Daniel Olbrychski

Daniel Marcel Olbrychski (; born 27 February 1945) is a Polish film and theatre actor who is widely considered one of the greatest Polish actors of his generation. He appeared in 180 films and TV productions and is best known for leading roles in several Andrzej Wajda movies including The Promised Land and also known for playing a defector and spymaster Vassily Orlov alongside Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie in the movie Salt. Life and career Olbrychski was born in 1945 in Łowicz, Poland to father Franciszek and mother Klementyna (née Sołonowicz). He had an older brother, Krzysztof (1939–2017), who was a physicist. He attended the Stefan Batory Gymnasium and Lyceum in Warsaw. He has been practicing boxing since his youth, he also trained fencing, badminton and judo. In 1965, he played the character of Rafał Olbromski, his first major film role in Andrzej Wajda's film The Ashes.