Barbara Kurdej-Szatan

Barbara Dominika Kurdej-Szatan (born 22 August 1985; ) is a Polish stage, film, and television actress, singer, and television presenter.

Musical Background Barbara Kurdej-Szatan was born on 22 August 1985 in Opole, Poland, to Janusz Kurdej and Eliza Wyszomirska-Kurdej. She has a sister, Katarzyna Kurdej, who is also an actress. Her maternal grandfather was the writer and poet Bogumił Wyszomirski. In 2009, she graduated in acting from the National Academy of Theatre Arts in Kraków. While studying, she sang in the music group Marsels. Additionally she appeared in television series such as Plebania (2006), Two Sides of the Coin (2006), Na dobre i na złe (2011), The Clan (2011), Barwy szczęścia (2012–2013), and First Love (2014), as well as in feature films Enen (2009), and Ciacho (2010).

She achieved a nation-wide recognizability, though her appearances in series of commercials of Play cellular network company, aired from 2013 to 2022. There she portrayed a store salesperson together with Maciej Łagodziński.

She portrayed the main role in a 2014 romantic comedy film Dzień dobry, kocham cię!, for which she also recorded the theme song together with Liber. From 2014 to 2021, she also played Joanna Chodakowska, one of main characters in TVP2 soap opera television series L for Love. In 2014, she also begun working with Polish Television, for which she hosted or co-hosted shows such as: Kocham cię, Polsko! (2016–2018), The Voice of Poland (2016–2018), The Voice Kids (2018–2019), and Dance Dance Dance (2019). Additionally, in 2014, she co-hosted the 51st Opole National Festival of Polish Song and the concert Sabat Czarownic in Kielce. In 2019, she stopped working with the Polish Television, which was unofficially speculated to be related to her participation in anti-government protests and her endorsement of Rafał Trzaskowski, an opposition candidate in the 2020 presidential election.

Since 2015, she has performed in the Kraków Variété Theatre. She portrayed Jadźka Zarówna in the 2015 film Wkręceni 2, and Andżela in the 2017 film Things That You Don't Know About Men. Between 2017 and 2020, she played Maria Biernacka, one of the main characters in the Polsat television series W rytmie serca, and in 2018, she played a secondary character of Weronika in the film Being Unlucky Is Not a Sin, and Kasia in Narzeczonym na niby. Additionally, she and her husband, Rafał Szatan, appeared in the Polsat talk show The Story of My Life. Historia naszego życia, and in 2019, she was a contestant in the talent show Dancing with the Stars. Taniec z gwiazdami, and co-hosted the concert Przebojowe Opole. Jedziemy na wakacje, which aired on Polsat. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she took part in a series of online concerts streamed on Instagram, as well as an online campaign focused on reading fairy tales to children. She also formed the band MaKuSza with her family, including her husband and her sister. In 2021, she participated in a Polsat talent show, Twoja twarz brzmi znajomo in 2021.

On 4 November 2021, during the border crisis at the Belarus–Poland border, she posted a recording of uniformed officers, most likely of the Polish Border Guard, wrestling with mothers holding children in their arms. Kurdej-Szatan left an emotion-fueled comment, including vulgar language, criticising the officers. Her comments, such as calling the officers "machines without hearts and brains" or "murderers", stirred controversy. On 6 November 2021, she posted an apology for her "vulgar and inappropriate language" used in her statements. On 9 November 2021, Jacek Kurski, chairperson of the Polish Television, informed the public of her firing from the network. The public prosecutor's office began an investigation, charging her with insulting officers of the Border Guard in May 2022. In December 2022, the regional court in Pruszków dismissed the case due to the lack of elements for a criminal offence. Following this, the public prosecutor's office filed a complaint regarding the court proceedings, and in February 2023, the district court in Warsaw dismissed the case.

In 2022, she participated in a Polsat talent show Mask Singer, co-hosted the TTV show Project Cupid, and hosted the Zoom TV show Poranny rogal. She also took part in an advertising campaign for the online newspaper Wyborcza.pl, and played one of the main roles in the Polsat television series Domek na szczęście.

In March 2022, she founded a charity foundation Z Porywu Serca, aimed at helping refugees of the Russo-Ukrainian War, and those crossing the Poland-Belarus border. In 2023, she held main roles in two romantic comedy films, Miłość ma cztery łapy and Tips for Cheating 2. In 2024, she competed in a Polsat talent show Twoja twarz brzmi znajomo. Najlepsi!, and co-hosted a TVP2 entertainment show Cudowne lata. On 26 October 2024, she co-hosted a TVP1 charity concert for the victims of the Central European floods.

Private life In 2011, she married actor and singer . Together they have two children, Hanna (born 2012), and Henryk (born 2020).

Stage credits Year Title Role Director Theatre2008 The Trial Leni Wojciech Kościelniak National Academy of Theatre Arts (Kraków) A Midsummer Night's Dream Helena Wojciech Kościelniak National Academy of Theatre Arts (Kraków) 2010 The Lobotomobile Mrs. Nash Janusz Wiśniewski New Theatre (Poznań) W sobotę o ósmej Zoe Mariusz Puchalski New Theatre (Poznań) Mary Stuart Second voice Waldemar Zawodziński New Theatre (Poznań) 2012 Singin' in the Rain Lina Lamont Wojciech Kępczyński Roma Musical Theatre (Warsaw) 2015 Legally Blonde Elle Wood Janusz Józefowicz Kraków Variété Theatre (Kraków) 2016 Miłość w Saybrook Sandy Eugeniusz Korin 6th Floor Theatre (Warsaw) 2017 Chicago Roxie Hart Wojciech Kościelniak Kraków Variété Theatre (Warsaw)

Filmography Films Year Title Role Notes 2006 Iskra Short film 2009 Enen Iwona Feature film 2010 Ciacho Receptionist Feature film 2014 Dzień dobry, kocham cię! Basia Mazurek Feature film 2015 Wkręceni 2 Jadźka Zarówna Feature film 2017 Things That You Don't Know About Men Andżela Feature film 2018 Narzeczony na niby Kasia Feature film Unlucky Is Not a Sin Weronika Feature film 2020 Swingers Sylwia Feature film 2022 Love on the Front Page Herself Feature film2023 Miłość ma cztery łapy Jowita Feature film Tips for Cheating 2 Gosia Feature film

Television series Year Title Role Notes2006 Plebania Iwona 2 episodes Two Sides of the Coin Nurse Episode no. 14 2007 I kto tu rządzi? Natasza Episode: "Czerwony smok" (no. 12) 2011 The Clan Anita Sochacka 3 episodes Na dobre i na złe Halinka Episode: "Śmiertelnie zakochani" (no. 451) Usta usta Woman in a hotel Episode no. 33 2012–2013 Barwy szczęścia Hairdresser's clinet 2 episodes 2014 First Love Agnieszka Sikorska 2014–2021 L for Love Joanna Chodakowska 62 episodes 2016 Wielkie teorie Darwina Herself Episode no. 3 Wmiksowani.pl Sabina Piorun-Drągalska 3 episodes 2017–2020 W rytmie serca Maria Biernacka-Żmuda 61 episodes2019 Father Matthew Sylwia Lehman Episode: "Nieboszczyk na plebanii" (no. 273) Mały Grand Hotel Hotel guest Episode no. 4 2021 Świat pełen niespodzianek Basia Television special 2022 Domek na szczęście Marianna Bondarek 20 episodes Mecenas Porada Berenika Gajda Episode: "Super szewc"

Television programmes Year Title Role Notes 2016–2018 Kocham cię, Polsko! Host Game show The Voice of Poland Host Talent show 2018 The Story of My Life. Historia naszego życia Guest Talk show 2018–2019 The Voice Kids Host Talent show2019 Dance Dance Dance Host Talent show Dancing with the Stars. Taniec z gwiazdami Contestant Talent show 2021, 2023 Twoja twarz brzmi znajomo Contestant Talent show 2022 Mask Singer Contestant Talent show Poranny rogal Host Talk show Project Cupid Host Game show 2023 Cudowne lata Host Game show

Polish-language dubbing Year Title Role Notes 2014 Maleficent Thistlewit Feature film 2016 Barbie: Star Light Adventure Barbie (singing voice) Feature film Zootopia Dawn Bellwether Feature film 2017 My Little Pony: The Movie Captain Celaeno Feature film 2019 Maleficent: Mistress of Evil Thistlewit Feature film 2021 Space Jam: A New Legacy Lola Bunny Feature film

Awards Year Award Category Nominated work Result 2013 TVN Turbo Plebiscite Woman of the Year 2015 Snake Award Worst Actress Dzień dobry, kocham cię! Telekamery Best Actress 2016 Snake Award Worst Actress Wkręceni 2 Telekamery Best Actress 2017 Telekamery Best Actress 2018 Telekamery Złota Telekamera 2019 Snake Award Worst Actress Unlucky Is Not a Sin Gwiazdy Plejady Best Style