Won international fame with the leading role of Maciek Chelmicki in Andrzej Wajda's Küller ve Elmaslar (1958). He created a character which was imitated not only in Poland; often compared with James Dean.

Graduated from the Higher State School of Acting in Cracow; also studied journalism. From 1953 to 1960 worked with Wybrzeze Theatre, Bim-Bom Student Theatre and Teatr Rozmow (all in Gdansk). From 1961 to 1967 acted and directed in Theatre Ateneum in Warsaw, Poland.

Major leading roles: Kostek in Wajda's Pokolenie (1955) ("Generation"), Maciek Chelmicki in Wajda's Küller ve Elmaslar (1958), Jacek in Janusz Morgenstern's A demain (1961) ("See You Tomorrow", co-scr.), Edmund in Wajda's Niewinni czarodzieje (1960) ("Innocent Sorcerers"), Wiktor Rawicz in Wojciech Has's Jak byc kochana (1963) ("How to Be Loved"), Alfons Van Worden in Has's Zaragoza El Yazması (1965), trainer Janczak in Aleksander Scibor-Rylski's Jutro Meksyk (1966) ("Mexico Tomorrow"), Rodecki in Scibor-Rylski's Morderca zostawia slad (1967) ("The Killer Leaves a Trace").