Born as Tadeusz Zbigniew Danielewski in Radom, Poland, he served in the Polish Underground during World War II but was captured and interred in a Nazi work camp until rescued by Patton's forces.
He and his wife, actress Sylvia Daneel (née Sylwia Jadwiga Łakomska), emigrated to the United States in 1948.
They formalized their union in the United States with a civil ceremony in Los Angeles, California on June 9, 1950, and shortly after began studying at the University of Iowa.
[1][2][3] After the war, he studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and started the Professional Actors Workshop in New York City, whose students included Martin Sheen, James Earl Jones, and Mercedes Ruehl.
[4] He worked at NBC as a studio supervisor and helped develop a new method for directing TV programs.