
Roman Polanski
Roman Polański 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.
Known For
Credits
- 2023 · The Family as Self
- 2021 · Polanski, Horowitz. The Wizards From the Ghetto as Self
- 2020 · In The Tracks Of - Alexandre Desplat as Self
- 2015 · Roman by Polanski as
- 2012 · Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir as Self
- 2012 · Remembering 'Rosemary's Baby' as Self
- 2011 · Carnage as Neighbor
- 2010 · Cracow by Polanski as
- 2010 · Komeda: A Soundtrack for a Life as Self
- 2007 · Rush Hour 3 as Det. Revi
- 2004 · Tess: From Novel to Screen as Self
- 2003 · A British Horror Film as Self
- 2002 · The Revenge as Józef Papkin
- 2000 · Tribute to Alfred Lepetit as Self
- 2000 · The Ten Commandments of Creativity as Self
- 1997 · Dracula: The True Story as Himself
- 1988 · Frantic as Taxi Driver (uncredited)
- 1982 · Na sowas! as Self
- 1981 · Wetten, dass..? as Self
- 1979 · Bayerischer Filmpreis as Self
- 1978 · The Evolution of Snuff as
- 1975 · Les Rendez-vous du dimanche as Self
- 1975 · Apostrophes as Self
- 1974 · Spécial cinéma as Self
- 1974 · Blood for Dracula as Gambler
- 1974 · Chinatown as Man with Knife
- 1972 · Le Grand Échiquier as Self
- 1968 · The Dick Cavett Show as Self - Guest
- 1967 · The Fearless Vampire Killers as Alfred
- 1962 · The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson as Self
- 1959 · When Angels Fall as Old woman
- 1955 · Magical Bicycle as Adaś
- Future · The Stalking Moon as Fabrice Fournier
- 2025 · Mia Farrow: Shadows and Light as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
- 2023 · The Playboy Murders as Self (archive footage)
- 2020 · Helter Skelter: An American Myth as Self - Widower of Sharon Tate (archive footage)
- 2019 · Polanski, le travail à l'oeuvre as Self
- 2019 · An Officer and a Spy as Concertgoer (uncredited)
- 2019 · Manson: Music From an Unsound Mind as Self (archive footage)
- 2019 · Valerie as
- 2018 · Françoise Dorléac, une promesse as Self
- 2015 · Face of Evil: The Charles Manson Murders as
- 2015 · Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans as Self (archive footage)
- 2014 · Toil And Trouble: Making 'Macbeth' as Self
- 2014 · Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau as Self (archive footage)
- 2014 · Henri Langlois vu par... as Self
- 2013 · Weekend of a Champion as Himself
- 2013 · Seduced and Abandoned as Self
- 2012 · Close Up as Self (archive footage)
- 2012 · Komeda, Komeda... as Self
- 2012 · Roman Polanski: Odd Man Out as Self (archive footage)
- 2012 · A Special Day as Self
- 2012 · 28 minutes as Self
- 2010 · Catherine Deneuve, belle et bien là as Self (archive footage)
- 2009 · Memories of a Young Pianist as Man in Tavern (archive footage)
- 2009 · On the Trail of the New Wave as Self (archive footage)
- 2008 · Bicycle as Boy who wants to buy a bicycle
- 2008 · Il falso bugiardo as Self (archive footage)
- 2008 · Quiet Chaos as Steiner
- 2008 · Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired as Self (archive footage)
- 2007 · Once Upon a Time... 'Tess' as Self
- 2006 · Polanski par Polanski as Self
- 2006 · The Best of Twist: Sets, Costumes & Photography as
- 2006 · Twist by Polanski as
- 2004 · Filming 'Tess' as Self
- 2004 · Tess: The Experience as Self
- 2004 · Leçon de Cinéma as Self
- 2003 · Two Gangsters and an Island as Self
- 2003 · Knife in the Water: A Ticket to the West as Self
- 2003 · 101 Most Shocking Moments in Entertainment as Self (archive footage)
- 2003 · Un film et son époque as Self
- 2002 · Sharon Tate: Murdered Innocence as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
- 2002 · Heart of the Festival as Self (archive footage)
- 2002 · Polanski y los ojos del mal as Himself
- 2001 · The Unbeatable Bruce Lee as Self (archive footage)
- 2000 · Rosemary's Baby: A Retrospective as Self
- 2000 · Light Keeps Me Company as Self
- 2000 · Last Pictures as Self
- 1999 · The Last Days of Sharon Tate as Self (archive footage)
- 1998 · Playboy: The Story of X as Self (archive footage)
- 1997 · Scene by Scene as Self
- 1996 · Elle s'appelait Françoise as Self
- 1996 · E! True Hollywood Story as
- 1995 · Empire of the Censors as Self
- 1995 · Sex, Lies and Jerzy Kosinski as
- 1994 · Dead Tired as Roman Polanski
- 1994 · A Pure Formality as Inspector
- 1992 · Back in the USSR as Kurilov
- 1992 · Hugh Hefner: Once Upon a Time as Self (archive footage)
- 1989 · En attendant Godot as Lucky
- 1987 · Na siehste! as Self
- 1986 · Wedden, dat..? as Self
- 1984 · Clive James Meets Roman Polanski as
- 1982 · Chassé-croisé as
- 1982 · Wortwechsel as Self
- 1981 · 7 sur 7 as Self
- 1980 · The South Bank Show: Roman Polanski as Self
- 1979 · Ciné regards: Tess: Roman Polanski as Self
- 1976 · The Tenant as Trelkovsky
- 1972 · What? as Mosquito
- 1972 · Con bravura as Caroler
- 1972 · Weekend of a Champion as Self
- 1972 · Polanski Meets Macbeth as Self
- 1970 · Ciao, Federico! as Self (uncredited)
- 1969 · The Magic Christian as Solitary Drinker
- 1968 · Mia and Roman as Himself
- 1968 · The New Cinema as Self
- 1967 · Valley of the Dolls: A World Premiere Voyage as Himself
- 1967 · Apropos Film as Self
- 1967 · Tonite Let's All Make Love in London as Self
- 1967 · The Nomad as Self
- 1967 · Lionpower from MGM as
- 1965 · Repulsion as Spoon Player
- 1962 · Knife in the Water as Young Man (voice)
- 1961 · Samson as Partner of Malina's Blackmailer (uncredited)
- 1961 · Ostrożnie yeti as Driver
- 1961 · The Fat and the Lean as the lean
- 1960 · Innocent Sorcerers as Dudzio
- 1960 · Good Bye, Till Tomorrow as Romek
- 1960 · Bad Luck as Tutor (uncredited)
- 1959 · Lotna as Musician (uncredited)
- 1959 · The Lamp as A passer-by (uncredited)
- 1958 · What Will My Wife Say to This? as Dancer
- 1958 · Two Men and a Wardrobe as Bad Boy
- 1957 · Koniec nocy as Mały
- 1957 · Wraki as Romek
- 1957 · Kanal as Resistance Member pushed into a Sewer (uncredited)
- 1956 · Nikodem Dyzma as Porter (uncredited)
- 1955 · Trzy starty as Basia's Brother
- 1955 · A Generation as Mundek
- 1955 · Godzina bez słońca as
- 1953 · Three Stories as Genek "Mały" (segment 2)