Anna Dymna intended to study
psychology before she decided to take an entrance examination for the
Ludwik Solski Academy for the Dramatic Arts in
Cracow. While still a student, Dymna performed at the
Juliusz Słowacki Theatre in Cracow. In 1969 she played the role of Isia and Chochoł in the performances of
Stanisław Wyspiański's
Wesele. Dymna also made her film debut when she was still a student, playing a role in Henryk Kluba's
Pięć i pół bladego Józka (1971) but, because that film was actually never shown on screens, her first official film role is considered to be the role of Gabrysia in the same year's
Szerokiej drogi, kochanie directed by Andrzej J. Piotrowski. Dymna became popular with television viewers owing to her role of Klarysa in a TV series
Janosik (1973). The later role of Ania Pawlak in Polish cult
comedy films
Nie ma mocnych and
Kochaj, albo rzuć turned out to be even more successful. She also appeared in a number of
Jerzy Hoffman's
melodrama films. Dymna was employed by the National Helena Modrzejewska Old Theatre in Cracow immediately after her graduation in 1973 and has performed on its stage since then. Her major roles included characters of beautiful women, e.g. Kora in
Noc listopadowa ("November night"); Anna in
Warszawianka ("The Varsovian lady"); and Ania in
The Cherry Orchard by
Anton Chekhov. Later she also performed in
Thomas Mann's
The Magic Mountain;
Joyce's
Exiles; and
The Master and Margarita by
Mikhail Bulgakov. In 2002 Dymna initiated the Cracow Poetry Salon, which has become a weekly reading of
poetry by most distinguished actors and poets. The Salon takes place each Sunday at
Juliusz Słowacki Theatre but it already has its separate branches in some other cities of
Poland, e.g. in
Częstochowa,
Gdańsk,
Opole and
Tarnów. The Cracow Poetry Salon was granted the
Nike Award in 2003 for "the most interesting cultural activity in the region". ==Charity work==