President Lech Kaczynski, who died in a plane crash Saturday, was elected Polish head of state in December 2005.
The portly, 60-year-old gained the national limelight at the age of 13 when he and his twin brother Jaroslav starred in the children’s film called “About Those Two Who Stole The Moon”.
The twins were born June 18, 1949 in Warsaw. During World War II, their parents fought in the Warsaw uprising against the German occupation.
A committed Catholic, Lech studied law before entering into politics. He was a supporter of Solidarity leader Lech Walesa when the trade union rose up against Poland’s Communist leadership.
Kaczynski and his brother founded the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, which preached national values and adopted a strident law and order approach.
He became minister of justice in 2000. Less than a year after his election as president, his brother Jaroslv became prime minister, leading to Poland being called the “twin republic”.
Lech Kaczynski was married in 1978 to Maria, a friend from his student days. The couple has a daughter.
