Vladek Sheybal was a Polish actor who became one of Poland's leading actors and was first acclaimed on screen in Andrzej Wajda's Kanal (1957). He later moved to England, where he worked as an actor and director for the BBC and became one of the most recognizable faces on screen in the 60's and 70's, notably playing Kronsteen in From Russia with Love (1963). He was also known for his roles in Ken Russell's Women in Love (1969) and The Boy Friend (1971).