Vladek Sheybal
| Vladek Sheybal | |
|---|---|
Sheybal as Kronsteen in From Russia with Love (1963)
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| Born |
Władysław Rudolf Z. Sheybal 12 March 1923 Zgierz, Poland |
| Died | 16 October 1992 (aged 69) London, United Kingdom |
| Cause of death | Aortic aneurysm |
| Resting place |
Putney Vale Cemetery, London, UK 51°26′12″N 0°14′34″W / 51.436588°N 0.242655°W |
| Residence | United Kingdom |
| Alma mater | Merton College, Oxford |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1957–92 |
| Website | www |
Vladek Sheybal (born Władysław Rudolf Z. Sheybal; 12 March 1923 – 16 October 1992) was a Polish character actor and director of both television and stage productions. He was well known for his portrayal of the chess grandmaster Kronsteen in the James Bond film From Russia with Love (1963), a role for which he had been personally recommended by his friend Sean Connery, and Otto Leipzig in Smiley's People (1982).
He became a naturalised British citizen, but remained "fiercely proud of his homeland and its culture."
Sheybal was born in Zgierz, near Łódź, in the Second Polish Republic. He appeared in the film Kanał (1957, credited as Władysław Sheybal), directed by Andrzej Wajda, before emigrating to the United Kingdom, where he was typically cast in villainous roles. He also appeared as Holocaust survivor Egon Sobotnik in the television mini-series QB VII.
He had a dual role as "the Director" and as Pierre Louys in Ken Russell's The Debussy Film, one of Russell's composer biopics for the BBC. Other Russell films in which he appeared were Billion Dollar Brain, Women in Love, and The Boy Friend.
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