Roman Polanski

Directing·Aug 18, 1933·Paris, France

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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 Polańskis' 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.

Film	Credit
The Palace2023 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
An Officer and a Spy2019 · Concertgoer (uncredited), Director, Writer	Concertgoer (uncredited), Director, Writer
Sharon Tate Home Movies2019 · Director	Director
Based on a True Story2017 · Director, Screenplay	Director, Screenplay
Henri Langlois vu par...2014 · Director	Director
Venus in Fur2013 · Director, Screenplay	Director, Screenplay
Carnage2011 · Neighbor, Director, Screenplay	Neighbor, Director, Screenplay
The Ghost Writer2010 · Screenplay, Director, Producer	Screenplay, Director, Producer
BBicycle2008 · Boy who wants to buy a bicycle, Writer, Director	Boy who wants to buy a bicycle, Writer, Director
To Each His Own Cinema2007 · Director, Producer	Director, Producer
Le court des grands2005 · Director	Director
Oliver Twist2005 · Director, Producer	Director, Producer
The Pianist2002 · Director, Producer	Director, Producer
The Ninth Gate1999 · Screenplay, Producer, Director	Screenplay, Producer, Director
Death and the Maiden1994 · Director	Director
Bitter Moon1992 · Screenplay, Producer, Director	Screenplay, Producer, Director
The King of Ads1991 · Director	Director
Frantic1988 · Taxi Driver (uncredited), Director, Writer	Taxi Driver (uncredited), Director, Writer
Pirates1986 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
Tess1979 · Screenplay, Director	Screenplay, Director
The Tenant1976 · Trelkovsky, Director, Screenplay	Trelkovsky, Director, Screenplay
Chinatown1974 · Man with Knife, Director, Writer	Man with Knife, Director, Writer
What?1972 · Mosquito, Screenplay, Director	Mosquito, Screenplay, Director
Macbeth1971 · Director, Screenplay	Director, Screenplay
Rosemary's Baby1968 · Director, Screenplay	Director, Screenplay
The Fearless Vampire Killers1967 · Alfred, Director, Screenplay	Alfred, Director, Screenplay
Cul-de-sac1966 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
Repulsion1965 · Spoon Player, Director, Screenplay	Spoon Player, Director, Screenplay
The World's Most Beautiful Swindlers1964 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
The River of Diamonds1964 · Random Citizen, Director, Writer	Random Citizen, Director, Writer
Mammals1962 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
Knife in the Water1962 · Young Man (voice), Director, Screenplay	Young Man (voice), Director, Screenplay
The Fat and the Lean1961 · the lean, Director, Producer, Writer	the lean, Director, Producer, Writer
When Angels Fall1959 · Old Woman, Screenplay, Director	Old Woman, Screenplay, Director
The Lamp1959 · A passer-by (uncredited), Director, Screenplay	A passer-by (uncredited), Director, Screenplay
Two Men and a Wardrobe1958 · Bad Boy, Director, Writer	Bad Boy, Director, Writer
A Toothful Smile1957 · Director, Screenplay	Director, Screenplay
Murder1957 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer
Break Up the Dance1957 · Director, Writer	Director, Writer