Jerzy Skolimowski (Polish: [ˈjɛʐɨ skɔliˈmɔfskʲi]; born 5 May 1938) is a Polish film director, screenwriter, dramatist, actor and painter. Beginning as a screenwriter for Andrzej Wajda's Innocent Sorcerers (1960), Skolimowski has made more than twenty films since his directorial debut The Menacing Eye (1960). In 1967 he was awarded the Golden Bear prize for his Belgian film The Departure (1967). Among his other notable films is Deep End (1970), starring Jane Asher and John Moulder Brown as well as The Shout, starring Alan Bates, Susannah York and John Hurt, Moonlighting (1982), starring Jeremy Irons and Essential Killing, starring Vincent Gallo He lived in Los Angeles for over 20 years where he painted in a figurative, expressionist mode and occasionally acted in films. He returned to Poland, and to filmmaking as a writer and director, after a 17-year hiatus with Four Nights with Anna (2008). He received the Golden Lion Award for Lifetime Achievement at the 2016 Venice Film Festival. His film EO (2022) was awarded the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards. Description above from the Wikipedia article Jerzy Skolimowski, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- May 5, 1938 (88)
- Łódź, Poland
- Actor, director, writer and producer
- 30 on MovieCove · 64 credits in all
What are Jerzy Skolimowski's films like?
Across their 24 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Power.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 3 · Wry 1 · Earnest 19
Light 3 · Serious 7 · Dark 13
Grounded 9 · Stylized 9 · Heightened 5
Gentle 1 · Charged 11 · Intense 11
Steady 7 · Shifting 11 · Whiplash 5
Straight-faced 16 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 3
Slow burn 11 · Even-paced 12 · Relentless 0
Casual 4 · Engaged 12 · Full focus 7
A split, not a type: Easy watch 4 · Affecting 8 · Heavy 11
A split, not a type: Resolved 6 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 12
Roles they play
Usually the Shadow: 3 of 6 analyzed roles.
- Shadowas Boxer in Innocent Sorcerers (1960)
- Allyas Hoffmann in Circle of Deceit (1981)
- Shadowas Colonel Chaiko in White Nights (1985)
- Shadowas Doc in Big Shots (1987)
- Mentoras Stepan in Eastern Promises (2007)
- Heroas King Jan III Sobieski in The Day of the Siege: September Eleven 1683 (2012)
Moods and endings
- Happy4
- Bittersweet6
- Tragic2
- Ambiguous11
- Cyclical1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Jerzy Skolimowski's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 18 of their 30 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (9).
- Ida (2013) · thanks · free
- Moonlighting (1982) · actor, director, writer, producer · free
- Heel (2025) · producer · free
- The Shout (1978) · director, writer · free
- Essential Killing (2010) · director, writer, producer · free
- L.A. Without a Map (1998) · actor · free
- Success Is the Best Revenge (1984) · director, writer, producer · free
- The Adventures of Gerard (1970) · director, writer · free
- Mesmerized (1985) · writer · free
Subscription and free streaming for Jerzy Skolimowski's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
64 credits, 30 with a MovieCove page; 8 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Heel(2025)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
A Decent Man(2025)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all shows
The Palace(2023)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
Still Here (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)
EO(2022)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
The Silent Twins(2022)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
At Home - Poland (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
It's Not Us (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)
A Man in Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
The Stolen Caravaggio(2018)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
Julius (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
11 Minutes(2015)
Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films
Ida(2013)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
Ixjana (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films
The Avengers(2012)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Essential Killing(2010)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
Naznaczony (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
Four Nights with Anna(2008)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
Eastern Promises(2007)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all filmsParola (su una data) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
Before Night Falls(2000)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Operation Simoon(1999)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
L.A. Without a Map(1998)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Mars Attacks!(1996)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all filmsThe Hollow Men (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
30 Door Key (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
Skolimowski à la table (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Torrents of Spring (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
Big Shots(1987)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
The Lightship(1985)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
White Nights(1985)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
Mesmerized(1985)
Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films
Hands Up! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
Moonlighting(1982)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Circle of Deceit(1981)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
The Shout(1978)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
A Slip-Up (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
King, Queen, Knave(1972)
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
Deep End(1970)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
The Adventures of Gerard(1970)
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films
Dialogue 20-40-60 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
The Twenty-Year-Olds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
The Departure (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Barrier (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
NET Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
Cooked Doves (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
Sposób bycia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
Z przygodą na ty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
Identification Marks: None (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Walkover (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
The Friend (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Night Fare (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
The Nude (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
Knife in the Water(1962)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all filmsBeautiful (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
Your Money or Your Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
Boxing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
Erotique (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
Innocent Sorcerers(1960)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Little Hamlet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
The Menacing Eye (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
Angel of Death (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 64 titles, 63 of them dated from 1960 to 2026.
Biggest box office
Eastern Promises (2007)
Highest rated
Eastern Promises (2007)
Most popular right now
Heel (2025)
Film career
- 1960Screen debut· Innocent Sorcerers
- 1965First top-billed film· Identification Marks: None
- 1982Cannes award win· Moonlighting
Billing
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.
Awards
10 major awards from 23 major nominations, 1967–2022.
- Cannes award, won
- Cannes award, nominated
- Venice award, won
- Venice award, won
- Venice award, nominated ×2
- Venice award, won · Best Film
- Venice award, won
- Venice award, nominated
- Cannes award, nominated · Directors' Fortnight
- Cannes award, nominated
- Venice award, nominated
- Cannes award, nominated
- Venice award, won
- Venice award, nominated
Show 5 earlier yearsShow fewer
- Cannes award, nominated
- Cannes award, won
- Cannes award, nominated
- Cannes award, won
- Cannes award, nominated
- Cannes award, nominated
- Berlinale award, won ×2
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Jerzy Skolimowski's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 58th percentile, the median of all 29; across their 23 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 53rd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up10
- 50th to 74th5
- 25th to 49th10
- Below 25th5
Shape of the crowd
14 of their 30 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved2
- Divisive1
- Crowd Pleaser14
- Broadly Agreed2
- Mixed11
Reviewers score the acting 70/100 in their films, across 23 reviewed titles; fans 78, detractors 45. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Jerzy Skolimowski's work okay for kids?
Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity and profanity run heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Jerzy Skolimowski work with?
People who share at least 2 of Jerzy Skolimowski's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Ewa Piaskowska shares the most, 6.
Directors
- Roman PolanskiShared titles: The Palace (2023), Knife in the Water (1962), Innocent Sorcerers (1960)See all 3 shared titles with Roman Polanski
Writers
- Ewa PiaskowskaShared titles: Heel (2025), The Palace (2023), EO (2022), 11 Minutes (2015), Essential Killing (2010), Four Nights with Anna (2008)See all 6 shared titles with Ewa Piaskowska
Actors
- Mateusz KosciukiewiczShared titles: EO (2022), 11 Minutes (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Mateusz Kosciukiewicz
- David L. PriceShared titles: 11 Minutes (2015), Essential Killing (2010)See all 2 shared titles with David L. Price
- Michal SkolimowskiShared titles: The Lightship (1985), Success Is the Best Revenge (1984)See all 2 shared titles with Michal Skolimowski
- Jane AsherShared titles: Success Is the Best Revenge (1984), Deep End (1970)See all 2 shared titles with Jane Asher
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Barrie VinceShared titles: The Lightship (1985), Success Is the Best Revenge (1984), Moonlighting (1982), The Shout (1978), Deep End (1970)See all 5 shared titles with Barrie Vince
- Stanley MyersShared titles: The Lightship (1985), Success Is the Best Revenge (1984), Moonlighting (1982), King, Queen, Knave (1972)See all 4 shared titles with Stanley Myers
- Pawel EdelmanShared titles: The Palace (2023), EO (2022), Operation Simoon (1999)See all 3 shared titles with Pawel Edelman
- Pawel MykietynShared titles: EO (2022), 11 Minutes (2015), Essential Killing (2010)See all 3 shared titles with Pawel Mykietyn
Producers
- Jeremy ThomasShared titles: Heel (2025), EO (2022), 11 Minutes (2015), Essential Killing (2010), The Shout (1978)See all 5 shared titles with Jeremy Thomas
- Janusz HetmanShared titles: The Palace (2023), EO (2022)See all 2 shared titles with Janusz Hetman
- Eileen TascaShared titles: EO (2022), 11 Minutes (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Eileen Tasca
- Andrew LoweShared titles: 11 Minutes (2015), Essential Killing (2010)See all 2 shared titles with Andrew Lowe
