Polish writer Henryk Sienkiewicz (1846–1916) was awarded the 1905 Nobel Prize in Literature thanks to "his outstanding merits as an epic writer." His best-known and most widely translated work is the 1896 novel, "Quo Vadis?" (Latin for "Where are you going?" or "Where are you marching?"), a study of Roman society in the time of Emperor Nero .

From helming quieter biopics like Rush and In the Heart of the Sea or finessing, fighting, and fleeing the law in action movies like Extraction and Red Dawn, to starring in pop-culture.