Polish actor Paweł Tucholski, voice of Simba in the Polish "Lion King", dies aged 57

Paweł Tucholski, a Polish stage, musical, film and voice actor, has died. He died on 30 October 2026 aged 57. According to Filmweb, he died four days after joining the company of the Tadeusz Różewicz Theatre in Gliwice.

The news of his death was published on Facebook by the "Broadway w Polsce" page. Its tribute said his work on stage, on screen and behind the microphone would be remembered. It also recalled his role as Caiaphas in the musical "Jesus Christ Superstar". His death was confirmed on social media by, among others, the actress Katarzyna Skrzynecka, who called him her dear friend. Barbara Kurdej-Szatan also paid tribute to him.

A voice in Disney animations

Polish audiences knew Tucholski mainly for his voice work. In the Polish version of "The Lion King" from 1994 he voiced the adult Simba. Filmweb also recalls his role as Aladdin in the Disney animation. Polsat News says he worked on the Polish version of "Aladdin" from 1992.

Who he was

Tucholski was born on 6 February 1969. According to Polsat News, he was born in Żnin in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship. He graduated from the National Academy of Theatre Arts in Warsaw and from the Vocal Studio in Poznań.

He performed at the Kwadrat Theatre (1993–1994) and the Dramatic Theatre (1994–2001) in Warsaw, and at the Rozrywki Theatre in Chorzów. He won the Actors' Song Review in Wrocław twice. He also took the main prize at the Voivodeship Theatre Review in Bydgoszcz.

In films and series he usually played minor and supporting roles. Polsat News reports more than 20 roles in feature films and TV series. He appeared in the films "Młode wilki", "Jak to się robi z dziewczynami", "Kochaj i tańcz" and "Idź pod prąd". He also appeared in the series "Klan", "Złotopolscy", "Na dobre i na złe", "M jak miłość", "Pitbull", "Prawo Agaty" and "The Office PL". He also took part in the first series of "Twoja twarz brzmi znajomo", where he finished fifth.