Kolak was born and raised in Kraków, Poland. She graduated from the AST National Academy of Theatre Arts in Kraków in 1980 and later began perform in various stage productions.[2] She also worked as an acting teacher. In 2015 she received a master's degree at the Łódź Film School.[3]
Kolak has appeared in more than 70 movies and television series during her career. On television, she starred in Radio Romans (1994–95), Pensjonat Pod Róza (2004–06), Recipe For Life (2011–13) and Barwy szczęścia (2007–18). She made her big screen debut in 1998 and later played number of supporting roles in various movies. She received two Gdynia Film Festival Award for Best Supporting Actress for I Am Yours (2009) and United States of Love (2016). For United States of Love, Kolak also received her first Polish Academy Award for Best Actress nomination. She received her second Polish Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for Playing Hard (2018).[6]
