An actor, an activist… and me.

While browsing parish registers and joining distant branches, I suddenly stopped at one surname: Marek Obertyn. That voice, that charisma… as viewers we knew him from dozens of theatre and film roles (including Polish productions such as Ekstradycja 3, Prawo ojca, 07 zgłoś się, and Na kłopoty Bednarski) and from dubbing (Garfield, Harry Potter, and many more). It turned out that this outstanding actor was not only a figure on screen — he was my relative.

It is an extraordinary feeling to watch a film and realise: “We share roots.” Suddenly the history of cinema becomes part of my own story.

But that was not the end. Searching further, I reached Antoni Pączek. He was not just a “name on paper.” Antoni was an independence activist, a member of parliament, someone who actively helped build a free Poland.

Reading his biography, I understood that the traits I value in myself — stubbornness, drive, a sense of mission — may run much deeper than I thought. These are no longer just birth and death dates. It is a kind of courage in my DNA.

Many of you write to me: “My family was ordinary; there is probably nobody interesting there.” Nothing could be further from the truth. My discovery proved once again that there are no “ordinary” families. Each of us is part of a saga. Perhaps you too share blood with someone who changed the world, made art, or fought for freedom — and the only thing between you and that knowledge is a few records not yet found.