Joanna Kulig (Polish: [jɔˈanna ˈkulik]; born 24 June 1982) is a Polish actress and singer, best known for her role in the 2018 historical drama film Cold War, which earned her the European Film Award for Best Actress. Her other notable credits include the films Elles, The Woman in the Fifth, Ida and The Innocents, as well as the Netflix series The Eddy.
Kulig was born on 24 June 1982 in Krynica, Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Poland. Her mother worked as a cook at a local kindergarten and her father was a folk poet. She was raised with four siblings in Muszynka. Her younger sister, Justyna Schneider, is also an actress and adopted their great-grandmother's surname to avoid confusion as their first names are similar.
While still living in Krynica, Kulig graduated from the Frédéric Chopin First Degree State Music School 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.

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