He was born in Kraśnik on 28/7/1931 and died in Moscow in April 2006. He studied singing at Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Conservatory, under Sergei Migai, Anatolij Dolivo and A.S. Sveshnikova. He won awards in the singing competitions of Prague (1960), George Enescu in Bucharest (1961), Glinka (former USSR, 1962) and Montreal (1967). Upon his graduation he was hired by the Bolshoi Theater, where he premiered in the title role of Eugene Onegin (1962). He sang numerous lyric baritone roles and participated in tours in Eastern and Western Europe. He won international acclaim for his role as Onegin, appearing at major theaters, including the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu, (1990), Milwaukee Opera (1992), New Orleans Opera (1995), etc. His roles include Renato (Un ballo in maschera), Royal Opera House of London (1975); Escamillo (Carmen), State Opera of Vienna (1979); Giorgio Germont (La traviata, 1978/79) and Scarpia (Tosca, 1993), Metropolitan Opera of New York. He also sang Count di Luna (Il trovatore, 1983), Prince Yeletsky (The Queen of Spades), Dolokhov and Prince Prince Andrei (War and Peace), etc. He sang at the Opera of Seattle, the Wiesbaden Festival (1987), in Berlin, Dresden, Hamburg, Leipzig, Warsaw, Prague, Budapest, Canada, etc. In 1976 he was awarded the People's Artist Medal of the Soviet Union. Highlights in his recordings include Eugene Onegin (1970, 1980), Tosca, Iolanta, Boris Godunov and The Queen of Spades (Melodiya, Eurodisc, Philips, HRE, Sony). An audiovisual recording is preserved of his performance in The Queen of Spades. He appeared at the GNO once, as Eugene Onegin (1976/77).