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Revision as of 04:37, 3 June 2006
The Polish people, who in 1930 had a world-wide population of some 22 million, experienced a major population surge in the 1960s and by 2005 had attained a world-wide population of over 45 million.
This is a partial list of famous Polish or Polish-speaking/writing persons, or persons born on historically Polish soil. In the interest of fairness and accuracy, a minority of persons of mixed heritage have their respective ancestries credited. This list has been subject to dispute as to which persons may properly be listed as Poles, due to Polish terrorities having been at various times occupied by foreign countries, and due to the spirited discussions, in recent years, of ethnic identity in the United States, Canada, the Americas, Europe, Asia, Oceania and Africa. Indicating ancestry is meant to encourage civility in discussions of such often complex questions. Members of the Misplaced Pages community are, of course, free and encouraged to offer their own approaches to the common effort.
Please add names to the various categories of this list in alphabetical order. The order of the Polish alphabet is:
a ą b c ć d e ę f g h i j k l ł m n ń o ó p r s ś t u v w x y z ź ż.
 | This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. |
History
- Julia Ornaf
- Gall Anonim
- Jan Długosz — medieval historian of Poland.
- Pawel Jasienica - writer
- Feliks Koneczny - Polish historian and social philosopher
- Władysław Kozaczuk — military and intelligence historian of the World War II era.
- Joachim Lelewel - historian, outstanding translator of skaldic poetry to Polish
- Szymon Okolski (1580-1653) - historian, theologian, specialist in Polish heraldry
- Tadeusz Manteuffel — medievalist.
- Michael Alfred Peszke — historian of the Polish Armed Forces in World War II.
- Władysław Tatarkiewicz — historian of philosophy and esthetics.
- Richard Woytak — historian of the World War II era.
Science
Astronomy
- Franciszek Armiński
- Albert Brudzewski
- Tadeusz Banachiewicz
- Władysław Dziewulski
- Felicjan Kępiński
- Nicolaus Copernicus (Mikołaj Kopernik) (Nationality sometimes in question)
- Marian Albertovich Kowalski
- Aleksander Wolszczan
- Johannes Hevelius (Jan Heweliusz) (Nationality sometimes in question)
- Bohdan Paczyński
- Marcin Poczobutt-Odlanicki
- Adam Prazmowski
- Konrad Rudnicki
- Wiesław Wiśniewski
Biology
- Joseph Babiński, physician
- Edmund Biernacki, physician
- Czesław Bieżanko, famous entomologist
- Adam Gruca, surgeon
- Stanisław Burzyński, famous physician
- Tytus Chałubiński, physician
- Napoleon Cybulski, famous neurophysiologist
- Maria Antonina Czaplicka, anthropologist
- Wiktor Dega, revolutionary surgeon
- August Dehnel, biologist
- Jozef Dietl, physician
- Władysław Taczanowski, zoologist
- Marian Gieszczykiewicz, physican
- Ryszard Gryglewski, physician
- Emil Godlewski, embryologist
- Ludwik Hirszfeld, microbiologist
- Walery Jaworski, physician
- Karol Marcinkowski, physician
- Stefan Kopec, biologist
- Rudolf Weigl, biologist
- Jan Czekanowski, anthropologist
- Feliks Paweł Jarocki, zoologist
- Marek Kotański, psychologist
- Zbigniew Kabata, biologist
- Hilary Koprowski, famous biologist
- Andrzej Wiktor Schally, endocrynologist
- Wojciech Jastrzębowski, biologist
- Konstanty Jelski, ornithologist
- Jerzy Konorski, microbiologist
- Tadeusz Krwawicz, medical pioneer
- Marie Elizabeth Zakrzewska, physician
- Andrew Paulukiewichz, biologist
- Bronisław Piłsudski, anthropologist
- Zbigniew Religa, cardiologist
- Józef Rostafiński, biologist
- Bolesław Skarżyński, biologist
- Eduard Adolf Strasburger, (of German descent) (born in Poland) famous 19th century Botanist
- Jan Sztolcman, ornithologist
- Zbylut Twardowski, physician
- Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski, biologist
Chemistry
- Józef Boguski
- Jan Czochralski
- Maria Skłodowska-Curie, two Nobel Prizes winner
- Tadeusz Estreicher (with German ancestors)
- Kazimierz Fajans
- Kazimierz Funk (with German ancestors)
- Antoni Grabowski
- Roald Safran
- Adolf Joszt
- Sylwester Porowski
- Wiktor Kemula
- Stanisław Kostanecki
- Marek Gatty-Kostyal
- Ignacy Mościcki
- Marceli Nencki
- Ignacy Łukasiewicz
- Leon Marchlewski
- Karol Olszewski
- Tadeusz Reichstein
- Michał Sędziwój
- Edward Sucharda
- Alina Surmacka-Szczesniak
- Wojciech Świętosławski
- Bohdan Szyszkowski
- Andrzej Tarkowski
- Józef Zawadzki
- Jędrzej Śniadecki
- Marcin Jakub Pałys
- Barbara Jadwiga Pałys
Engineering
- Karol Adamiecki, engineer
- Krzysztof Arciszewski, engineer
- Stefan Bryła, engineer
- Romuald Cebertowicz, hydrotechnician
- Mieczysław G. Bekker, built the first moon rover
- Zdzisław Celiński, engineer
- Casimir Gzowski, engineer
- Edward Jan Habich, engineer
- Jacek Jędruch, engineer
- Emil Konopinski, American designer of first atomic bomb with Edward Teller
- Alfred Korzybski, engineer, mathematician
- Ernest Malinowski, engineer
- Ralph Modjeski, famous bridge builder
- Henryk Magnuski, engineer
- Tytus Maksymilian Huber, engineer
- Edmund Obiala, engineer
- Waclaw Olszak, engineer
- Felix Pawlowski, early pioneer of aviation, one of the first American aeronautical engineers
- Walter Golaski, biomedical engineer
- Wojciech Rostafiński, NASA engineer
- Kazimierz Siemienowicz, revolutionary engineer
- Avraham Stern, engineer
- Tadeusz Tański, automobile engineer
- Konstantin Tsiolkovski (Konstanty Cioŀkowski), spaceflight pioneer
- Piotr Wilniewczyc, arms constructor
- Stanisław Wigura, aviation engineer
- Henry Millicer, aviator engineer
- Jerzy Dąbrowski, aeronautical engineer, designer of the PZL.37 Łoś bomber
- Zygmunt Puławski, aeronautical engineer, designer of the PZL P-11 fighter
Economics
Invention
- Jozef Kosacki, engineer, inventor mine detector
- Leo Gerstenzang, inventor Q-Tips
- Stefan Drzewiecki, inventor
- Jozef Piotrowski, inventor
- Janusz Groszkowski, inventor
- Kazimierz Gzowski, inventor
- Rudolf Gundlach, inventor of tank periscope
- Włodzimierz Holsztyński, inventor of GAPP
- Stefan Kudelski, inventor Nagra audio recorders
- Edmund Nowak, inventor
- Antoni Patek, pioneer in watchmaking and a creator of Patek Philippe & Co.
- Jan Szczepanik, famous inventor
- Steve Wozniak "The Woz", American engineer, inventor Apple I Apple II
- Tadeusz Sendzimir, engineer, prolific inventor
- Józef Tykociński, inventor film sound
- Kazimierz Proszyński, inventor of the first cinema camera
- Casimir Zeglen, first bullet-proof vest
Computer Science
- Siemion Fajtlowicz, creator of Graffiti
- Jacek Karpinski
- Antoni Kilinski
- Romuald Marczynski
- Adam Osborne (Polish mother)
- Stanisław Radziszowski
- Andrzej Trybulec, creator of Mizar system
- Jan Weglarz
Linguists
- Jan Niecisław Baudouin de Courtenay
- Jan Czekanowski
- Jerzy Kuryłowicz
- Jan Miodek
- Jaroslav Rudnyckyj
- Antoni Józef Śmieszek
- Anna Wierzbicka
- L. L. Zamenhof (born in Poland of Jewish descent)
Mathematics
- Stefan Banach
- Tadeusz Banachiewicz
- Kazimierz Bartel
- Karol Borsuk
- Jacob Bronowski
- Jan Brożek
- Albert Brudzewski
- Witold Hurewicz
- Henryk Iwaniec
- Zygmunt Janiszewski
- Stanisław Jaśkowski
- Mark Kac
- Stefan Kaczmarz
- Krystyna Trybulec,
- Kazimierz Kuratowski
- Bronisław Knaster
- Zdzisław Krygowski
- Kazimierz Kordylewski
- Tadeusz Kotarbiński
- Robert Kowalski
- Franciszek Leja
- Stanisław Leśniewski
- Antoni Łomnicki
- Stanisław Łojasiewicz
- Jerzy Łoś
- Jan Łukasiewicz
- Benoit Mandelbrot
- Edward Szpilrajn-Marczewski
- Józef Marcinkiewicz
- Stefan Mazurkiewicz
- Stanisław Mazur
- Michał Misiurewicz
- Andrzej Mostowski
- Zenon Mróz
- Jan Mycielski
- Jerzy Spława-Neyman
- Otton M. Nikodym
- Andrew Odlyzko
- Władysław Orlicz
- Hanna Patkowska
- Józef H. Przytycki
- Helena Rasiowa
- Marian Rejewski
- Jerzy Różycki
- Christoff Rudolff
- Stanisław Ruziewicz
- Czesław Ryll-Nardzewski
- Stanisław Saks
- Andrzej Schinzel
- Wacław Sierpiński
- Roman Sikorski
- Wanda Szmielew
- Władysław Ślebodziński
- Jan Śniadecki
- Yulian Sokhotski
- Włodzimierz Stożek
- Mikhail Subbotin (of Russian origin)
- Alfred Tarski
- Henryk Toruńczyk
- Stanisław Ulam
- Kazimierz Urbanik
- Jan Węglarz, computer scientist
- Tadeusz Ważewski
- Józef Hoëné-Wroński
- Kazimierz Zarankiewicz
- Stanisław Zaremba
- Bogdan Ziemian
- Kazimierz Żorawski
- Henryk Zygalski
- Antoni Zygmund
Physics
- Kazimierz Antonowicz
- Czesław Białobrzeski
- Georges Charpak, Nobel Prize (1995)
- Maria Skłodowska, two Nobel Prizes
- Jan Kazimierz Danysz
- Marian Danysz
- Gabriel Fahrenheit (born in Danzig, of German origin, worked in Netherlands)
- James Gimzewski
- Władysław Gosiewski
- Leopold Infeld
- Kazimierz Jabłczyński
- Aleksander Jabłoński
- Theodor Kaluza
- Sylwester Kaliski
- Józef Kowalski-Wierusz
- Marian Mięsowicz
- Stanisław Mrozowski
- Władysław Natanson
- Georges Nomarski
- Władysław Opęchowski
- Jerzy Pniewski
- Joseph Polchinski
- Wojciech Rubinowicz
- Maurycy Pius Rudzki
- Joseph Slawny
- Marian Smoluchowski (father of kinetics)
- Adam Sobiczewski
- Witelo (medieval philosopher and scientist, specialist in optics)
- Frank Wilczek (Nobel Prize, 2004)
- Mieczysław Wolfke (Polish scientist of partial German origin)
- Stanisław Lech Woronowicz
- Zygmunt Wróblewski
- Stanisław Ziemecki
- Wojciech H. Zurek
Other
- Henryk Arctowski, scientist, explorer
- Karol J. Bobko, NASA astronaut
- Gerard Ciołek, architect and historian of gardens
- Jan Czerski, geographer and geologist
- Aleksander Czekanowski, geologist
- Kazimierz Dąbrowski, psychologist
- Ignacy Domeyko, (Belarusian-Polish) geologist
- Zygmunt Gloger, ethnographer, archeologist, historian
- Jozef Grzybowski, geologist, paleontologist
- Tomasz Górecki, archeologist
- Ludwig Gumplowicz, founder of sociology
- Mirosław Hermaszewski, the first Polish astronaut
- Antoni Kępiński, psychiatrist
- Mieczysław Klimaszewski, geographer, geomorphologist
- Janusz Korczak, pedagogist
- Józef Kostrzewski, archeologist, museologist
- Jan Kubary, anthropologist
- Oskar Lange, economist
- Henryk Lipszyc, specialist in Japanese culture, translator, embassador of Poland in Tokyo
- Bronisław Malinowski, Polish-British anthropologist
- Władysław Markiewicz, sociologist
- Kazimierz Michałowski, archaeologist
- Karol Myśliwiec, archaeologist
- Stanisław Ossowski, sociologist
- Scott E. Parazynski, NASA astronaut
- Antoni Patek, pioneer in watchmaking and a creator of Patek Philippe & Co.
- James A. Pawelczyk, NASA astronaut
- Michael Alfred Peszke, psychiatrist
- Jan Potocki, linguist, Egyptologist, sociologist
- Józef Rotblat (Nobel Peace Prize, 1995)
- Romuald Schild, archaeologist
- Stefan Starzyński, economist
- Antoni Józef Śmieszek, Egyptologist
- Stanisław of Skarbimierz, political scientist
- Tadeusz Sulimirski, archeaologist
- Paweł Edmund Strzelecki, explorer
- Paweł Włodkowic, scholar and lawyer
- Edmund Wnuk-Lipiński, sociologist
- Florian Znaniecki, sociologist
Music
Main article: List of Polish composers- Michael Anthony, bass player for Van Halen
- Grażyna Bacewicz, composer
- Edyta Bartosiewicz, singer
- Tadeusz Biernacki conductor, pianist
- Tony Blackplait, singer, composer
- Fryderyk Chopin, (French father of distant Polish heritage, Polish mother), composer
- Krzesimir Dębski, composer
- Andrzej Dobrowolski, composer
- Urszula Dudziak, singer
- Anna German, (German-Polish) singer
- Mikołaj Gomołka, composer
- Ted Gomulka, bandleader in the 1930s
- Henryk Górecki, composer
- Grzegorz Gerwazy Gorczycki, composer
- Mieczyslaw Horszowski, pianist
- Martyna Jakubowicz, singer
- Anna Jantar, singer
- Adam Jarzębski, composer
- Jan A. P. Kaczmarek, film composer (Oscar prize)
- Mieczysław Karłowicz, composer
- Stefan Kisielewski, composer, writer
- Wojciech Kilar, composer
- Krzysztof Klenczon, singer
- Eugeniusz Knapik, composer
- Krzysztof Komeda, jazz composer
- Włodzimierz Kotoński, composer
- Kasia Kowalska, singer
- Józef Kozłowski, pianist
- Gene Krupa, composer
- Natalia Kukulska, singer
- Hanna Kulenty, composer
- Theodor Kullak, composer
- Karol Kurpiński, composer
- Wanda Landowska, harpsichordist
- Theodor Leschetizky, pianist, pedagogue
- Franciszek Lilius, composer
- Karol Lipiński, composer
- Witold Lutosławski, composer
- Ray Manzarek, musician, keyboardist for The Doors
- Krzysztof Meyer, composer
- Carl Mikuli, composer
- Marcin Mielczewski, composer
- Moritz Moszkowski, composer
- Stanisław Moniuszko, composer
- Zygmunt Mycielski, composer
- Michał Kleofas Ogiński, composer
- Napolean Orda
- Benjamin Orr, musician, former bass player for the Cars
- Ignacy Jan Paderewski, pianist, composer
- Roman Palester, composer
- Andrzej Panufnik, composer
- Krzysztof Penderecki, composer
- Bartłomiej Pękiel, composer
- Edyta Piecha, singer
- Zbigniew Preisner, composer
- Mikołaj z Radomia, Middle Ages composer
- Maryla Rodowicz, singer
- Marcin Rozynek, singer
- Arthur Rubinstein, (Jewish) pianist
- Johnny Rzeznik, musician, lead singer for the Goo Goo Dolls
- Bogusław Schaeffer, composer
- Xaver Scharwenka, composer
- Kazimierz Serock, composer
- Michał Spisak, composer
- Tomasz Stańko, jazz trumpeter
- Leopold Stokowski, conductor
- Zygmunt Stojowski, composer
- Witold Szalonek, composer
- Wacław z Szamotuł, composer
- Stanisław Sylwester Szarzyński, composer
- Tadeusz Szeligowski, composer
- Władysław Szpilman, (Jewish) pianist
- Karol Szymanowski, (Polish father, Swedish mother) composer
- Paweł Szymański, composer
- Barbara Trzetrzelewska, singer
- Piotr Wawrzeniuk, heavy metal drummer and vocalist, former drummer of Swedish symphonic metal band, Therion (band)
- Henryk Wieniawski, composer
- Michał Wiśniewski, singer, famous for ESC performances with Ich Troje
- D'Arcy Wretzky, (Ukrainian-Polish) former bass player for The Smashing Pumpkins
- Mikołaj Zieleński, composer
- Krystian Zimerman, pianist
Literature
Main article: List of Polish writers
- Adam Asnyk Positivist
- Krzysztof Kammil Baczyński, poet
- Stanisław Baliński, poet
- Agnieszka Lipska Baranowska, author
- Charles Bukowski, Polish-American father, German-born mother, poet, writer.
- Władysław Broniewski, poet
- Jan Brzechwa, poet
- Joseph Conrad (Teodor Józef Korzeniowski), English writer
- Józef Czechowicz, poet
- Lucyna Ćwierczakiewiczowa, the first Polish cook book author
- Maria Dąbrowska, novelist
- Johannes Dantiscus (Jan Dantyszek), Latin poet and Prince-Bishop of Warmia
- Tadeusz Dołęga-Mostowicz, novelist
- Jacek Dukaj, science-fiction writer
- Adolf Dygasiński - novelist
- Aleksander Fredro, humorist, artist
- Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński, poet
- Janusz Głowacki - play-writer, non-fiction writer
- Witold Gombrowicz, novelist and drama writer
- Stefan Grabiński
- Zbigniew Herbert, poet
- Paweł Huelle, essayist
- Kazimiera Iłłakowiczówna, poet
- Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz, poet
- Wincenty Kadłubek political scientist, writer
- Ryszard Kapuściński, writer and journalist
- Jan Kasprowicz poet, translator, essayist
- Jan Kochanowski, poet
- Tadeusz Konwicki
- Zofia Kossak-Szczucka
- Ignacy Krasicki — author of Fables and Parables and of the first Polish novel.
- Józef Ignacy Kraszewski, writer
- Jan Lechoń, poet
- Stanisław Lem, science-fiction writer, essayist, philosopher
- Bolesław Leśmian, poet
- Ewa Lipska - poet
- Stanisław Lubieniecki writer, astronomer
- Tomasz Łubieński - play-writer, esseist
- Andrzej Majewski - aphorist, writer, poet
- Adam Mickiewicz, poet
- Grazyna Miller, poet, translator, journalist
- Czesław Miłosz, Polish poet, Nobel Prize in Literature (1980).
- Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski poet, humanist
- Adam Naruszewicz poet, translator, historian
- Julian Ursyn Niemcewicz poet, playwright, independence activist
- Cyprian Kamil Norwid, poet
- Beata Obertyńska, poet
- Eliza Orzeszkowa Positivist, writer
- Agnieszka Osiecka - poet
- Ferdynand Antoni Ossendowski, writer
- Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska - poet
- Sergiusz Piasecki, one of the most famous Polish writers
- Krzysztof Piesiewicz, screenwriter and politician
- Halina Poświatowska- poet
- Bolesław Prus — journalist, short-story writer, novelist; wrote the novel, Pharaoh.
- Ksawery Pruszyński - non-fiction writer
- Julian Przyboś, poet
- Mikołaj Rej, poet
- Władysław Reymont, writer, Nobel Prize in Literature (1924)
- Maria Rodziewiczówna - novelist
- Andrzej Sapkowski, fantasy writer
- Joanna Siedlecka, non-fiction writer
- Henryk Sienkiewicz, writer, Nobel Prize in Literature (1905)
- Isaac Bashevis Singer, writer, Nobel Prize in Literature (1966).
- Piotr Skarga poet, writer, humanist
- Antoni Słonimski, poet
- Edward Stachura, poet
- Anatol Stern, poet
- Leopold Staff, poet
- Włodzimierz Szymanowicz, poet
- Wisława Szymborska, Polish poet, Nobel Prize in Literature (1996).
- Jędrzej Śniadecki terminologist, writer
- Olga Tokarczuk, (Polish-Ukrainian) writer
- Irena Tuwim, poet
- Julian Tuwim, poet
- Jan Twardowski, poet
- Ryszard Tylman, poet
- Kornel Ujejski, poet
- Melchior Wańkowicz- non fiction writer, author of Monte Cassino
- Barbara Wachowicz - non fiction writer
- Aleksander Wat, poet
- Kazimierz Wierzyński, poet
- Józef Wittlin, poet
- Rafał Wojaczek, poet
- Stanisław Wyspiański,, painter and writer
- Rafał A. Ziemkiewicz, writer
- Franciszek Zabłocki, comic dramatist and satirist
- Janusz A. Zajdel, science-fiction writer
- Gabriela Zapolska, novelist
- Aleksandra Ziolkowska-Boehm,non-fiction writer
- Stefan Żeromski, novelist
- Eugeniusz Żytomirski, novelist
Philosophy
- Józef Maria Bocheński
- Leon Chwistek
- August Cieszkowski
- Wawrzyniec Grzymała Goślicki
- Hugo Kołłątaj
- Karol Libelt
- Krzysztof Michalski
- Barbara Skarga
- Stanisław Staszic
- Alfred Tarski
- Władysław Tatarkiewicz
- Józef Tischner
- Kazimierz Twardowski
- Cezary Wodziński
- Kevin Kokoszka
Fine arts
Main article: List of Polish artists Main article: List of Polish painters
- Magdalena Abakanowicz, sculptor
- Paweł Althamer
- Mirosław Bałka
- Krzysztof Bednarski, sculptor
- Christian Boltanski.
- Olga Boznańska, painter.
- Józef Brandt, painter.
- Józef Marian Chełmoński, painter.
- Zbigniew Dłubak, painter.
- Andrzej Dłużniewski
- Xawery Dunikowski, sculptor.
- Stefan Gierowski, painter.
- Zygmunt Gorgolewski, architect
- Wojciech Fangor, painter.
- Tadeusz Kantor, (1915-1990) painter, theatre director.
- Katarzyna Kobro, sculptor.
- Wojciech Kossak, painter.
- Katarzyna Kozyra, video artist.
- Zofia Kulik, performer.
- Tamara de Lempicka, painter.
- Zbigniew Lengren, cartoonist and illustrator.
- Zbigniew Libera
- Jan Matejko, painter
- Teresa Murak, sculptor
- Jerzy Nowosielski, painter
- Roman Opałka, painter
- Aleksander Orłowski, painter
- Joanna Rajkowska
- Jan Sawka, cartoonist
- Wit Stwosz, medieval sculptor
- Henryk Stażewski, painter
- Władysław Strzemiński, painter
- Józef Szajna, sculptor, scenography designer, theatre director
- Leon Tarasewicz, painter
- Ryszard Winiarski, painter
- Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, painter.
- Leon Wyczółkowski, painter.
- Stanisław Wyspiańskim painter.
- Jan Zamoyski, painter
- Korczak Ziołkowski, sculptor.
- Artur Żmijewski.
Entertainment
- Piotr Adamczyk, actor
- Piotr Józef Andrzejewski, actor known as Peter J. Lucas
- Józef Arkusz, film director
- Tomasz Baginski, short animated movies maker, nominated to Academy Award and BAFTA Award
- Andrzej Bartkowiak (born in 1950 in Łódź, Poland), cinematographer, director and actor.
- Tony Blackplait, film director
- Eugeniusz Bodo, singer and actor
- Ewa Braun, Academy Award winning set decorator, costume designer, production designer
- Jacob Bronowski
- Zbigniew Cybulski, actor
- Ewa Demarczyk, actress, poetry singer
- Dagmara Dominczyk, actress
- Pawel Edelman, cinematographer, nominated to Oscar
- Katarzyna Figura, actress
- Malgorzata Foremniak, actress, starred in Avalon
- Ilona Grabarczyk, filmmaker
- Samuel Goldwyn, (Jewish) film producer
- Gilda Gray, Marianna Winchalaska (or Michalski) ) actress, dancer, vaudeville performer
- Jerzy Grotowski, theatre reformer
- Agnieszka Holland, film director, nominated to Academy Awards and BAFTA Award
- Krystyna Janda, actress
- Jan A.P. Kaczmarek, Academy Award winning composer, nominated to BAFTA Award
- Jacek Kaczmarski, protest songwriter and singer
- Janusz Kaminski, two Oscars and BAFTA Award winning cinematographer and film director
- Bronislau Kaper, Academy Award winning composer
- Jan Kiepura (Polish father, Jewish mother), singer and actor
- Krzysztof Kieślowski, film director, nominated to Academy Awards
- Olek Krupa, actor
- Kazimierz Kutz, film director
- Bogusław Linda, actor
- Herman Mankiewicz, screenwriter, Academy Award winner
- Joseph Mankiewicz, three Oscars and Golden Globe winning director and screenwriter
- Paul Mazursky, film director, screenwriter and producer, nominated to Academy Awards
- Helena Modrzejewska, actress (born Helena Modjeska)
- Pola Negri, actress
- Wacław Niżyński (Vaslav Nijinsky), ballet dancer and choreographer
- Joanna Pacula, actress
- Alan J. Pakula, film director, screenwriter and producer, nominated to Academy Awards
- Ludwika Paleta, Polish-Mexican actress
- Roman Polański, (born Rajmund Liebling) (Catholic mother, Jewish father) film director, writer and actor, Academy Award, Golden Globe, Golden Palm, BAFTA Awards, Golden Berlin Bear, César Awards and Golden Lion winner
- Wojciech Pszoniak, actor of Comedie Francaise
- Daniel Olbrychski, actor
- Teresa Orłowski, adult movie performer and producer
- Jerzy Owsiak, broadcaster
- Zbigniew Rybczynski, Oscar and Emmy Award winning filmmaker
- Leon Schiller, theater director.
- Izabella Scorupco, actress and singer
- Andrzej Seweryn, actor of Comédie Française
- Anna B. Sheppard, costume designer, nominated to Academy Awards and BAFTA Award
- Jerzy Skolimowski, film director
- Ladislas Starevich properly: Władysław Starewicz, film director, stop-motion animator
- Allan Starski, Oscar winning production designer, art director, set designer
- Leopold Stokowski, Academy Award winning composer
- Larry and Andy Wachowski
- Andrzej Wajda, Academy Award, Golden Palm, BAFTA Award, Silver Berlin Bear, César Award and Golden Lion winning film director, one of the greatest film directors of all time
- Albert, Harry and Sam Warner (Jewish)
- Samuel "Billy" Wilder, six Oscars winning film director, screenwriter and producer (Polish Jew)
- Lillian Wilczkowsky, (Jewish) actress known as Chesty Morgan
- Krzysztof Zanussi, film producer
- Andrzej Żuławski, film director
Royalty
- Mieszko I
- Świętosława (Gunhild), daughter of Mieszko I of Poland, mother of Canute the Great, King of England, Denmark and Norway.
- Bolesław I the Brave, first King of Poland.
- Henryk II the Pious, senior duke of Poland, commander of Polish forces in the Battle of Legnica.
- Bolesław III Wrymouth.
- Władysław I the Elbow-high.
- Kazimierz III the Great.
- Jadwiga Angevin.
- Władysław II Jagiełło.
- Władysław III of Varna (Ulászló I), King of Poland and Hungary.
- Kazimierz IV Jagiellon, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, victor in the Thirteen Years' War (1454-1466).
- Aleksandra Lisowska (Khourrem, wife of Suleiman the Magnificent).
- Stefan Batory, Hungarian-born King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
- Jan III Sobieski, King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, victor at the Battle of Vienna.
- Stanisław Leszczyński, King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Duke of Lorraine.
- Maria Leszczyńska, consort of Louis XV, King of France.
- Stanisław August Poniatowski, last King of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, co-author of the Polish Constitution of May 3, 1791.
Nobility (szlachta)
See list of szlachta.
Sports
See list of Polish sports players
- Michael Klim, australian swimmer
- Jerzy Kukuczka, climber
- Wanda Rutkiewicz, climber
- Zenon Jaskuła, cycler
- Killer Kowalski, former wrestler
- Robert Kubica, racing driver
- Jerzy Pawłowski, fencer
- Mariusz Czerkawski, ice hockey player
- Krzysztof Oliwa, ice hockey player
- Robert Sycz, rower
- Mateusz Kusznierewicz, sailor
- Adam Małysz, ski jumper
- Tomasz Sikora, biathlete
- Mariusz Pudzianowski, strongman
- Otylia Jędrzejczak, swimmer
- Paweł Korzeniowski, swimmer
- Wojtek Fibak, tennis player
- Waldemar Baszanowski, weightlifter
- Akiba Rubinstein, chessplayer
- Miguel Najdorf, chessplayer
- Stanley Zbyszko, professional wrestler
- Daniel Tkaczuk, hockey player
- Wojciech Wolski, hockey player
Athletic
- Jon Fecowicz
- Robert Korzeniowski
- Janusz Kusociński
- Władysław Kozakiewicz
- Bronisław Malinowski
- Józef Schmidt
- Irena Szewińska
- Tadeusz Ślusarski
- Stanisława Walasiewicz
- Jacek Wszoła
Boxing
- Aleksy Antkiewicz
- Leszek Drogosz
- Andrzej Gołota
- Józef Grudzień
- Marian Kasprzyk
- Jerzy Kulej
- Dariusz Michalczewski
- Zbigniew Pietrzykowski
- Przemysław Saleta
- Hubert Skrzypczak
- Jan Szczepański
- Jan Michal Zapendowski
Football (soccer)
- Zbigniew Boniek
- Kazimierz Deyna
- Jerzy Dudek
- Miroslav Klose, (German father)
- Grzegorz Lato
- Włodzimierz Lubański
- Łukasz Podolski
- Jan Tomaszewski
- Wlodzimierz Smolarek
Basketball
- Robert Jaworski, Polish-Filipino basketball player and former senator (see also Politics and diplomacy)
- Maciej Lampe
Military
- Józef Bem, military commander, commander-in-chief of Hungarian army (1849)
- Tadeusz Bór-Komorowski, commander of the Home Army during the Warsaw Uprising
- Jan Karol Chodkiewicz, military commander, victor from Kircholm
- Jerzy Pajaczkowski-Dydynski, (1894-2005), 111, - Polish soldier of World War I and of the 1920-1921 Polish War against Soviet Russia. He was the oldest man in the UK at the time of his death.
- Jarosław Dąbrowski, military commander during the January Uprising and the Paris Commune
- Henryk Dembiński, military commander in the November Uprising and the Hungarian uprising of 1849
- Józef Haller, politician, commander of the Polish Army in France during WWI
- Jan Nowak-Jezioranski, (1913-2005) - Polish journalist and WWII hero
- Andrzej Karwowski - Polish general during Kościuszko's Uprising
- Franciszek Karwowski (1896-2005), 109, - Polish soldier
- Tadeusz Kościuszko, (born in modern day Belarus) commander and revolutionist
- Ryszard Kukliński, Polish Army Colonel, anti-communist spy
- Stanisław Maczek, (1892-1994), 102, commander of the Polish Armoured Division, later C-i-C of the Polish forces in exile after WWII
- Stanisław Sosabowski, commander of the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade, which saw action at Arnhem during Operation Market Garden
- Kazimierz Pułaski, military commander
- Hyman G. Rickover, U.S. Navy Admiral, Father of the Nuclear Navy
- Konstantin Rokossovsky, (born Konstanty Rokossowski) Marshall of the Soviet Union and Polish defense minister (Polish father and mother)
- Stefan Rowecki, military commander, commander-in-chief of the Home Army
- Władysław Sikorski
- Edward Rydz-Śmigły, military commander, successful in the Polish-Bolshevik war, C-i-C of the Polish Army in the September Campaign
- Aleksander Lisowski, commander of Lisowczycy
- Marian Zacharski, spy
- Stanisław Żółkiewski, chancellor of Poland, military commander, conqueror of Moscow
Politics and diplomacy
- Pedro Pablo Kuczynski - Prime Minister of Peru
- Józef Beck
- Marek Belka, former director of economic policy in the interim coalition administration of Iraq & Prime Minister
- Zbigniew Brzeziński , political scientist, advisor to US President Jimmy Carter.
- Roman Dmowski, nationalist politician, statesman
- Feliks Dzierżyński, the founder of the Bolshevik secret police, the Cheka
- Krzysztof Grzymułtowski, diplomat and voivod of Poznań, author of the Eternal Peace Treaty with Russia
- Edward Gierek, leader of communist Poland(1970-1980)
- Wojciech Jaruzelski, the last leader of communist Poland
- Robert Jaworski (see Sports/Basketball section above)
- Jarosław Kaczyński, identical twin brother of Lech, leader of the Law and Justice party
- Lech Kaczyński, President of Poland
- Wojciech Korfanty, leader Silesians during Third Silesian Uprising
- Janusz Korwin-Mikke, publicist, politician
- Stanislav Kosior (Stanisław Kosior), Soviet politician
- Aleksander Kwaśniewski, former President of Poland
- Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, Prime Minister of Poland
- Tadeusz Mazowiecki, politician, former polish prime minister
- Janusz Onyszkiewicz, vice-president of European Parliament
- Shimon Peres, Israeli politican
- Józef Piłsudski, statesman, politician and marshall
- Adam Rapacki, politician
- Jacek Saryusz-Wolski, vice-president of European Parliament
- Jerzy Urban, journalist, commentator, writer and politician
- Lech Wałęsa, trade unionist who started dismantling of the Soviet bloc
- Edward Werner, (born in Poland to parents of German origin) vice-Minister of Finance, and Polish diplomat during World War II
- Wincenty Witos, politician of the agrarian party
Iraqi/Enduring Freedom
- Jordan Flaga, C-130 Loadmaster
Holocaust resistors
- Mordechaj Anielewicz Military Leader of Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
- Jan Karski
- Zofia Kossak-Szczucka
- Witold Pilecki
- Irena Sendlerowa
- Henryk Sławik Polish diplomat
Religion
- Baal Shem Tov,
- Saint Bogumił of Dobrow
- Casimir Jagiełło, (Polish-Lithuanian descent) (grandson of Władysław II Jagiełło)
- Adam (Albert) Chmielowski,
- August Czartoryski, Beatified Prince
- Stanisław Dziwisz,
- Jacob Frank
- Saint Hyacinth,
- Marian Cardinal Jaworski, (Polish cardinal and archbishop)
- Karol Józef Wojtyła, John Paul II, Pope
- Saint Raphael Kalinowski
- Jan Kanty,
- Saint Kinga,
- Maksymilian Maria Kolbe,
- Hugo Kołłątaj, priest, statesman
- Stanislaus Kostka,
- Faustyna Kowalska,
- Stanislaus of Szczepanów,
- Stefan Cardinal Wyszyński,
Other
- Paul Austin, TPF specialist and poet
- Florian Ceynowa
- Franciszek Czapek, watchmaker
- Michał Drzymała
- Max Factor, producer of cosmetics ---This is not a person but a company.
- Wincenty Gostkowski, watchmaker
- Antoni Patek, watchmaker
- Benedykt Polak (Bendict the Pole, Benedictus Polonus), explorer
- Marek Kamiński, adventure traveller
- Ryszard Kukliński, (1930-2004) CIA masterspy during the Cold War
- Daniel Libeskind, architect
- Miguel Najdorf, chess player
- Krystyna Skarbek, SOE heroine of WWII
- Włodzimierz Waloc Trubecki, prince
- Arkadiusz Weremczuk (Ukrainian-Polish) fashion designer, known as Arkadius
- Magdalena Wróbel, top model
- Wilfrid Michael Voynich, bibliophile
- Janusz Żurakowski, WWII fighter pilot and Avro Arrow test pilot
Criminal persons
- Władysław Mazurkiewicz, serial killer
- Severin Antoniovich Klosowski, Jack the Ripper suspect
- Julian Koltun, serial killer
- "Gruby" Janek, mobster
- Stanisław Modzelewski, serial killer
- Zdzisław Marchwicki, serial killer
- Leszek Pękalski, serial killer
- Łucjan Staniak, serial killer - dubbed "The Red Spider" and "The Red Ripper"
- Leon Czolgosz
Controversial persons
- Ignacy Hryniewiecki, assassin of Tsar Alexander II of Russia
- Andrzej Lepper, politician
Germans born on German occupied Polish land
- Paul von Hindenburg (full name Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff und von Hindenburg) (October 2, 1847 – August 2, 1934) born in Prussian occupied Poznań on Podgorna street (Podgorna street in Poznan, Poland)
- Klaus von Klitzing
- Erika Steinbach
Heroes and Freedom fighters
- Ordon
- Emilia Plater (family of distant German origin)
- Józef Sowiński
- Karol Szwedowski
Legendary persons
- John of Kolno (Jan z Kolna, Johannes Scolnus or Scolvus), (semi?)legendary explorer and discoverer of America before Columbus (1476)
- Twardowski (semi?)legendary Faust-like sorcerer, in Polish legends first man on the Moon
- Janek Wiśniewski Freedom fighter, hero of riots in Gdynia 1970.
Fictional characters
- Nicodemus Dyzma (in Tadeusz Dołęga-Mostowicz's novel, The Career of Nicodemus Dyzma).
- Dr. Judym (in Stefan Żeromski's novel, Homeless People).
- Konrad Wallenrod (poem)
- Stanisław Wokulski (in Bolesław Prus' novel, The Doll)
- Blackhawk
- Magneto
- Sasquatch (dr. Walter Langkowski), Marvel superhero
- Captain William Joseph "B.J." Blazkowicz of Wolfenstein 3D
- Commander Keen, grandson of B.J. Blazkowicz
- Funky Koval, space detective
- Silk Spectre I & II of Watchmen
- John Paul Wiggin (Jan Paweł Wieczorek) from Ender Series
- Office Eddie Pulaski from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
- Waldemar Daninsky, wolfman from La Marca del Hombre Lobo
- Abel Rosnovski from Kane and Abel
- Florentyna Kane from The Prodigal Daughter and Shall We Tell the President?