases, including Dusan Makavejev's "Sweet Movie", which was deemed pornographic and anticommunist by the Polish authorities, leading to her being banned from using her Polish passport and effectively exiling her from her homeland.
During the 1970s, Anna developed her career as a singer, releasing the popular album "Dream of West, Dream of East", which initially gained popularity in France, Belgium, and worldwide, before finally being released in Warsaw in 1989 to celebrate the bicentenary of the French Revolution.
Prucnal has continued to release records, including "Monsieur Brecht" in 2006, and has acted in films, television, and stage productions, including the acclaimed play "The Vagina Monologues" in 2005. In 2002, she published her autobiography, "Moi qui suis née à Varsovie" ("I, who was born in Warsaw"),co-authored with Jean Mailland, although it has not yet been translated into English.
