Daniel Olbrychski (Lowicz, Lódzkie, Poland, February 27, 1945)


Daniel Marcel Olbrychski is a famous Polish theatre, television and film actor who over the years starred in more than a hundred of films. He worked with some of the most esteemed European directors, such as Andrezj Wajda, Miklos Jansco, Margarethe von Trotta, Joseph Losey and Claude Lelouche. His mother led a theatre group in high school and as a young child he already knew that he wanted to be an actor. He studied at the drama school in Warsaw but never graduated. During his studies, at the age of nineteen he made his acting debut in Janusz Nasfeter’s film Ranny w lesie (1964). He acted in the National Theatre in Warsaw and found his mentor in Andrzej Wajda in whose films he often starred and created outstanding roles for which he became famous in Poland and all over the world. They began their collaboration on Olbrychski’s second film Pepeo (Popioly, 1965) in which he had an important role and thanks to it he got an opportunity to act in his next films - Janusz Morgenstern’s Potem nastapi cisza (1966) and Jowita (1967) as well as Julian Dziedzin’s film Bokser (1967). In late 1960’s he collaborated with Wajda again on the comedy Lov na mušice (Polowanie na muchy, 1969) and drama Sve je na prodaju (Wszystko na sprzedaz, 1969), filmed in memory of the tragically deceased Polish actor Zbigniew Cybulski. In that same year he worked with the director Jerzyj Hoffman who gave him the part in the historical film Pan Wolodyjowski. Thirty years later in the new film version of the same novel by Henryk Sienkiewicz and directed by Jerzy Hoffman called By Fire and Sword (Ogniem i mieczem, 1999), Daniel portrayed Tuhaj-Bej, the father of the character he played in the previous film. He proved the scope of his talent in Wajda’s films Landscape After the Battle (Krajobraz po bitwie, 1970) and The Birch Wood (Brzezina, 1970), as in both films he portrayed completely different characters than any before. For the film The Birch Wood he won the award as best actor at the International Film Festival in Moscow in 1971 (Wajda also won it as best director). He starred in the family drama Family Life (Zycie rodzinne, 1971) by Krzysztof Zanussi as well as Wajda’s drama Wesele (1973). He started a great discussion in his home country when he accepted the role of a bad guy Andrzej Kmicic in the historical film The Deluge (1974) by Jerzy Hoffman. However, once it was finished and screened, he accepted great laurels for his achievement in this film. It was a very popular film in Poland and it was nominated for an Oscar in the category Best Foreign Film in 1975. Hoffman won the Golden Lion and Olbrychski the award for best actor at the Polish Film Festival in 1974. He worked again with Wajda and filmed The Promised Land (Ziemia obiecana, 1975). He had a smaller role in Volker Schlöndorff’s film adaptation of Günter Grass’s novel The Tin Drum (Die Blechtrommel, 1979). His main role in Wajda’s drama The Girl from Wilko (Panny z Wilka, 1979) is considered to be his best. He made three more films in Poland and then left his home country due to artistic and political reasons and spent several years in exile. He travelled throughout Europe and collaborated with many directors starring in Italian, French, German and Greek films. Thus he acted in the musical drama Les uns et les autres (1981) by Claude Lelouche, war drama Pad Italije (1981) by Lordan Zafranović, drama La truite (1982) by Joseph Losey, short feature Zaustavite svet, hoću da siđem (1982) by Slobodan Ivetić, thriller La diagonale du fou (1984) by Richard Dembo, German production of Andrzej Wajda’s film Eine Liebe in Deutschland (1983) and Rosa Luxemburg (1986) by Margarethe von Trotta. He returned to Polish cinema with his role in the sci-fi Ga, Ga - Chwala bohaterom (1986) by Piotr Szulkin and in the drama Siekierezada (1986) by Witold Leszczynski. In the 1980’s he acted in the American production The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988) by Philip Kaufman. He acted in the third sequel of the TV series The Decalogue (1990) by Krzysztof Kieslowski, in the romantic comedy Kolejnosc uczuc (1993) by Radoslaw Piwowarski and the romantic drama Pestka (1995) by the Polish director and actress Krystyna Janda who also starred in it. He had a smaller role in the film Hommes, femmes, mode d'emploi (1996) by Claude Lelouche, as well as in the internationally produced film by Lordan Zafranović Balkan Island: The Last Story of the Century (1997) and in the historical drama Szökés (1997) by the Hungarian director Lívia Gyarmathy. In late 1990’s he starred in some of his most famous films such as The Barber of Siberia (Sibirskiy tsiryulnik, 1998) by the Russian director Nikita Mihalkov, By Fire and Sword (Ogniem i mieczem, 1999) on which he repeated his collaboration with Hoffman and Pan Tadeusz (Pan Tadeusz, 1999) again directed by Andrzej Wajda. He was active in the early 200’s as well but mostly appeared in smaller roles, such as in Wajda’s comedy Zemsta (2002), Hoffman’s action fantasy Stara basn. Kiedy slonce bylo bogiem (2003), thriller Anthony Zimmer (2005) by Jérôme Salle, dramas Persona non grata (2005) and Rewizyta (2009) by Krzysztof Zanussi. After 2010, he had only very small appearances in films that were relatively unnoticed but some of them stand out – the American production Salt (2010) by Phillip Noyce and the historical war drama 1920 Bitwa Warszawska (2011) by Jerzy Hoffman. During his entire career he acted also in theatre. In France, he portrayed Rhett Butler in the theatre play based on the novel Gone with the Wind. However, he had the majority of his theatre roles in his home country. In 2006, at the occasion of his 60th birthday he starred as King Lear in the famous tragedy by Shakespeare, which was staged in Warsaw. He also appeared in many TV films and series. He wrote the books Reminiscences on Włodzimierz Wysocki (1990), Angels around the Head (together with Przemysław Ćwikliński and Jacek Ziarno, 1992) and Done with a Few Years (1997). He is famous as an apt athlete, likes riding and can handle a sabre pretty well. It is a known fact that he filmed most of his action scenes without a double. He used a sabre at the opening of an exhibition entitled “Nazis” in order to slash a painting that showed him in a Nazi uniform (author of the exhibition portrayed other famous actors such as Clint Eastwood and Anthony Quinn). In 1986, he received the French order Legion of Honor (L'Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur). He received many awards at film festivals around the world and in his home country for his acting achievements and his entire career. In 1998, he received a star in the Łódź Stars Avenue. In 2007, he received the Stanislavski award at the International Film Festival in Moscow for his extraordinary achievements during his acting career and commitment to the principles of the famous school of acting by Stanislavski.







Filmography:

Swiadek (2016) (pre-production)

Framed (2015) (post-production)

Passenger from San Francisco (2014)

Lekarze (2012-2014) (TV series, 16 episodes)

Piate: Nie odchodz (2014)

Legenda No. 17 (2013)

The Hardy Bucks Movie (2013)

Sep (2013)

Komisarz Alex (2012) (TV series, 11 episodes)

11 settembre 1683 (2012)

Hans Kloss. Stawka wieksza niz smierc (2012)

Z milosci (2011)

1920. Varšavska bitak (1920, Bitwa Warszawska, 2011)

Tolko ne seychas (2011)

Wintertochter (2011)

Sluby panienskie (2010)

Czas honoru (2009-2010) (TV series, 11 episodes)

Legenda o Lietajúcom Cypriánovi (2010)

Salt (2010)

Nie opuszczaj mnie (2010)

Oda az igazság (2010)

Naznaczony (2009) (TV series, 1 episode)

Mniejsze zlo (2009)

Rewizyta (2009)

Taras Bulba (2009)

Niania (2009) (TV series, 1 episode)

Idealny facet dla mojej dziewczyny (2009)

Un homme et son chien (2008)

Kryptonim Gracz (2008) (TV)

Dwie strony medalu (2007) (TV series, 102 episodes)

Jutro idziemy do kina (2007) (TV)

Fala zbrodni (2006-2007) (TV series, 14 episodes)

Kryminalni (2006) (TV series, 2 episodes)

Persona non grata (2005)

Anthony Zimmer (2005)

Gibel imperii (2005) (mini TV series)

Turetskiy gambit (2005)

Milady (2004) (TV)

Break Point (2004)

Nitschewo (2003)

Stara basn. Kiedy slonce bylo bogiem (2003)

Przedwiosnie (2003) (mini TV series)

Zemsta (2002)

Gebürtig (2002)

Wiedzmin (2001)

Przedwiosnie (2001)

Na dobre i na zle (2000) (TV series, 1 episode)

To ja, zlodziej (2000)

Pan Tadeusz (1999)

Ogniem i mieczem (1999)

The Barber of Siberia (Sibirskiy tsiryulnik, 1998)

Ostatni krag (1998) (TV)

Il figlio di Sandokan (1998) (mini TV series)

Szökés (1997)

Dzieci i ryby (1997)

Balkan Island: The Last Story of the Century (1997)

Poznan 56 (1996)

Hommes, femmes, mode d'emploi (1996)

Dzieje mistrza Twardowskiego (1996)

A törvénytelen (1996)

Truck Stop (1996)

Pestka (1995)

Zweiunddreißig Richtungen der Windrose (1995)

Transatlantis (1995)

Lepiej byc piekna i bogata (1993)

Moi Ivan, toi Abraham (1993)

Kolejnosc uczuc (1993)

Le vin qui tue (1993) (TV)

Dinozavris kvertskhi (1993)

Lazos de sangre (1992)

Babochki (1992)

Das lange Gespräch mit dem Vogel (1992) (TV)

Korotkoe dykhanie lyubvi (1992)

Coup de foudre (1991) (TV series, 1 episode)

Napoléon et l'Europe (1991) (TV series)

Chillers (1990) (TV series, 1 episode)

Dekalog (1990) (TV series, 1 episode)

Le silence d'ailleurs (1990)

L'orchestre rouge (1989)

Coplan (1989) (TV series, 1 episode)

La bottega dell'orefice (1989)

Haute tension (1989) (TV series, 1 episode)

Biala wizytówka (TV series, 1 episode)

To teleftaio stoihima (1989)

La bugiarda (1989) (TV)

Isabella la ladra (1989) (mini TV series)

Passi d'amore (1989)

To Kill a Priest (1988) (unaccredited)

Zoo (1988)

The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988)

Kampf der Tiger (1988) (TV series)

Cinéma 16 (1983-1988) (TV series, 2 episodes)

Il segreto del Sahara (1988) (mini TV series)

Farewell Moscow (Mosca addio, 1987)

Siekierezada (1986)

Ga, Ga - Chwala bohaterom (1986)

Rosa Luxemburg (1986)

Music Hall (1986) (TV)

Mariage blanc (1986) (TV)

Mit meinen heißen Tränen (1986) (mini TV series)

Jestem przeciw (1985)

Casablanca, Casablanca (1985)

Le monde désert (1985) (TV)

Der Bulle & das Mädchen (1985)

Flash back (1985)

Lieber Karl (1984)

La diagonale du fou (1984)

Bis später, ich muss mich erschiessen (1984)

Eine Liebe in Deutschland (1983)

Si j'avais mille ans (1983)

Roza (1982)

The Trout (La truite, 1982)

Zaustavite svet, hoću da siđem (1982) (short feature film)

From a Far Country (1981)

Pad Italije (1981)

Les uns et les autres (1981) (mini TV series)

Les uns et les autres (1981)

Terrarium (1981) (TV)

Wizja lokalna 1901 (1980)

Rycerz (1980)

Z biegiem lat, z biegiem dni... (TV series, 1 episode)

Kung-fu (1979)

Panny z Wilka (1979)

The Tin Drum (Die Blechtrommel, 1979)

Dagny (1977)

Faust (1976) (TV)

Ziemia obiecana (1975)

The Deluge (Potop, 1974)

Roma rivuole Cesare (1974) (TV)

Wesele (1973)

Pilatus und andere - Ein Film für Karfreitag (1972) (TV)

Family Life (Zycie rodzinne, 1971)

Osvobozhdenie: Napravleniye glavnogo udara (1971)

Agnus Dei (Égi bárány, 1971)

Rola (1971) (TV)

La pacifista - Smetti di piovere (1970) (unaccredited)

The Birch Wood (Brzezina, 1970)

Rózaniec z granatów (1970) (TV)

Landscape After the Battle (Kajobraz po bitwie, 1970)

Sól ziemi czarnej (1970)

Osvobozhdenie (1969)

Skok (1969)

Polowanie na muchy (1969)

Pan Wolodyjowski (1969)

Everything For Sale (Wszystko na sprzedaz, 1969)

Przygody Pana Michala (1969) (TV series, 1 episode)

Zaliczenie (1968) (TV)

Hrabina Cosel (1968)

Jowita (1967)

Bokser (1967)

Malzenstwo z rozsadku (1967)

Potem nastapi cisza (1966)

The Ashes (Popioly, 1965)

Ranny w lesie (1964)