Wojciech Frykowski
Encyclopedia
Wojciech Frykowski (ˈvɔjt͡ɕɛx frɨˈkɔfskʲi; December 22, 1936 - August 9, 1969) was a Polish
actor
and writer
who was murdered in the home of Sharon Tate
and Roman Polanski
by members of Charles Manson
's "Family".
to Jan and Teofila Frykowski, Wojciech grew up in a wealthy, well-known family and was educated exclusively at the film school in Poland. He had two younger brothers Jerry and Matt. His parents owned a small textile factory in their hometown of Łódź. His younger brother Jerzy "Jerry" Frykowski is a movie producer well known in Central Europe
. In the late 1950s Frykowski was married to his first wife Eva and soon after she gave birth to their only son Bartłomiej "Bartek" Frykowski, who was born in 1959. The couple eventually divorced, and Frykowski's ex-wife and son moved west to Paris, France.
In 1963 in Zakopane
, Poland
he married famous Polish song writer and author Agnieszka Osiecka
. The couple divorced a year later and together they had no children. In his early years, Frykowski was a very close friend and financier
of film director
Roman Polanski and played the part of a thief in one of Polanski's early Polish-made short films, Mammals
, in 1962. In 1966, Frykowski moved to France
, then a year later to the United States
in the hope of furthering his writing career, but was not successful.
coffee heiress Abigail Folger
. The couple met in New York City
in December 1967, when Folger was introduced to him by his old friend, author Jerzy Kosiński
. She gave Frykowski a tour of New York and their friendship began. At the time he had little command of English
, but like Folger he was fluent in French
. They fell in love while she was teaching him how to speak English.
According to Roman Polanski's 1984 autobiography
, Folger was very good to Frykowski, paying all of the couple's living expenses at the time. After living together for several months in her New York City apartment, the couple eventually decided to move west to Southern California
. Frykowski wanted to get back financially on his feet hoping that Polanski would get him a job in the movie industry, while Folger wanted to be a social worker. In August 1968 they arrived in Los Angeles County, and they rented their first hilltop house on Woodstock drive, in a wealthy section of Hollywood Hills
, just off Mulholland Drive
in Los Angeles
. Their neighbor was famous singer Cass Elliot
. Frykowski then introduced Folger to Roman Polanski
and his wife, actress Sharon Tate
. Through the Polanskis, the couple met celebrity hairdresser Jay Sebring
and other people from their circle.
The couple had been taking care of the Polanski residence since April 1, 1969 when Polanski had left for London, England to work on two different film projects. On July 20, 1969 right after Sharon returned home, Frykowski and Folger agreed to remain at 10050 Cielo Drive
with Tate, who was eight months pregnant, until Polański returned from Europe
. Polanski was expected to return to California on August 12, 1969. On August 6, Frykowski and Folger attended a birthday party thrown by movie producer Michael Sarne in his Malibu, California beach home. On August 8, 1969 a few hours before their deaths Frykowski and Folger ran some errands together, and later that evening they joined Tate and Sebring for late dinner at the Mexican restaurant "El Coyote" on Beverly Boulevard
in Los Angeles. After dinner, the group returned to the Polanski residence, where Frykowski fell asleep on the couch in the living room and Folger went to her bedroom to read a book.
, Jay Sebring
and Steven Parent
by members of Charles Manson
's "Family" who broke into the Polanski residence at 10050 Cielo Drive
in Beverly Hills, California
. Frykowski was shot twice, struck thirteen times over the head with a blunt object and stabbed in total 51 times. According to his killers — Charles "Tex" Watson, Patricia Krenwinkel
and Susan Atkins
— Frykowski fought very hard for his life and for the lives of other victims. During the fight with their assailants, Frykowski and Folger escaped the house only to be overwhelmed and stabbed to death. Their bodies were discovered the next day by Tate's housekeeper, resting not far from each other on a front lawn of the property.
Frykowski's body was cremated on August 22, 1969 in Los Angeles, California
. After a private memorial his remains were claimed by his Polish relatives and buried in the St. Joseph's Catholic
Cemetery in his native Łódź, Poland.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
who was murdered in the home of Sharon Tate
Sharon Tate
Sharon Marie Tate was an American actress. During the 1960s she played small television roles before appearing in several films. After receiving positive reviews for her comedic performances, she was hailed as one of Hollywood's promising newcomers and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for...
and Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski is a French-Polish film director, producer, writer and actor. Having made films in Poland, Britain, France and the USA, he is considered one of the few "truly international filmmakers."...
by members of Charles Manson
Charles Manson
Charles Milles Manson is an American criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune that arose in California in the late 1960s. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the Tate/LaBianca murders carried out by members of the group at his instruction...
's "Family".
Early life
Born in Łódź, PolandPoland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
to Jan and Teofila Frykowski, Wojciech grew up in a wealthy, well-known family and was educated exclusively at the film school in Poland. He had two younger brothers Jerry and Matt. His parents owned a small textile factory in their hometown of Łódź. His younger brother Jerzy "Jerry" Frykowski is a movie producer well known in Central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
. In the late 1950s Frykowski was married to his first wife Eva and soon after she gave birth to their only son Bartłomiej "Bartek" Frykowski, who was born in 1959. The couple eventually divorced, and Frykowski's ex-wife and son moved west to Paris, France.
In 1963 in Zakopane
Zakopane
Zakopane , is a town in southern Poland. It lies in the southern part of the Podhale region at the foot of the Tatra Mountains. From 1975 to 1998 it was in of Nowy Sącz Province, but since 1999 it has been in Lesser Poland Province. It had a population of about 28,000 as of 2004. Zakopane is a...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
he married famous Polish song writer and author Agnieszka Osiecka
Agnieszka Osiecka
Agnieszka Osiecka She was a poet, writer, author of theatre and television screenplays, film director and journalist...
. The couple divorced a year later and together they had no children. In his early years, Frykowski was a very close friend and financier
Financier
Financier is a term for a person who handles typically large sums of money, usually involving money lending, financing projects, large-scale investing, or large-scale money management. The term is French, and derives from finance or payment...
of film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Roman Polanski and played the part of a thief in one of Polanski's early Polish-made short films, Mammals
Ssaki
Ssaki was a short film written and directed by Roman Polański in 1961. This was the last of Roman Polański's short films before he began work on his first feature, Nóż w wodzie. the film received awards at Oberhausen and Melbourne.-External links:*...
, in 1962. In 1966, Frykowski moved to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, then a year later to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the hope of furthering his writing career, but was not successful.
Relationship with Abigail Folger
Frykowski was in a relationship with AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
coffee heiress Abigail Folger
Abigail Folger
Abigail Anne "Gibbie" Folger was an American coffee heiress, debutante, socialite, volunteer social worker, civil rights devotee and member of the prominent United States Folger family. She was the great-granddaughter of J. A. Folger, the founder of Folgers Coffee...
. The couple met in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in December 1967, when Folger was introduced to him by his old friend, author Jerzy Kosiński
Jerzy Kosinski
Jerzy Kosiński , born Józef Lewinkopf, was an award-winning Polish American novelist, and two-time President of the American Chapter of P.E.N.He was known for various novels, among them The Painted Bird and Being There...
. She gave Frykowski a tour of New York and their friendship began. At the time he had little command of English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, but like Folger he was fluent in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. They fell in love while she was teaching him how to speak English.
According to Roman Polanski's 1984 autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, Folger was very good to Frykowski, paying all of the couple's living expenses at the time. After living together for several months in her New York City apartment, the couple eventually decided to move west to Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
. Frykowski wanted to get back financially on his feet hoping that Polanski would get him a job in the movie industry, while Folger wanted to be a social worker. In August 1968 they arrived in Los Angeles County, and they rented their first hilltop house on Woodstock drive, in a wealthy section of Hollywood Hills
Hollywood Hills
The Hollywood Hills is an affluent and exclusive neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, in the southeastern Santa Monica Mountains. It is bound by Laurel Canyon Boulevard to the west, Vermont Avenue to the east, Mulholland Drive to the north, and Sunset Boulevard to the south.-Hollywood Hills...
, just off Mulholland Drive
Mulholland Drive
Mulholland Drive is a street and road in the eastern Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California. It is named after Los Angeles pioneer civil engineer William Mulholland...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Their neighbor was famous singer Cass Elliot
Cass Elliot
Cass Elliot , born Ellen Naomi Cohen and also known as Mama Cass, was an American singer and member of The Mamas & the Papas. After the group broke up, she released five solo albums. Elliot was found dead in her room in London, England, from an apparent heart attack after two weeks of sold-out...
. Frykowski then introduced Folger to Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski is a French-Polish film director, producer, writer and actor. Having made films in Poland, Britain, France and the USA, he is considered one of the few "truly international filmmakers."...
and his wife, actress Sharon Tate
Sharon Tate
Sharon Marie Tate was an American actress. During the 1960s she played small television roles before appearing in several films. After receiving positive reviews for her comedic performances, she was hailed as one of Hollywood's promising newcomers and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for...
. Through the Polanskis, the couple met celebrity hairdresser Jay Sebring
Jay Sebring
Jay Sebring was an American hair stylist for celebrities, and the founder of the hairstyling corporation Sebring International. He is also known as one of the murder victims of the Manson Family.-Early life:...
and other people from their circle.
The couple had been taking care of the Polanski residence since April 1, 1969 when Polanski had left for London, England to work on two different film projects. On July 20, 1969 right after Sharon returned home, Frykowski and Folger agreed to remain at 10050 Cielo Drive
10050 Cielo Drive
The original home located at 10050 Cielo Drive in Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles, California, has been occupied by many famous Hollywood figures, and was the scene of one of the Manson "family" murders. The house was designed by Robert Byrd in 1942 for French actress Michèle Morgan...
with Tate, who was eight months pregnant, until Polański returned from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Polanski was expected to return to California on August 12, 1969. On August 6, Frykowski and Folger attended a birthday party thrown by movie producer Michael Sarne in his Malibu, California beach home. On August 8, 1969 a few hours before their deaths Frykowski and Folger ran some errands together, and later that evening they joined Tate and Sebring for late dinner at the Mexican restaurant "El Coyote" on Beverly Boulevard
Beverly Boulevard
Beverly Boulevard is one of the main east-west thoroughfares in Los Angeles, California. It begins off Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills and ends on the Lucas Avenue overpass near Downtown Los Angeles to become 1st Street...
in Los Angeles. After dinner, the group returned to the Polanski residence, where Frykowski fell asleep on the couch in the living room and Folger went to her bedroom to read a book.
Death
In the early morning hours of August 9, 1969 just after midnight, Frykowski and Folger were murdered, along with Sharon TateSharon Tate
Sharon Marie Tate was an American actress. During the 1960s she played small television roles before appearing in several films. After receiving positive reviews for her comedic performances, she was hailed as one of Hollywood's promising newcomers and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for...
, Jay Sebring
Jay Sebring
Jay Sebring was an American hair stylist for celebrities, and the founder of the hairstyling corporation Sebring International. He is also known as one of the murder victims of the Manson Family.-Early life:...
and Steven Parent
Steven Parent
Steven Earl Parent was a victim of the Charles Manson murders.-Early life:Steven Earl Parent was born in California to Wilfred Elmer Parent, a construction superintendent and his wife, Juanita, a homemaker...
by members of Charles Manson
Charles Manson
Charles Milles Manson is an American criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune that arose in California in the late 1960s. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the Tate/LaBianca murders carried out by members of the group at his instruction...
's "Family" who broke into the Polanski residence at 10050 Cielo Drive
10050 Cielo Drive
The original home located at 10050 Cielo Drive in Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles, California, has been occupied by many famous Hollywood figures, and was the scene of one of the Manson "family" murders. The house was designed by Robert Byrd in 1942 for French actress Michèle Morgan...
in Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
. Frykowski was shot twice, struck thirteen times over the head with a blunt object and stabbed in total 51 times. According to his killers — Charles "Tex" Watson, Patricia Krenwinkel
Patricia Krenwinkel
Patricia Dianne Krenwinkel is an American convicted killer and a former member of Charles Manson's murderous commune, known as "the Family". During her time with Manson's group, she was known by various aliases such as "Big Patty", "Yellow", and "Mary Ann Scott", but to The Family she was most...
and Susan Atkins
Susan Atkins
Susan Denise Atkins was a convicted American murderer who was a member of the "Manson family", led by Charles Manson. Manson and his followers committed a series of nine murders at four locations in California, over a period of five weeks in the summer of 1969...
— Frykowski fought very hard for his life and for the lives of other victims. During the fight with their assailants, Frykowski and Folger escaped the house only to be overwhelmed and stabbed to death. Their bodies were discovered the next day by Tate's housekeeper, resting not far from each other on a front lawn of the property.
Frykowski's body was cremated on August 22, 1969 in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. After a private memorial his remains were claimed by his Polish relatives and buried in the St. Joseph's Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
Cemetery in his native Łódź, Poland.