Ina debuted on stage on 29 August 1931, with the Warsaw Theatre group Nowy Ananas ("New Pineapple"), in the show Raj dla mężczyzn (Paradise for Men).

Benita, however, also appeared on stage, mostly in Warsaw's revues, such as Cyrulik Warszawski (1937), Wielka Rewia (1938–39), and Ali Baba (since spring 1939).

[3][4] During World War II, in German-occupied Poland, Benita played in German-sponsored theaters, which resulted in allegations of collaboration with the Nazis.

In the summer of 1943 Benita's partial-Jewish ancestry (she had a Jewish grandmother from the father's side) came to the attention of Gestapo, and both her and her lover were accused of "Rassenschande"—a crime against racial purity—which, under German laws in occupied Polish territory, meant a death sentence.

In March 1943, for releasing Polish prisoners through the mediation of the actress, Manzel was sent to the eastern front as a punishment, but he managed to escape and return to Warsaw.

In the spring of 1943, Ina Benita begun relationship with Hans Georg Pasch - a German underground activist, opposed to the Nazis, who helped prosecuted Poles and Polish Jews.

On April 7, 1944, in the female ward of Pawiak, "Serbia", the artist gave birth to a son, Tadeusz Michał, whose father was Pasch.