Olbrychski was born in 1945 in Łowicz, Poland to father Franciszek and mother Klementyna (née Sołonowicz). He attended Gimnazjum i Liceum im. Stefana Batorego (Warsaw, Poland).
In 1986 Olbrychski received the French Legion of Honor (L'Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur). In 2007 he received the Stanislavsky Award at the 29th Moscow International Film Festival for the outstanding achievement in the career of acting and devotion to the principles of Stanislavsky's school.
He was selected to be on the jury for the Cinéfondation and short films sections of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.
