He was born on 7th May 1923, in Jabłonowo Pomorskie. He was an academic teacher, film and theatre actor, as well as a voice-over actor. He lent his voice to Vochomůrka, one of the two forest people featured in the Czechoslovakian animated television series for children ‘Pohádky z mechu a kapradí’ (in English: The Tales of Moss and Fern).
After his arrest by Gestapo in 1940, Włodzimierz Skoczylas was sent to the Dachau concentration camp and remained there until April 1945, when the camp was finally liberated. In 1946, the actor returned to Poland and immediately started working at Teatr Kukiełek RTPD (a Puppet Theatre) in Łódź. In 1951, he graduated from the Acting Department of the Aleksander Zelwerowicz National Academy of Dramatic Art in Warsaw. Włodzimierz Skoczylas performed on stages of the Polish Theatre in Szczecin (in the years 1950-1951), the Ateneum Theatre in Warsaw (in the years 1951-1953), the Music Theatre in Łódź (in the years 1953-1954), the Stefan Jaracz Theatre in Łódź (in the years 1954-1959 and 1972-78), and Powszechny Theatre in Łódź (in the years 1959-1972). In 1965, he started working as an academic teacher in the Leon Schiller National Film School (now the Lodz Film School). He was also appointed as a deputy dean (in the years 1969-1972) and dean (in the years 1972-1973) of the Acting Department.
His professional portfolio also includes many film roles. He worked with a number of the most famous Polish film directors, for example with Aleksander Ford in his ‘Piątka z ulicy Barskiej / Five Boys from Barska Street’ (1953) filmed on locations in Włocławek and ‘Krzyżacy/Knights of the Teutonic Order’ (1960), in a number of films directed by Włodzimierz Jerzy Hass, including ‘Rękopis znaleziony w Saragossie / Manuscript Found in Saragossa’ (1964), ‘Osobisty pamiętnik grzesznika przez niego samego spisany / Memoirs of a Sinner’ (1985) and ‘Niezwykła podróż Baltazara Kobera / The Tribulations of Balthazar Kober’ (1988), or in the television series ‘Kapitan Sowa na tropie / Captain Sowa on the Trail’ (1965) directed by Stanisław Bareja. In 1962, he was cast as the highwayman Łapiduch in the film ‘O dwóch takich co ukradli księżyc / The Two Who Stole the Moon’ based on the book under the same title penned by Kornel Makuszyński, in which one of the main protagonists was played by Helena Grossówna (a native of Toruń). In 1964, he was featured in the film ‘Panienka z okienka / A Lady from the Window’ directed by Maria Kaniewska, in which we also see Halina Kossobucka (a native of Grudziądz) in one of the main roles. Włodzimierz Skoczylas was also featured in many historical television series, for example in ‘Stawka większa niż życie / More Than Life at Stake’ (1968), ‘Przygody pana Michała / Adventures of Michal Wolodyjowski’ (1969), ‘Lalka / The Doll’ (1977), ‘Rodzina Połanieckich / The Połaniecki Family’ (1978), and ‘Przyłbice i kaptury / Visors and Hoods’ (1985).
The actor was also known for his performances in Teatr Telewizji (Television Theatre) and radio dramas broadcast on the Polish Radio Theatre.
Włodzimierz Skoczylas died on 29th September 1993, in Łódź. He was interred at the local St. Roch’s Cemetery, in the district of Radogoszcz.
Selected Filmography
Selected Awards
1966 – A badge of the 1000th anniversary of the Polish State; 1970 – A honorary badge: Meritorious Activist of Culture; 1975 – The Order of Polonia Restituta Fifth Class.
