Born on February 27, 1945 in Lowicz. He studied at the Drama School in Warsaw. As a student he made his screen debut in “The Wounded in a Forest” (Ranny w lesie) in 1964.
Olbrychski has appeared in over 114 features and 120 TV serial episodes. He won the Best Actor Award at the Polish Film Festival in Gdansk in 1974 for “The Deluge” (Potop) and at the Moscow International Film Festival in 1971 for “The Birchwood” (Brzezina).
In 1999 he received The Actor’s Mission Award at the International Art Film Festival in Trencianske Teplice in the Slovak Republic and in 2007 the Stanislavsky Prize at the Moscow IFF.
| 2014 | Fanciful (Piąte: Nie odchodź) by Katarzyna Jungowska | |
| 2013 | The Vulture (Sęp) by Eugeniusz Korin | |
| 2012 | The Day of the Siege: September Eleven 1683 (Bitwa pod Wiedniem) by Renzo Martinelli | |
| 2011 | Battle of Warsaw 1920 (Bitwa Warszawska 1920) by Jerzy Hoffman Wintervater by Johannes Schmid |
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| 2010 | Salt by Phillip Noyce If You Go Away (Nie opuszczaj mnie) by Ewa Stankiewicz Su Much for Justice (Oda az igazság) by Miklos Jancso |
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| 2009 | The Lesser of Two Evils (Mniejsze zło) by Janusz Morgenstern Taras Bulba by Vladimir Bortko The Perfect Guy for My Girlfriend (Idealny facet dla mojej dziewczyny) |
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| 2007 | Tomorrow We´re Going to the Movies (Jutro idziemy do kina) by Michal Kwiecinski | |
| 2005 | Persona Non Grata by Krzysztof Zanussi Anthony Zimmer by Jerome Salle The Fall of the Empire (Gibel Imperii) by Vladimir Khotinenko Turkish Gambit (Turetskiy gambit) by Dzhanik Faiziyev |
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| 2004 | Milady by Josee Dayan Break Point by Marek Nowicki |
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| 2003 | Nitchewo by Stefan Sarazin When the Sun Was God – An Ancient Tale (Stara baśń. Kiedy słonce bylo Bogiem) by Jerzy Hoffman |
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| 2002 | The Revenge (Zemsta) Gegutig by Robert Schindel and Lukas Stepanik |
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| 2001 | The Hexer (Wiedzmin) by Marek Brodzki The Spring to Come (Przedwiośnie) by Filip Bajon |
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| 2000 | It’s Me, the Thief (To ja, złodziej) by Jacek Bromski | |
| 1999 | Pan Tadeusz by Andrzej Wajda With Fire and Sword (Ogniem i mieczem) by Jerzy Hoffman |
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| 1998 | The Barber of Siberia (Sibirskiy tsiryulnik) by Nikita Mikhalkov | |
| 1997 | Escape (Szokes) by Livia Gyarmathy Children and Fishes (Dzieci i ryby) by Jacek Bromski The Last Circle (Ostatni krąg) by Krzysztof Zanussi |
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| 1996 | Poznan 56 by Filip Bajon Men, Women: a User’s Manual (Hommes, femmes, mode d’emploi) by Claude Lelouch Bastard (A Torvenytelen) by Ferenc Andras The Pip (Pestka) by Krystyna Janda Truck Stop by Michael Muschner Master Twardowski’s History (Dzieje mistrza Twardowskiego) by Krzysztof Gradowski |
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| 1995 | Transatlantis by Christian Wagner | |
| 1993 | Me Ivan, You Abraham (Moi Ivan, toi Abraham) by Yolande Zauberman Sequence of Feelings (Kolejność uczuć) by Radoslaw Piwowarski Dinosaur Egg (Dinozavris kvertskhi) by Keti Dolidze Better to Be Pretty and Rich (Lepiej być piekną i bogatą) by Filip Bajon |
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| 1992 | Lazos de sangre by Pal Erdoss Short Breath of Love (Korotkoe dykhanie lyubvi) by Viktor Kharchenko |
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| 1991 | Babochki by Andrei Malyukov | |
| 1990 | The Decalogue, Three (Dekalog, trzy) by Krzysztof Kieslowski The Return (Le Retour) by Josee Dayan & Serge Elissalde |
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| 1989 | The Red Orchestra (L’ Orchestre rouge) by Jacques Rouffio The Jeweller’s Shop (La Bottega dell’orefice) by Michael Anderson To Teleftaio stoihima by Kostas Zininis |
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| 1988 | To Kill a Priest (Popiełuszko) by Agnieszka Holland The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Philip Kaufman |
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| 1987 | Farewell Moscow (Mosca addio) by Mauro Bolognini | |
| 1986 | Axiliad (Siekierezada) by Witold Leszczynski Die Geduld der Rosa Luxemburg by Margarethe von Trotta Ga-ga: Glory to the Heroes (Ga, Ga – Chwała bohaterom) by Piotr Szulkin |
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| 1985 | I Am Against (Jestem przeciw) by Andrzej Trzos-Rostawiecki Casablanca, Casablanca by Francesco Nuti The Cop and the Girl (Der Bulle & das Madchen) by Peter Keglevic Dangerous Moves (La Diagonale du fou) by Richard Dembo |
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| 1983 | A Love in Germany (Eine Liebe in Deutschland) by Andrzej Wajda | |
| 1982 | Rosa (Róża) by Hristoforos Hristofis The Trout (La Truite) by Joseph Losey |
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| 1981 | From a Far Country (Z dalekiego kraju) by Krzysztof Zanussi The Fall of Italy (Pad Italije) by Lordan Zafranovic Bolero (Les Uns et les autres) by Claude Lelouch |
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| 1980 | The Knight (Rycerz) by Lech Majewski Inspection of the Crime Scene 1901 (Wizja lokalna 1901) by Filip Bajon |
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| 1979 | Kung-Fu by Janusz Kilowski The Young Ladies of Wilko (Pannz z Wilka) by Andrzej Wajda The Tin Drum (Blaszany Bębenek) by Volker Schlondorff |
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| 1977 | Dagny by Haakon Sandoy | |
| 1975 | The Promised Land (Ziemia obiecana) by Andrzej Wajda | |
| 1974 | The Deluge (Potop) by Jerzy Hoffman | |
| 1973 | The Wedding (Wesele) by Andrzej Wajda | |
| 1972 | Pilate and Others (Pilatus und Andere) by Andrzej Wajda | |
| 1971 | Family Life (Życie rodzinne) by Krzysztof Zanussi | |
| 1970 | The Birchwood (Brzezina) by Andrzej Wajda Landscape After Battle (Krajobraz po bitwie) by Andrzej Wajda {donot parse}Salt of the Black Earth (Sól ziemi czarnej) by Kazimierz Kutz |
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| 1969 | Hunting Flies (Polowanie na muchy) by Andrzej Wajda Colonel Wolodyjowski (Pan Wołodyjowski) by Jerzy Hoffman Everything for Sale (Wszystko na sprzedaż) by Andrzej Wajda The Structure of Crystal (Struktura kryształu) by Krzysztof Zanussi |
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| 1968 | Countess Cosel (Hrabina Cosel) by Jerzy Antczak | |
| 1967 | Jovita (Jowita) by Janusz Morgenstern Boxer (Bokser) by Julian Dziedzina The Marriage of Convenience (Małżenstwo z rozsądku) by Stanislaw Bareja |
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| 1966 | And All Will Be Quiet (Potem nastąpi cisza) by Janusz Morgenstern | |
| 1965 | The Ashes (Popioły) by Andrzej Wajda | |
| 1964 | Wounded in the Forest (Ranny w lesie) by Janusz Nasfeter |