Roman studied at National Film School in Lodz, Poland.
Career
Gallery of Roman Polanski
1963
Roman Polanski holds the brochure for the first New York Film Festival, New York, New York, September 13, 1963. Photo by Jerry Schatzberg.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
1967
Sharon Tate with her husband Roman Polansky visiting the set of Rosemary's Baby on August 15,1967 in New York City. Photo by Santi Visalli.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
1967
Sharon Tate with her husband Roman Polanski visiting the set of Rosemary's Baby on August 15,1967 in New York City. Photo by Santi Visalli.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
1968
Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate. Cannes festival, 1968. Photo by NOA.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
1968
Roman Polanski and his wife actress Sharon Tate attend an event in 1968 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Michael Ochs Archives.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
1968
Portrait of married couple American actress Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski, England, 1968. Photo by Bill Ray.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
1968
Married couple Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate ride in the back seat of a car, England, 1968. Photo by Bill Ray.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
1968
Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski, England, 1968. Photo by Bill Ray.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
1968
Sharon Tate cuts the hair of her husband, Roman Polanski, London, England, 1968. Photo by Bill Ray.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
1968
14 Old Park Ln, Mayfair, London W1K 1ND, United Kingdom
Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski at their wedding reception held at London's Playboy Club, 20th January 1968. Photo by Larry Ellis.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
1968
Sharon Tate (right) with Roman Polanski, after their wedding, London, 20th January 1968. Photo by Reg Burkett.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
1969
Sharon Tate And Roman Polanski'S Wedding. Photo by Keystone-France.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
1969
Roman Polanski at London Airport, London, 11th August 1969. Photo by Reg Burkett.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
1969
Roman Polanski. Photo by Peter Turnley.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
1969
Sharon Tate with her husband, Roman Polanski, at the premiere of psychological horror film 'Rosemary's Baby', UK, 24th January 1969. Photo by Joe Bangay.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
1970
Polish director Roman Polanski shooting a film version of Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' on location in Northumberland. Photo by Ian Tyas.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
1970
Roman Polanski in London, 20th October 1970. Photo by P. Floyd.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
1971
Roman Polanski and Hugh Hefner at the movie premiere for the 1971 film version of Macbeth.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
1977
1725 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90401, United States
Roman Polanski surrounded by reporters at the Santa Monica Courthouse circa 1977 in Santa Monica, California. Photo by Saxon.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
1977
1725 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90401, United States
Roman Polanski surrounded by reporters at the Santa Monica Courthouse circa 1977 in Santa Monica, California. Photo by Saxon.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
1977
Roman Polanski and his lawyer Douglas Dillon arrive at the Santa Monica Courthouse circa 1977 in Santa Monica, California. Photo by Saxon.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
1977
Roman Polanski arrives at the Santa Monica Courthouse during a sexual abuse case brought against him, California, circa 1977. Photo by Reed Saxon.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
1980
Polish film director Roman Polanski at video edting studio in Paris, France, in 1980. Photo by Wojtek Laski.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
2013
Roman Polanski attends 'Weekend of a Champion' Premiere during the 66th Annual Cannes Film Festival on May 22, 2013 in Cannes, France. Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
2013
Roman Polanski attends the 'La Venus A La Fourrure' Photocall during the 66th Annual Cannes Film Festival on May 25, 2013 in Cannes, France. Photo by Pascal Le Segretain.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
2013
Emmanuelle Seigner and Roman Polanski attend the Premiere of Venus in Fur at The 66th Annual Cannes Film Festival on May 25, 2013 in Cannes, France. Photo by George Pimentel.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
2013
Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, 1 Boulevard de la Croisette, 06400 Cannes, France
Roman Polanski and actress Emmanuelle Seigner attend the photocall for 'La Venus A La Fourrure' at The 66th Annual Cannes Film Festival at the Palais des Festivals on May 25, 2013 in Cannes, France. Photo by Venturelli.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
2014
2 Rue Edouard Colonne, 75001 Paris, France
Roman Polanski holds the Best Director award for 'Venus in Fur' during the 39th Cesar Film Awards 2014 at Theatre du Chatelet on February 28, 2014 in Paris, France. Photo by Dominique Charriau.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
2014
2 Rue Edouard Colonne, 75001 Paris, France
Roman Polanski and Emmanuelle Seigner arrive during the 39th Cesar Film Awards 2014 at Theatre du Chatelet on February 28, 2014 in Paris, France. Photo by Dominique Charriau.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
2015
Świętego Jana 1, 31-013 Kraków, Poland
Roman Polanski arrives to attend a press conference at the Bonarowski Palace Hotel on October 30, 2015 in Krakow, Poland. Photo by Adam Nurkiewicz.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
2015
Świętego Jana 1, 31-013 Kraków, Poland
Roman Polanski (center) and lawyers Jerzy Stachowicz (left) and Jan Olszewski (right) give a press conference at the Bonarowski Palace Hotel on October 30, 2015 in Krakow, Poland. Photo by Adam Nurkiewicz.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
2015
Świętego Jana 1, 31-013 Kraków, Poland
French-Polish film director Roman Polanski is seen during a press conference at the Bonarowski Palace Hotel on October 30, 2015 in Krakow, Poland. Photo by Adam Nurkiewicz.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
2016
Roman Polanski is photographed for Paris Match on April 8, 2016 in Paris, France. Photo by Julien Weber.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
2017
Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, 1 Boulevard de la Croisette, 06400 Cannes, France
Roman Polanski attends the 70th Anniversary of the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 23, 2017 in Cannes, France. Photo by Antony Jones.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
2017
Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, 1 Boulevard de la Croisette, 06400 Cannes, France
Roman Polanski attends the "Based On A True Story" photocall during the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 27, 2017 in Cannes, France. Photo by Andreas Rentz.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
2017
Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, 1 Boulevard de la Croisette, 06400 Cannes, France
Roman Polanski and actress Emmanuelle Seigner leave the "Based On A True Story" screening during the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 27, 2017 in Cannes, France. Photo by Gisela Schober.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
2017
Roman Polanski attends the 'D'apres une histoire vraie' premiere at the 13th Zurich Film Festival on October 2, 2017 in Zurich, Switzerland. Photo by Alexander Koerner.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
2017
Roman Polanski attends the 'D'apres une histoire vraie' premiere at the 13th Zurich Film Festival on October 2, 2017 in Zurich, Switzerland. Photo by Alexander Koerner.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
2017
Roman Polanski attends the 'D'apres une histoire vraie' premiere at the 13th Zurich Film Festival on October 2, 2017 in Zurich, Switzerland. Photo by Alexander Koerner.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
2017
51 Rue de Bercy, 75012 Paris, France
Roman Polanski attends the Tribute to Roman Polanski. Held with a Retrospective of the Director's Work at Cinematheque Francaise on October 30, 2017 in Paris, France. Photo by Bertrand Rindoff Petroff.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
2017
Emmanuelle Seigner and Roman Polanski attends the 'D'apres une histoire vraie' premiere at the 13th Zurich Film Festival on October 2, 2017 in Zurich, Switzerland. Photo by Andreas Rentz.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
2017
Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, 1 Boulevard de la Croisette, 06400 Cannes, France
Roman Polanski and Eva Green attend the "Based On A True Story" photocall during the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 27, 2017 in Cannes, France. Photo by Pascal Le Segretain.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
2018
16 Rue Georgette Agutte, 75018 Paris, France
Roman Polanski attends "La Nuit ne dure pas", Concert of Dani and Emmanuelle Seigner at Theater L'Etoile on October 16, 2018 in Paris, France. Photo by Laurent Viteur.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
2019
36bis Rue Eugène Oudiné, 75013 Paris, France
Roman Polanski attends Albert Koski exposes his Rock&Roll Posters Collection at Galerie Laurent Godin on June 3, 2019 in Paris, France. Photo by Rindoff Petroff.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
2019
Jean Dujardin and his Director in the movie "J'accuse", Roman Polanski attend "Le Daim" Movie Premiere at MK2 Odeon on June 17, 2019 in Paris, France. Photo by Bertrand Rindoff Petroff.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
2019
Roman Polanski attends the Tribute to the 25 Years Of Competition during the 45th Deauville American Film Festival on September 07, 2019 in Deauville, France. Photo by Francois G. Durand.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
2019
Claude Lelouch, Jean Pierre Jeunet, Regis Wargnier, director Michel Hazanavicius, Roman Polanski, actress Emmanuelle Beart and Pierre Lescure attend the Tribute to the 25 Years of Competition during the 45th Deauville American Film Festival on September 07, 2019 in Deauville, France. Photo by Foc Kan.
Gallery of Roman Polanski
2020
Roman Polanski attends the Installation of Frederic Mitterrand at the "Academie des Beaux-Arts". Held at "Academie des Beaux-Arts" on February 5, 2020 in Paris, France. Photo by Bertrand Rindoff Petroff.
Achievements
Roman Polanski's star on the Łódź walk of fame.
Membership
Awards
Palme d’Or
2002
Roman Polanski with the Palme d'Or that he received for The Pianist at the Cannes Film Festival in 2002.
Academy Awards
2003
Roman Polanski receives his Oscar from Harrison Ford for the movie "The Pianist". Photo by Tony Barson.
Zürich Film Festival Golden Icon Award
2011
Roman Polanski accepts the lifetime achievement award of the Zurich Film Festival 2011 on September 27, 2011 in Zurich, Switzerland. Photo by The Image Gate.
César Awards
2014
2 Rue Edouard Colonne, 75001 Paris, France
Roman Polanski holds his César Award for Best Director of Venus in Fur during the 39th Cesar Film Awards at Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France. Photo by Foc Kan/WireImage.
Berlin Film Festival Awards
Roman Polanski has won three Berlin Film Festival Awards, including the Golden Bear for Cul-de-sac in 1966.
Golden Globe Awards
Roman Polanski is a two-time recipient of the Golden Globe Award.
European Film Awards
Roman Polanski is a four-time recipient of the European Film Awards.
British Academy Film Awards
Roman Polanski obtained the British Academy Film Awards in 1974 and 2002.
Crystal Globe
In 2004, Roman Polanski was presented to the Crystal Globe of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
Lumières Awards
In 2010, Roman Polanski received the Lumières Awards for The Ghost Writer as Best Director and Best Screenwriter.
Mia Farrow sits on a bench while Roman Polanski stands behind her on the set of their film 'Rosemary's Baby' in Queens' Flushing Cemetery, New York City, August 23, 1967. Photo by Jerry Schatzberg.
Sharon Tate with her husband, Roman Polanski, at the premiere of psychological horror film 'Rosemary's Baby', UK, 24th January 1969. Photo by Joe Bangay.
Roman Polanski (right) speaks to actors Faye Dunaway (left) and Jack Nicholson on the set of the film 'Chinatown,' Los Angeles, California, 1973. (Photo by Steve Schapiro)
Roman Polanski and Robert De Niro paid a visit to "Solidarity" trade union leader Lech Walesa in Gdansk, on 26th September 1989. Pictured: (L-R) Roman Polanski, Robert De Niro, Lech Walesa. Photo by Wojtek Laski.
Roman Polanski and Emmanuelle Seigner (right) pose at The Montreux Jazz Festival on July 17, 2010 in Montreux, Switzerland. Photo by Lionel Flusin - Montreux Jazz Festival Foundation.
Roman Polanski accepts the lifetime achievement award of the Zurich Film Festival 2011 on September 27, 2011 in Zurich, Switzerland. Photo by The Image Gate.
Roman Polanski attends 'Weekend of a Champion' Premiere during the 66th Annual Cannes Film Festival on May 22, 2013 in Cannes, France. Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto.
Roman Polanski attends the 'La Venus A La Fourrure' Photocall during the 66th Annual Cannes Film Festival on May 25, 2013 in Cannes, France. Photo by Pascal Le Segretain.
Emmanuelle Seigner and Roman Polanski attend the Premiere of Venus in Fur at The 66th Annual Cannes Film Festival on May 25, 2013 in Cannes, France. Photo by George Pimentel.
Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, 1 Boulevard de la Croisette, 06400 Cannes, France
Roman Polanski and actress Emmanuelle Seigner attend the photocall for 'La Venus A La Fourrure' at The 66th Annual Cannes Film Festival at the Palais des Festivals on May 25, 2013 in Cannes, France. Photo by Venturelli.
Roman Polanski holds the Best Director award for 'Venus in Fur' during the 39th Cesar Film Awards 2014 at Theatre du Chatelet on February 28, 2014 in Paris, France. Photo by Dominique Charriau.
Roman Polanski and Emmanuelle Seigner arrive during the 39th Cesar Film Awards 2014 at Theatre du Chatelet on February 28, 2014 in Paris, France. Photo by Dominique Charriau.
Roman Polanski holds his César Award for Best Director of Venus in Fur during the 39th Cesar Film Awards at Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France. Photo by Foc Kan/WireImage.
Roman Polanski (center) and lawyers Jerzy Stachowicz (left) and Jan Olszewski (right) give a press conference at the Bonarowski Palace Hotel on October 30, 2015 in Krakow, Poland. Photo by Adam Nurkiewicz.
French-Polish film director Roman Polanski is seen during a press conference at the Bonarowski Palace Hotel on October 30, 2015 in Krakow, Poland. Photo by Adam Nurkiewicz.
Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, 1 Boulevard de la Croisette, 06400 Cannes, France
Roman Polanski attends the 70th Anniversary of the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 23, 2017 in Cannes, France. Photo by Antony Jones.
Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, 1 Boulevard de la Croisette, 06400 Cannes, France
Roman Polanski attends the "Based On A True Story" photocall during the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 27, 2017 in Cannes, France. Photo by Andreas Rentz.
Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, 1 Boulevard de la Croisette, 06400 Cannes, France
Roman Polanski and actress Emmanuelle Seigner leave the "Based On A True Story" screening during the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 27, 2017 in Cannes, France. Photo by Gisela Schober.
Roman Polanski attends the 'D'apres une histoire vraie' premiere at the 13th Zurich Film Festival on October 2, 2017 in Zurich, Switzerland. Photo by Alexander Koerner.
Roman Polanski attends the 'D'apres une histoire vraie' premiere at the 13th Zurich Film Festival on October 2, 2017 in Zurich, Switzerland. Photo by Alexander Koerner.
Roman Polanski attends the 'D'apres une histoire vraie' premiere at the 13th Zurich Film Festival on October 2, 2017 in Zurich, Switzerland. Photo by Alexander Koerner.
Roman Polanski attends the Tribute to Roman Polanski. Held with a Retrospective of the Director's Work at Cinematheque Francaise on October 30, 2017 in Paris, France. Photo by Bertrand Rindoff Petroff.
Emmanuelle Seigner and Roman Polanski attends the 'D'apres une histoire vraie' premiere at the 13th Zurich Film Festival on October 2, 2017 in Zurich, Switzerland. Photo by Andreas Rentz.
Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, 1 Boulevard de la Croisette, 06400 Cannes, France
Roman Polanski and Eva Green attend the "Based On A True Story" photocall during the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 27, 2017 in Cannes, France. Photo by Pascal Le Segretain.
Roman Polanski attends "La Nuit ne dure pas", Concert of Dani and Emmanuelle Seigner at Theater L'Etoile on October 16, 2018 in Paris, France. Photo by Laurent Viteur.
Roman Polanski attends Albert Koski exposes his Rock&Roll Posters Collection at Galerie Laurent Godin on June 3, 2019 in Paris, France. Photo by Rindoff Petroff.
Jean Dujardin and his Director in the movie "J'accuse", Roman Polanski attend "Le Daim" Movie Premiere at MK2 Odeon on June 17, 2019 in Paris, France. Photo by Bertrand Rindoff Petroff.
Roman Polanski attends the Tribute to the 25 Years Of Competition during the 45th Deauville American Film Festival on September 07, 2019 in Deauville, France. Photo by Francois G. Durand.
Claude Lelouch, Jean Pierre Jeunet, Regis Wargnier, director Michel Hazanavicius, Roman Polanski, actress Emmanuelle Beart and Pierre Lescure attend the Tribute to the 25 Years of Competition during the 45th Deauville American Film Festival on September 07, 2019 in Deauville, France. Photo by Foc Kan.
116 bis Av. des Champs-Élysées, 75008 Paris, France
Alain Goldman, Roman Polanski and Luca Barbareschi attend the "J'Accuse" Movie Premiere at Cinema UGC Normandie on November 12, 2019 in Paris, France. Photo by Bertrand Rindoff Petroff.
Roman Polanski attends the Installation of Frederic Mitterrand at the "Academie des Beaux-Arts". Held at "Academie des Beaux-Arts" on February 5, 2020 in Paris, France. Photo by Bertrand Rindoff Petroff.
Roman Polanski sitting on bloodied porch outside his home after murder of his wife Sharon Tate and friends by Charles Manson and group. Photo by Julian Wasser.
(The film director describes his youth in Nazi Poland, his...)
The film director describes his youth in Nazi Poland, his film directing career, the murder of his wife, Sharon Tate, his arrest on a morals charge, his new acting career, and his films.
(When a young hitchhiker joins a couple on a weekend yacht...)
When a young hitchhiker joins a couple on a weekend yacht trip, psychological warfare breaks out as the two men compete for the woman's attention. A storm forces the small crew below deck, and tension builds to a violent climax.
(A hermit lives with his nymphomaniac wife in a large dank...)
A hermit lives with his nymphomaniac wife in a large dank castle on a small island off the coast of England. Two escaped criminals make their way to the castle and terrorize the couple.
(The story of a young couple who are expecting their first...)
The story of a young couple who are expecting their first child. Like most first-time mothers, Rosemary experiences confusion. Her husband, an ambitious but unsuccessful actor, makes a pact with the devil that promises to send his career skyward.
(Roman Polanski's film, stars Sydne Rome as an attractive ...)
Roman Polanski's film, stars Sydne Rome as an attractive young hitchhiker who, as the film opens, accepts a ride from three men in a car, who later attempt to rape her. She escapes their clutches and makes her way to a mansion owned by millionaire Joseph Noblart, who is overseeing a decadent party.
(A lonely young man rents a flat that was formerly occupie...)
A lonely young man rents a flat that was formerly occupied by a girl who committed suicide. Gradually he begins to assume her identity, dressing in her clothes, and eventually throwing himself out of the same window from which she jumped to her death.
(This multiple-Oscar-winning film by Roman Polanski is an ...)
This multiple-Oscar-winning film by Roman Polanski is an exquisite, richly layered adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the d'Urbervilles. A strong-willed peasant girl is sent by her father to the estate of local aristocrats to capitalize on a rumor that their families are from the same line. This fateful visit launches an epic narrative of sex, class, betrayal, and revenge.
(A mild-mannered man attempts to rekindle the sexual fire ...)
A mild-mannered man attempts to rekindle the sexual fire in his marriage while on a vacation cruise. The only problem is he falls in love with another woman.
(Best Picture winner and 7 time Oscar nominee, The Pianist...)
Best Picture winner and 7 time Oscar nominee, The Pianist is director Roman Polanski’s most personal movie ever, and stars Oscar winner Adrien Brody in the true-life story of brilliant pianist, Wladyslaw Szpilman.
(Rush Hour films have become pop culture classics. From da...)
Rush Hour films have become pop culture classics. From dazzling Parisian nightclubs to the city's high-fashion runways, Rush Hour 3 promises more action, comedy and hilarious adventure.
(When a gifted ghostwriter is hired to write the memoirs o...)
When a gifted ghostwriter is hired to write the memoirs of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang, he quickly finds himself trapped in a web of political and sexual intrigue. Lang is implicated in a scandal over his administration's harsh tactics, and as the ghostwriter digs into the politician's past, he discovers secrets that threaten to jeopardize international relations forever.
(A razor-sharp, biting comedy centered on parental differe...)
A razor-sharp, biting comedy centered on parental differences. After two boys duke it out on a playground, the parents of the "victim" invite the parents of the "bully" over to work out their issues. A polite discussion of childrearing soon escalates into verbal warfare, with all four parents revealing their true colors. None of them will escape the carnage.
(A mysterious, sexy actress seduces and dominates an unsus...)
A mysterious, sexy actress seduces and dominates an unsuspecting theater director in Roman Polanski's erotic, kinky comedy. Adapted from the Tony Award-winning play.
Roman Polanski is a French Polish movie director, producer, writer, and actor. He is mostly known for the pictures which are centered on the topics of isolation, desire, and absurdity. Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown, The Pianist, and The Ghost Writer are among his most notable works.
Background
Ethnicity:
Polanski's father, born in Poland, was Jewish and his mother, born in Russia, was of half Jewish origin.
Rajmund Roman Thierry Polański was born on August 18, 1933, in Paris, France. He is a son of Mojżesz Liebling, a painter and sculptures fabricator, and Bella (Bula) Liebling (maiden name Katz-Przedborska).
Education
Born in Paris, Roman Polanski came back with his family to Cracow at the age of four. Soon after the outbreak of World War II in 1939, his parents were placed into Nazi concentration camps as being of Jewish heritage. Polanski's father was sent to Mauthausen-Gusen in Austria, and his mother to Auschwitz where she was killed. Roman was fortunate to escape internment and to go through the ordeal of war in several Polish families of Roman-Catholic.
Although Polanski had a quite difficult childhood, he developed a passion for cinematography at about the age of four or five. After the reunion with his survived father in 1944, Roman was first sent to a technical school but turned his attention to acting instead. The boy spent all the pocket money he had in the cinemas watching movies one after another. One of the pictures that impressed him a lot was Carol Reed's Odd Man Out of 1947.
From 1950 to 1953, Polanski studied at Liceum Sztuk Plastycznych, an art school in Cracow. As a teenager, he took part in radio dramas, stage productions and later in movies practicing his skills in performing. Right before entering the National Film School in Łódź, he appeared in Andrzej Wajda's Pokolenie (A Generation) and in Silik Sternfeld's Zaczarowany Rower (Enchanted Bicycle or Magical Bicycle).
Polanski first tried his hand as a director while still a student in Łódź. The first picture he produced was 1955 Rower (Bicycle). The short movies Two Men and a Wardrobe and When Angels Fall that he made before graduation in 1959 were marked by several awards.
Roman Polanski rose to the international stardom with his debut full-length picture Nóż w wodzie (Knife in the Water), a psychological drama on rivalry and sexual tension. The big success of 1962, it planted the seed for the subsequent audience development. The following year, Polanski relocated to London where he produced his next picture, the psychological thriller Repulsion that received equal recognition both from critics and audiences. Cul-de-Sac and The Fearless Vampire Killers starring Polanski's future wife Sharon Tate were among other works of this time produced in the United Kingdom.
At the end of the 1960s, Roman Polanski was invited to Hollywood by the then head of the Paramount studio, Robert Evans. The visit led to the first American picture of the director, a thriller Rosemary's Baby with Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes in titles roles. Great success again, the movie turned out to be a cinema classic.
Polanski's gory screen version of Shakespearean Macbeth released in 1971 was a kind of reaction on the brutal murder of his pregnant wife Sharon Tate two years before. Another reflection of the violence lived by Polanski during the course of his life became a 1974 film noir Chinatown with John Huston, Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway.
After going through a sexual abuse case of 1977 in the United States as the main accused, Roman Polanski left the country and settled down in France where he continued to apply his talent in theatre and cinema. The next acclaimed directorial project, a 1979 interpretation of Thomas Hardy's novel, Tess, was followed by the decade of most theatrical work. During this time, Polanski appeared in many stage productions, including Amadeus and Metamorphosis. In 1984, he issued an autobiography, Roman by Polanski also simply known as Roman.
Roman Polanski came back to the big screen with a couple of far cry from popularity projects, a 1988 thriller Frantic featuring Harrison Ford and Betty Buckley, and Bitter Moon starring Hugh Grant and Emmanuelle Seigner who then became director's wife. A much more successful 1994 interpretation of Ariel Dorfman's play, Death and the Maiden, was followed by The Ninth Gate thriller with Johnny Depp.
Polanski's The Pianist based on a true story of Władysław Szpilman who survived the Nazi occupation in Poland was the next big triumph of the director. The picture earned the Cannes Film Festival Palm d'Or and the Academy Award for Best Director. The movie was followed three years later by the interpretation of Charles Dickens's novel Oliver Twist with Ben Kingsley in one of the lead roles.
The Ghost Writer, Carnage, Venus in Fur were among the notable projects of the 2010s. The most recent works of Roman Polanski as director and writer include Based on a True Story and a 2019 historical drama An Officer and a Spy.
(Rush Hour films have become pop culture classics. From da...)
2007
Religion
Roman Polanski’s parents were agnostics. In one of his interviews the cineast declared that he was atheist.
Views
Quotations:
"Cinema should make you forget you are sitting in a theater."
"[On moviemaking] You have to show violence the way it is. If you don't show it realistically, then that's immoral and harmful. If you don't upset people, then that's obscenity."
"The best films are because of nobody but the director."
"Hollywood is like that: a spoiled brat that screams for possession of a toy and then tosses it out of the baby buggy."
"My films are the expression of momentary desires. I follow my instincts, but in a disciplined way."
"Every film I make represents a departure for me. You see, it takes so long to make a film. By the time you get to the next one you're already a different man. You've grown up by one or two years."
"I never made a film which fully satisfied me."
"I can only say that whatever my life and work have been, I'm not envious of anyone, and this is my biggest satisfaction."
"Whenever I get happy, I always have a terrible feeling."
"Every failure made me more confident. Because I wanted even more to achieve as revenge. To show that I could."
"Normal love isn't interesting. I assure you that it's incredibly boring."
Personality
Roman Polanski was accused for sexual relations with a 13-year-old girl in 1977. He pleaded guilty to one count and fled to France after 42 days of psychiatric evaluation for fear of prison sentence instead of the suspended one.
Although not actively seeked by the American authorities, Polanski is still in risk of prison in the United States. The American authorities has had several requests on his extradition, including at the 2009 Zurich film festival and in 2015 from Poland, both denied.
In 2018, Roman Polanski was expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences following the new ethical standards based on the #MeToo movement. The 45th César Awards ceremony which provided the director with two awards for An Officer and a Spy was also scandalous for him for the same reason of sexual abuse as three actresses protested against the acolades he received.
Quotes from others about the person
"Polanski was an outstanding director. There was no question, after three days seeing him operate, that here was a really top talent." John Huston, film director, screenwriter, and actor
"He's a legend ... I've never examined a director and the way that they work, so much before. He's brilliant, just brilliant, and absolutely warrants his reputation as a great director." Ewan McGregor, actor
"He has a very, very definitive style about how he likes it done. He decides everything. He decided every lens. Every prop. Everything. It's all him." Jodie Foster, actress
"Roman is one of the most extraordinary men I've ever met. The guy is 77 years old. He has an effervescent quality to him. He's very joyful about his work, which is infectious. He likes to have a small crew, to the point that, when I walked on the set, my thought was, 'My God, this is it?'" Kate Winslet, actress
"A poet of small spaces ... in just a couple of rooms he can conjure up an entire world, an entire society." Richard Pena, director
Connections
Roman Polanski married for the first time in 1959. His first wife was Barbara Kwiatkowska-Lass, an actress from Poland. The couple divorced in two years.
Polanski started a romantic relationship with another actress, Sharon Tate, while working on his 1967 movie The Fearless Vampire Killers. The wedding ceremony of Polanski and Tate took place on 20 January 1968 in London. Sharon Tate, expecting a baby, was murdered along with four family friends in August of the next year by the insiders of the Manson family. Polanski was in Europe shooting a movie at the time. As Polanski once said that his absence on that night was the greatest regret of his life.
Polanski had relationships with Nastassja Kinski in the middle of the 1970s. He dated the actress publicly since her adulthood in 1979.
In 1989, Roman Polanski formed a family with a French actress Emmanuelle Seigner who gave birth to two children, Morgane and Elvis. Morgane Polanski became an actress and model.
Watch Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
One of the most controversial and brilliant directors, Roman Polanski has long been a subject of fascination for his films (Rosemary's Baby, Chinatown, The Pianist) and his personal life.
2008
Watch Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir
Roman Polanski speaks about his eventful life story and career in conversation with Andrew Braunsberg, his former business partner, producer, and friend of many years.
2011
Watch Roman Polanski: Odd Man Out
A follow-up to the documentary, Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, focusing on the filmmaker's successful battle to avoid extradition to the United States in 2010.
2012
Polanski Unauthorized
An epic, surreal portrait of one of Hollywood's most controversial figures that plays like a surreal dream without any chronological order of events. The first and only biopic about the life of Roman Polanski.
2009
Roman Polanski: A Retrospective
The definitive tribute to one of the world's most prolific and influential film directors. Editor and film critic James Greenberg takes readers chronologically through Polanski's extraordinarily rich and varied career, offering unique insight into every one of Polanski's movies.
2013
Roman Polanski: Interviews
This collection of interviews spans nearly forty years and comprises translations from French, German, and Spanish newspapers and magazines and transcripts of British and American television and radio appearances.
2005
Masters of Cinema: Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski is a French - Polish film director, producer, writer and actor, who stands as one of the most influential directors living today.
2012
Roman Polanski: The Cinema of a Cultural Traveller
This welcome book unravels the meanings of Polanski's films, devoting each of its chapters to an important aspect: the autobiographical factor, characters and narratives, literary adaptations like Tess and Oliver Twist, Polanski's use of many genres, his music, represented ideology and so on.
1979, for Best Picture, Tess
1979, for Best Director, Tess
2002, for Best Director, The Pianist
2002, for Best Film, The Pianist
2011, for Best Director, The Ghost Writer
2011, for Best Adaptation, The Ghost Writer
2014, for Best Director, Venus in Fur
2020, for Best Director, An Officer and a Spy
2020, for Best Adaptation, An Officer and a Spy
2006, Lifetime Achievement Award
2010, for Best Film, The Ghost Writer
2010, for Best Director, The Ghost Writer
2010, for Best Screenwriter, The Ghost Writer