Roman Polanski
Date of birth: 1933-08-18
Place of birth: Paris, France
Known for: Directing
Also known as: Роман Поляньскі, Raymond Roman Thierry Liebling, Роман Полянский, Роман Поланский, Роман Поланскі, Rajmund Roman Thierry Polański, Roman Raymond Polanski
Biography
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.
Movie Credits
The Fearless Vampire Killers
1967-11-13
A noted professor and his dim-witted apprentice fall prey to their inquiring vampires, while on the
Chinatown
1974-06-20
Private eye Jake Gittes lives off of the murky moral climate of sunbaked, pre-World War II Southern
Rush Hour 3
2007-08-08
After a botched assassination attempt, the mismatched duo finds themselves in Paris, struggling to r
Playboy: The Story of X
1998-01-01
The Story Of X takes you to the earliest days of adult films when men peddled stag reels and project
Quiet Chaos
2008-02-08
Pietro is a successful businessman with a wife and a daughter. One day he helps his brother save two
An Officer and a Spy
2019-09-30
In 1894, French Captain Alfred Dreyfus is wrongfully convicted of treason and sentenced to life impr
The Magic Christian
1969-12-12
Sir Guy Grand, the richest man in the world, adopts a homeless man, Youngman. Together, they set out
The Tenant
1976-05-26
A quiet and inconspicuous man rents an apartment in Paris where he finds himself drawn into a rabbit
Knife in the Water
1962-03-09
On their way to an afternoon on the lake, husband and wife Andrzej and Krystyna nearly run over a yo
Tonite Let's All Make Love in London
1967-09-26
Peter Whitehead’s disjointed Swinging London documentary, subtitled “A Pop Concerto,” comprises a nu
A Generation
1955-01-26
Stach is a wayward teen living in squalor on the outskirts of Nazi-occupied Warsaw. Guided by an avu
Close Up
2012-09-30
More than 150 silent short films about singers, actors and directors captured during Press Conferenc
Innocent Sorcerers
1960-12-17
A young doctor is tired of being sought by women. One night he meets a young girl who all but forces
A Pure Formality
1994-05-15
Onoff is a famous writer, now a recluse. The Inspector is suspicious when Onoff is brought into the
What?
1972-12-07
A young American woman traveling through Italy finds herself in a strange Mediterranean villa where
The Family
2023-05-17
Two intertwined families who have made half a century of cinema. La Grande Bouffe, We won’t grow old
Wraki
1957-09-02
Diver Antoni Barnat is falsely accused of causing an accident underwater that almost led to his fell
The Lamp
1959-01-01
In waning winter light, a doll maker works in his shop, a kerosene lamp beside him, a jumble of doll
Tribute to Alfred Lepetit
2000-02-16
Who is Alfred Lepetit? Unknown by the general public but glorified by all the movie industry, Alfred
When Angels Fall
1959-12-31
The twenty-one-minute-film is set in a men's public rest room and recounts the day to day existence
Bad Luck
1960-04-04
To convince the prison warden against releasing him, a middle-aged Polish man recounts his life, one
Kanal
1957-04-20
In the last few days of the Warsaw Uprising during World War II, a modest group of Resistance member
Manson: Music from an Unsound Mind
2019-08-13
The untold story of Charles Manson's obsession to become a rock star, his rise in the LA music scene
Nikodem Dyzma
1956-10-29
Nikodem Dyzma is a poor dancer who comes to Warsaw to find a job. The problem is that nobody wants t
Con bravura
1972-07-01
Originally, Munk intended Eroica to be a triptych with Con bravura being the first part, but he ulti
The Fat and the Lean
1961-12-01
A small and thin barefoot slave (played by Polanski) plays a flute and beats a drum to entertain his
Elle s'appelait Françoise
1996-12-12
Françoise Dorléac et Catherine Deneuve were nearly twins. Only 18 months separated these sisters who
Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau
2014-08-24
The story of the insane scandals related to the remake of “Island of Dr. Moreau” —originally a novel
Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir
2012-10-09
An interview with film director Roman Polanski conducted during his period of house arrest, discussi
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
2008-01-18
Examines the public scandal and private tragedy which led to legendary director Roman Polanski's sud
Seduced and Abandoned
2013-05-20
SEDUCED AND ABANDONED combines acting legend Alec Baldwin with director James Toback as they lead us
Weekend of a Champion
1972-02-24
Filmmaker Roman Polanski spends a weekend with world champion driver Jackie Stewart as he attempts t
Il falso bugiardo
2008-07-03
Based upon Vincenzoni's biography, "Pane e cinema", the documentary traces the story of the screen p
Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans
2015-05-16
Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans interweaves stunning newly discovered footage and voice recordings
The Last Days of Sharon Tate
1999-07-25
The documentary profiled the final and last days of Sharon Tate Polanski, a beloved actress and mode
Rosemary's Baby: A Retrospective
2000-10-03
Straight-forward production stories from the Hollywood players who made the movie happen.
Mia and Roman
1968-07-09
Mia and Roman is a 1968 23-minute documentary film which was shot during the making of Rosemary's Ba
Ciao, Federico!
1970-10-28
A behind-the-scenes documentary about the filming of the Federico Fellini film, "Satyricon."
Last Pictures
2000-01-02
Andrzej Munk was one of the leading directors in Polish cinema. Friends and collaborators share thei
Roman Polanski: Odd Man Out
2012-09-09
A follow-up to the 2008 documentary "Roman Polanski: Wanted And Desired", focusing on the filmmaker'
Good Bye, Till Tomorrow
1960-05-25
Jacek is a handsome, charming young Pole who belongs to a drama company. One day, in the streets of
Blood for Dracula
1974-08-13
Deathly ill Count Dracula and his slimy underling, Anton, travel to Italy in search of a virgin's bl
Weekend of a Champion
2013-10-09
Filmmaker Roman Polanski spends a weekend with world champion driver Jackie Stewart as he attempts t
Clive James Meets Roman Polanski
1984-01-01
Roman Polanski speaks frankly about his childhood in the Warsaw ghetto, his mothers death, his begin
Carnage
2011-09-16
Two pairs of parents hold a cordial meeting after their sons are involved in a fight, though as thei
Françoise Dorléac, une promesse
2018-07-10
A portray of French actress Françoise Dorléac
Two Men and a Wardrobe
1958-04-22
The film features two men who emerge from the sea carrying a large wardrobe, which they proceed to c
Komeda: A Soundtrack for a Life
2010-05-07
Krzysztof Komeda was a jazz pianist and film composer. With compositions like the lullaby for Rosema
Back in the USSR
1992-02-07
A vacationing American and a sultry Russian thief lead police and smugglers on a deadly chase throug
Sharon Tate: Murdered Innocence
2002-10-29
Sharon Tate is a rising young star before her life ends in a shocking murder.
Two Gangsters and an Island
2003-08-25
A short documentary about the making of the 1966 film 'Cul-de-sac'.
The New Cinema
1968-01-01
Between the French La Nouvelle Vague and the Italian Neorealismo, Europe had been undergoing a conti
Repulsion
1965-06-01
Beautiful young manicurist Carole suffers from androphobia (the pathological fear of interaction wit
Toil And Trouble: Making 'Macbeth'
2014-09-23
A new documentary on the Criterion Collection edition of Roman Polanski's 1971 adaptation of Macbeth
Polanski Meets Macbeth
1972-01-01
A 1971 documentary by Frank Simon featuring rare footage of the film’s cast and crew at work.
Empire of the Censors
1995-05-28
The history of film and video censorship in Great Britain.
The Stalking Moon
Knife in the Water: A Ticket to the West
2003-08-01
Polanski par Polanski
2006-12-03
Roman Polanski hasn't given an interview for many years. However, in the conversation from 2006 with
Lotna
1959-09-27
Set in the beginning of Wold War II, when the Polish cavalry still fought with lances against German
Polanski y los ojos del mal
2002-04-16
Documentary that describes and analyzes the characteristics, themes and central concerns of Roman Po
En attendant Godot
1989-06-03
Two vagabonds, Vladimir and Estragon, meet on stage in a non-place ("Country road with tree") at dus
Dead Tired
1994-05-18
Stressed and overworked, famous French movie star Michel Blanc is beginning to wear down, physically
The Revenge
2002-10-04
A winter day at a Polish castle, half owned by a fatalistic notary and half by a volcanic old soldie
Three Stories
1953-04-24
The short stories showing the troubles of youth serving in the "Służba Polsce" organisation.
Bicycle
2008-11-22
An unfinished student short by Roman Polanski. Due to a mix-up in the laboratory, only part of the f
Godzina bez słońca
1955-01-01
Magical Bicycle
1955-12-25
The last stage of the Cycling Race Dookoła Polski: Kielce - Warsaw. The fate of the race is at stake
Koniec nocy
1957-12-21
A group of young Łódź hoodlums spends their time shoplifting, partying and drinking heavily, until t
What Will My Wife Say to This?
1958-09-26
The hero of the story is the writer Vladimír Tůma, who is invited to spend a month studying in a nei
Ostrożnie yeti
1961-01-20
Absurd gag comedy about a grotesque pursuit of a "snow man" allegedly imported to Poland. A box with
Samson
1961-09-11
The hero is a Jewish youth. He, like his family, has always been silent and undemonstrative in the f
Chassé-croisé
1982-03-24
Passionate about music, Julien nevertheless works with a sculptor. One day, he meets young Hermine a
Ciné regards: Tess: Roman Polanski
1979-09-01
Television documentary about the making of Roman Polanski's 1979 film, Tess.
Remembering 'Rosemary's Baby'
2012-01-01
Retrospective documentary on the making of 'Rosemary's Baby' (1968).
Light Keeps Me Company
2000-08-26
Carl-Gustaf Nykvist's documentary about his father, Sven Nykvist. The film is based on Sven's memoir
Sex, Lies and Jerzy Kosinski
1995-04-11
The making of Jerzy Kosinski. The BBC documentary on the life and art of enigmatic novelist Jerzy Ko
Polanski, Horowitz. The Wizards From the Ghetto
2021-08-20
Filmmaker Roman Polanski and photographer Ryszard Horowitz meet in Kraków, Poland, where, strolling
A British Horror Film
2003-01-01
A documentary on the making of Roman Polanski's 1965 film "Repulsion," featuring interviews with Pol
The Nomad
1967-02-27
An interview with film director Roman Polanski, recorded for BBC TV in 1967.
A Special Day
2012-05-16
At the 60th anniversary of Cannes Film Festival, 34 famous directors are followed by camera.
Dracula: The True Story
1997-01-01
The Irish novelist, Bram Stoker, gave the world Dracula in 1897. This documentary explores the histo
The Evolution of Snuff
1978-11-30
Mockumentary about a pornographic film starlet who commits suicide during the filming of a documenta
In The Tracks Of - Alexandre Desplat
2020-08-13
Alexandre Desplat is one of the most famous film music composer of today. Innovative artist with a s
Valley of the Dolls: A World Premiere Voyage
1967-12-20
The maiden cruise of the ocean liner Italia travels from Italy to California for the premiere of the
Tess: From Novel to Screen
2004-09-28
Documentary about Roman Polanski's film adaptation of the 1891 novel "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" by
Filming 'Tess'
2004-09-28
Documentary about the making of Roman Polanski's 1979 film "Tess."
Tess: The Experience
2004-09-28
A documentary that interviews the cast and crew of Roman Polanski's 1979 film "Tess."
The Ten Commandments of Creativity
2000-02-01
Having struggled to crack his brief, Dennis Hopper decides the only honourable act is to throw himse
Trzy starty
1955-10-25
Three separate short stories about young athletes who lose their chances of success. Young swimmer -
Cracow by Polanski
2010-06-28
Roman Polanski lived in Cracow/Krakow during 1936-1955 - almost 20 years of his life. These years fo
Memories of a Young Pianist
2009-11-03
Interview with the italian composer Claudio Gizzi about his lifetime and work as part or the extras
Henri Langlois vu par...
2014-07-27
Thirteen filmmakers share personal reflections on Henri Langlois—the visionary founder of the Cinéma
Twist by Polanski
2006-01-24
Roman Polanski looks back at the making of "Oliver Twist."
The Best of Twist: Sets, Costumes & Photography
2006-02-13
Short behind-the-scenes documentary on Roman Polanski's "Oliver Twist."
On the Trail of the New Wave
2009-03-14
Frantic
1988-02-19
The wife of an American doctor suddenly vanishes in Paris. To find her, he navigates a puzzling web
Once Upon a Time... 'Tess'
2007-03-16
Television documentary about the making of Roman Polanski's 1979 film "Tess."
Catherine Deneuve, belle et bien là
2010-04-11
Catherine Deneuve couldn’t care less about being a celebrity, but fame made her an icon long ago and
Polanski, le travail à l'oeuvre
2019-11-04
Komeda, Komeda...
2012-09-28
A feature-length documentary on the life and work of jazz musician and composer Krzysztof Komeda.
Lionpower from MGM
1967-01-01
"Lionpower from MGM" (1967) is an exciting 60's promotional short subject, which showcases MGM's rel
Valerie
2019-08-07
A documentary of the incredible life of actress Valerie Perrine and her battle with Parkinson's.
Roman by Polanski
2015-07-17
short documentary about legendary filmmaker Roman Polanski
Face of Evil: The Charles Manson Murders
2015-08-15
CNN revisits the vicious, horrific killings by Charles Manson's followers, 45 years later in their s
Hugh Hefner: Once Upon a Time
1992-01-01
Mia Farrow: Shadows and Light
2025-04-23
The artistic career of American actress Mia Farrow has been that of a passionate and committed woman
The River of Diamonds
1964-07-22
A young woman is seduced by a wealthy diplomat, who leaves her his business card and arranges to mee
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex 'n' Drugs 'n' Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood
2003-03-09
The chronicle of the mind-blowing journey that was Hollywood during the seventies; the true and grip