Roman Polanski
Roman Polański (born 18 August 1933) is a Polish-French film director, producer, writer and actor. Born in Paris to Polish parents, Polański relocated with his family to Poland in 1937. After surviving the Holocaust, he continued his education in Poland and became a critically acclaimed director of both art house and commercial films. Polański's first feature-length film, Knife in the Water (1962), made in Poland, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. He has since received five more Oscar nominations, and in 2002 received the Academy Award for Best Director for his film, The Pianist. He has also been the recipient of two Baftas, four Césars, a Golden Globe and the Palme d'Or. He left Poland in 1961 to live in France for several years, then moved to the United Kingdom where he collaborated with Gérard Brach on three films, beginning with Repulsion (1965). In 1968 he moved to the United States, immediately cementing his burgeoning directing status with the 1968 groundbreaking Academy Award winning horror film Rosemary's Baby. In 1969, Polański's pregnant wife, Sharon Tate, was murdered while staying at the Polański's Benedict Canyon home above Los Angeles by members of the Manson Family. Following Tate's death, Polański returned to Europe and spent much of his time in Paris and Gstaad, but did not make another film until he filmed Macbeth (1971) in England. The following year he went to Italy to make What? (1973) and subsequently spent the next five years living near Rome. However, he traveled to Hollywood to direct Chinatown (1974) for Paramount Pictures, with Robert Evans serving as producer. The film was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, and was a critical and box-office success; the script by Robert Towne won for Best Original Screenplay. Polański's next film, The Tenant (1976), was shot in France, and completed the "Apartment Trilogy", following Repulsion and Rosemary's Baby. In 1977, after a photo shoot in Los Angeles, Polański was arrested for the sexual abuse of a 13 year old girl. He was charged with rape but pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with a minor. To avoid sentencing, Polański fled to his home in London, and then moved on to France the following day. He has had a U.S. arrest warrant outstanding since then, and an international arrest warrant since 2005. Polański continued to make films such as The Pianist (2002), a World War II-set adaptation of Jewish-Polish musician Władysław Szpilman's autobiography of the same name, which echoed some of Polański's earlier life experiences. Like Szpilman, Polański escaped the ghetto and the concentration camps while family members were killed. The film won three Academy Awards including Best Director, the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or, and seven French César Awards including Best Picture and Best Director. He then released the successful films Oliver Twist (2005), To Each His Own Cinema (2007), and The Ghost Writer (2010), completed while under house arrest. In September 2009, Polański was arrested by Swiss police, at the request of U.S. authorities, when he traveled to receive a lifetime achievement award at the Zurich Film Festival. In October 2009, the U.S. requested his extradition; however, on July 12, 2010, the Swiss rejected that request and instead declared him a "free man" after releasing him from custody.
Known for
DirectingBirthday
August 18, 1933Gender
MaleKnown Movie Credits
154Place of birth
Paris, FranceAlso known as
Roman Polański, 로만 폴란스키, Роман Поляньскі, Ρόμαν Πολάνσκι, Raymond Roman Thierry Liebling, Роман Полянский, Роман Поланский, Роман ПоланскіCast credits
Chinatown
Man with KnifeRush Hour 3
Det. ReviQuiet Chaos
SteinerThe Tenant
TrelkovskyKnife in the Water
Young Man (voice)The Magic Christian
Solitary DrinkerA Generation
MundekInnocent Sorcerers
DudzioA Pure Formality
InspectorWhat?
MosquitoWraki
RomekThe Lamp
A passer-by (uncredited)When Angels Fall
Old womanThe Fat and the Lean
the leanRoman Polanski: A Film Memoir
SelfSeduced and Abandoned
SelfWeekend of a Champion
SelfMia and Roman
HimselfCiao, Federico!
Self (uncredited)Crew credits
Oliver Twist
Director, ProducerThe Pianist
Director, ProducerThe Ninth Gate
Director, Screenplay, ProducerRosemary's Baby
Director, ScreenplayChinatown
DirectorBitter Moon
Director, Screenplay, ProducerThe Fearless Vampire Killers
Director, Screenplay, StoryDeath and the Maiden
DirectorFrantic
Director, WriterCul-de-sac
Director, AuthorTess
Director, ScreenplayMacbeth
Director, ScreenplayThe Ghost Writer
Director, Screenplay, ProducerRepulsion
Director, ScreenplayThe Tenant
Director, ScreenplayPirates
Director, ScreenplayKnife in the Water
Screenplay, DirectorTo Each His Own Cinema
Director, ProducerTwo Men and a Wardrobe
Director, WriterWhat?
Director, ScreenplayCarnage
Director, Screenplay