Professor of Theatre Arts and an Honorary Doctor of the National Film School in Łódź, he is considered one of the greatest Polish actors.

[2] He is the recipient of numerous awards and honours including the Gold Cross of Merit (1974),[3] Gloria Artis Medal for Merit to Culture (2007), five Polish Film Awards (2001, 2007, 2016, 2016, 2019), Commander's Cross with Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta (2011),[4] and Diamond Lions Award at the Gdynia Film Festival (2015).

In 1965 he graduated from the National Film School in Łódź as one of its best students despite having been rejected during entrance exams three times.

[6] Shortly afterwards he was cast in a role of Janek Kos in a widely popular TV World War II series Czterej pancerni i pies (Four Tank Men and a Dog).

He starred in numerous other films and theatrical plays, notably in Krzysztof Kieślowski's Three Colors: White, Ryszard Bugajski's Interrogation, Andrzej Wajda's Man of Marble, Wojciech Marczewski's Escape from the 'Liberty' Cinema, Władysław Pasikowski's Pigs, Andrzej Wajda's The Revenge, Małgorzata Szumowska's Body and Wojciech Smarzowski's Clergy.