Pope John Paul II is a 1984 American biopic drama television film based on the life of Karol Wojtyła, from his early days as an activist in Poland to his installation as Pope John Paul II. Written by Christopher Knopf and directed by Herbert Wise, the film stars Albert Finney, Caroline Bliss, Brian Cox, and John Forgeham. The film marks both Albert Finney's American television debut and the first script Finney had ever turned down upon initial reading. Synopsis This film's timeline begins with the death of Pope John Paul I on September 28, 1978, and then flashes back to Karol Wojtyła as a young man growing up decades earlier in Wadowice, Poland. The storyline then returns to pre-October 16 dates in 1978 and flashes back to Wojtyła's early life, family relationships, his political involvements fighting against Nazism during World War II and against Communism afterwards in the Cold War, and his relationship and involvement in the Roman Catholic Church as he becomes a priest, a bishop, a cardinal, and is eventually installed as the titular new pope. Cast Albert Finney as Karol Wojtyła, Pope John Paul II Caroline Bliss as Rosa Kossack Brian Cox as Father Góra John Forgeham as Officer Moljek Derek Francis as Bishop Lec Nigel Hawthorne as Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski Marne Maitland as Mountain Sacristan John McEnery as Mikołaj Kuczkowski Lee Montague as Ivan Konev Michael Müller as Pawel Jonathan Newth as Archbishop Adam Stefan Sapieha Derrick O'Connor as Swiacki Valentine Pelka as Boguslaw Banas Ronald Pickup as Jan Tyranowski Bruce Purchase as Jerzy Loparicz Andrew Ray as Stanisław Pigoń Vincent Riotta as Teodor Krawick William Simons as Foreman Krauze Patrick Stewart as Party Secretary Wladyslaw Gomulka Philip Stone as Archbishop Eugeniusz Baziak Kevin Stoney as Bishop Dygat Malcolm Tierney as Church Affairs Minister Skarzynski Fiona Walker as Anna Loparicz Tim Woodward as Juliusz Kydrynski Sam Dastor as Józef Teitelbaum Robert Austin as Hans Frank Michael Crompton as Young Karol Wojtyła Antony Brown as Father Zary Alfred Burke as Karol Wojtyła Sr. Victoria Fairbrother as Ruth Teitelbaum Kilian McKenna as Stefan Putrya Patrick Marley as Raczynski Neil Nisbet as Wiktor Natalie Slater as Hanna Jastrun Eve Slatner as Sister Jadwiga John Stacy as Grabowski Mario Viggiano as Franciszek Edwin Alexander Francis as Forest Guard Production Once Karol Wojtyła was installed as Pope, executive producer Alvin Cooperman made his decision to create the film project, and with