- Height5′ 10″ (1.78 m)
- Janusz Madej is an actor, director, producer known for Sh!ft (2018) (premiered at Cannes Film Festival), Resolve (2017), 11 (2014) and Stigma (2011). He was born in Warsaw, Poland and was trained as a ballet dancer in Warsaw School of Ballet and Central School of Ballet in UK. He left Poland when he was 17 to pursue the career of a professional Ballet dancer. He subsequently had a 12 year successful career as a ballet dancer in two world known ballet companies. Northern Ballet Theater in Leeds, UK and 10 years with Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. In 2007 Janusz met in Amsterdam renown Hollywood acting teacher Ivanna Chubbuck who invited him to study acting in her masterclass in Hollywood. After his retirement from ballet in 2008 he moved to Los Angeles to pursue Acting and Filmmaking career. He graduated from The Los Angeles Film School with Science in Film Degree in 2010 and his theses short film STIGMA had since received a critical acclaim and was selected on numerous film festivals around the world. In 2014 his feature film debut "11" was premiered at 18th Temecula Valley Film and Music Festival in California. Janusz in his acting/directing career was fortunate to encounter many Hollywood prominent celebrities such as: Ed Harris, Jon Voight, Peter Bogdanovich, Virginia Madsen, Jemie Kennedy, Jeroen Krabbé, Oren Peli, Billy Dee Williams, Joseph Bologna, Connie Stevens, Brett Ratner, Matt Craven, Patricia Velasquez, Stu Stone, Rob Schneider, to just to name a few. Janusz's experience both in front and behind the camera makes him very accomplished artist that is able to direct actors with ease being an actor himself. His directing/producing experience ranges from feature films through short films to music videos and commercials. Following in foot steps of Polish master directors like Krzysztof Kieslowski and Roman Polanski Janusz specializes in affecting the viewers subconscious mind through technics like Neuro Linguistic Programming (nlp) and always is searching to ad an extra layer of narrative communication in to every project he is part of. In 2010 Janusz started his own film production company called 'Pineal Films Production'. In 2018 he fulfilled his dream by premiering Sh!ft which he produced as part of HP "Masters of Short Film" Competition at Cannes Film Festival. On April 13th, 2013 Janusz founded the Janusz Madej Technique Acting for Camera that offers an acting and filmmaking workshops for the English speaking actors and filmmakers.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Janusz Madej
- His mother Leokadia Madej gave birth to him at the advance age of 44 and he has three brothers 13, 15 and 17 years older then him.
- In 2009 Janusz enrolled on to The Los Angeles Film School to study filmmaking. His theses film Stigma, which Janusz written, directed and acted in, received critical acclaim and was an Official Selection to numerous film festivals including: Temecula Valley Film and Music Festival in California, USA 2011, Polish Film Festival in Los Angeles, USA 2011, Melbourne International Student Film Festival, Australia 2011 and Barossa Film Festival, South Australia 2014.
- Over the last 15 years Janusz developed passion for boxing and trains himself in the art of "sweet science" 3 times a week at the gym. Being ex ballet dancer Janusz possesses extreme flexibility in his joins and is capable of doing all sort of splits.
- Janusz before becoming an actor, filmmaker for 12 years was a professional ballet dancer dancing professionally in Northern Ballet Theater in Leeds, Uk as well as 10 years in Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. In 2008 he retired to focus on acting/filmmaking career.
- In 2007 renown Hollywood acting teacher Ivana Chubbuck picked Janusz from Europa for her first ever acting workshop outside of US. After that she invited him to study acting in her masterclass in Hollywood. In 2009 Janusz moved to Los Angeles and joined Ivana Chubbuck studio Masterclass with Ivana becoming his mentor.
- In today's world there is a need for versatile artists and I aspire to be one of them. Being a 21st century Renaissance man is my motto.
- You can be the most talented actor or filmmaker on the planet but if nobody knows about you, you don't exist.
- As a young man I found Polish cinema too deep and intellectual for my liking, this is why as a child I was inspired by the movies from Steven Spielberg ('Raiders of the lost arc'), James Cameron ('Terminator'), George Lucas ('Star Wars') and Ridley Scott ('Alien'), all with more commercial appeal. They offered me a form of escapism that I needed to survive the communistic depression. However the older and intellectually developed I became I started to appreciate the films of the Polish masters. I started to understand their symbology and depth. Also having lived in the Netherlands I got inspiration from painters like Van Gogh, Rembrandt and their use of colors and composition.
- Coming from Poland, known for a great filmmaking industry I've always been inspired by filmmakers like Roman Polanski, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Andrzej Wajda, Krzysztof Zanussi and Steven Spielberg's favorite Director of Photography, Janusz Kaminski.
- Before I became an actor and filmmaker I was a professional ballet dancer. As a child I had an abnormal flexibility in my joints. After consultation from the doctor, my mother decided to utilize this talent and put me in Ballet School. It was either this or the circus, but my mother thought that I would get killed on a trapeze so the ballet would have been a much safer profession in the long run.
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