WARSAW, POLAND — Polish actor Leon Niemczyk, who starred in Roman Polanski’s “Knife in the Water” and hundreds of other films, has died at the age of 82.

Niemczyk, considered a master of supporting roles, died November 29 of lung cancer at his home in Lodz, the Polish news agency PAP reported.

Niemczyk starred in more than 400 movies in Poland and in scores of foreign films, including this year’s David Lynch film “Inland Empire,” a performance he gave soon after learning he was terminally ill. He was diagnosed with lung cancer after fainting a year ago on a set in Lodz.

He made a name for himself in 1962 in “Knife in the Water,” Polanski’s first feature film, playing Andrzej — a bored, ambitious man in a story loaded with psychological drama.

He remained active until recently, playing in scores of television series.

Niemczyk was born December 15, 1923, in Warsaw. During World War II, he fought in the 1944 Warsaw Uprising, an ill-fated attempt to overthrow Nazi rule.

After the war, he served briefly in the U.S. Army in occupied Germany before returning to communist-ruled Poland.

A later attempt to flee was thwarted, landing him in prison.

He remained a critic of the communist rule, a stance that is believed to have cost him leading roles for four decades.

In one of his last interviews, published after his death in the Dziennik daily newspaper, he said: “I was never a party member, and I don’t give a damn for all that communism, but I still believe that it was the best time for Poland’s movie industry.”

He was married six times.