Son of Czesław (1903-1984) and Irena (approx. 1912-1984). In 1953 he graduated from the State Higher School of Acting in Krakow, he made his debut at the Teatr im. Stefan Żeromski in Kielce. In the following years he performed at the stages of the following theaters: Wybrzeże in Gdańsk, Teatr Polski in Wrocław, Teatr Ludowy in Nowa Huta, Teatr Ziemi Krakowskie in Tarnów, Teatr im. Węgierki in Białystok, Teatr im. Jan Kochanowski in Opole and in the Theater of Stefan Jaracz in Łódź, where he was also involved in directing.
Career
He has played roles, among others with Andrzej Wajda, Wojciech Jerzy Has, Kazimierz Kutz and Agnieszka Holland. He also starred in two parts of Vabank , Kingsajz by Juliusz Machulski and Gods by Łukasz Palkowski. In over 65 years of his career, he has starred in over 40 series and 150 feature films. He became popular with the role of Marian Paździoch, Ferdinand Kiepski’s neighbor, in the TV series Świat according to Kiepski . He was also one of the candidates for the role of the main character.
In 1999, he was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta.
Disease
The actor suffered severe pneumonia two years ago, after which he considered leaving the Polish TV series. Later, he began to complain of memory problems. Due to his advanced age and deteriorating health, the actor withdrew from appearances in the theater and films, but he still appeared in the series Świat According to Kiepskich .
Private life
Married twice. Divorced from his first wife, set designer Barbara Wojtkowska (died 2017) after about 20 years of marriage. They had their son Piotr (born 1956), a captain of the great shipping. In the 1980s, he married actress Kamila Sammler, who was 26 years his junior. They had a son with her, Eric (born 1987). At the end of his life, he lived in Lusów near Poznań.
Ryszard Kotys died after a long illness on the night of January 27-28, 2021. The actor was 88 years old.