Celebrated Polish Actor Comes Out as Gay at 100 Years Old

Polish actor Witold Sadowy has come out as gay, and it’s been a long time coming.

Sadowy recently did an interview with TVP Kultura to celebrate his 100th — yes 100th — birthday. He spoke of his life, his career, his achievements, and at the end of the interview, he had something very important to add.

“For me, the most important thing is the survival of the truth,” he said. “I’m proud of being an honest person. I didn’t get married, and I had no children, something I regret.

“But I was born different. I’m gay. Now I have said it all, like in confession.”

Sadowy had a highly successful career as a theater actor in Poland, starring in a number of popular and well-loved plays, in addition to writing several books and working as a theater columnist.

While homosexuality has generally grown to be more accepted over the course of Sadowy’s life, Poland in particular has been faced with backlash against the LGBTQ+ community as of late. An anti-gay magazine began circulating stickers last year intended for people to mark places as “LGBT-free zones,” after many say the latest iteration of Poland’s government has sparked an ultra-conservative backlash against gay people.

Which makes Sadowy’s confession all the braver, as he valued having the truth of his identity on record above all else, now that he’s made it to an impressive one hundred years on this earth.