Juliusz Jan Machulski was born 10 March 1955 in Olsztyn, Poland, to parents, Jan Machulski and Halina Machulska.

In 1973, he moved to Warsaw, where he was admitted to the Polish Philology faculty of the Warsaw University. However, in 1975 he moved to Łódź, where he graduated from the Łódź Film School. In 1985, Machulski received the Stanisław Wyspiański First Young Artist Award, and in 1986 he received an award from the Minister of Foreign Affairs for his contribution to the popularisation of Polish culture around the world.