Roman Polanski
Directing
Born: August 18, 1933 (age 93) · Paris, France
Highest Rated
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.
Known for
The Pianist
2002
Rosemary's Baby
1968
Chinatown
1974
Rush Hour 3
2007
The Ninth Gate
1999
Tower Heist
2011
Carnage
2011
The Ghost Writer
2010
An Officer and a Spy
2019
Oliver Twist
2005
The Tenant
1976
Frantic
1988
Photos (8)
Movies (51)
Rush Hour 3
Det. Revi
Chinatown
Man with Knife
Carnage
Neighbor
Frantic
Taxi Driver (uncredited)
An Officer and a Spy
Concertgoer (uncredited)
The Fearless Vampire Killers
Alfred
Repulsion
Spoon Player
The Tenant
Trelkovsky
Kanal
Resistance Member pushed into a Sewer (uncredited)
A Generation
Mundek
Knife in the Water
Young Man (voice)
La scripte
Lui-même
What?
Mosquito
Dead Tired
Roman Polanski
A Pure Formality
Inspector
Blood for Dracula
Gambler
The Magic Christian
Solitary Drinker
Quiet Chaos
Steiner
Con bravura
Caroler
The Revenge
Józef Papkin
The Unbeatable Bruce Lee
2001
Innocent Sorcerers
Dudzio
Goodbye, Till Tomorrow
Romek
Wraki
Romek
Dracula in the Movies
(archive footage)
Valerie
2019
The River of Diamonds
Random Citizen
Bad Luck
Tutor (uncredited)
Three Stories
Genek "Mały" (segment 2)
When Angels Fall
Old Woman
Chassé-croisé
1982
Back in the USSR
Kurilov
Samson
Partner of Malina's Blackmailer (uncredited)
Magical Bicycle
Adaś
Nikodem Dyzma
Porter (uncredited)
Making of Chinatown
2007
Godzina bez słońca
1955
Two Men and a Wardrobe
Bad Boy
The Evolution of Snuff
1978
Lotna
Musician (uncredited)
Trzy starty
Basia's Brother
Koniec nocy
'Mały'
Ostrożnie yeti
Driver
What Will My Wife Say to This?
Dancer
En attendant Godot
Lucky
Sex, Lies and Jerzy Kosinski
1995
Roman by Polanski
2015
The Fat and the Lean
the lean
The Lamp
A passer-by (uncredited)
Clive James Meets Roman Polanski
1984
Cracow by Polanski
2010
TV Shows (1)
Self / Appearances (72)
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Self · 1 eps
Ciné regards
Self · 1 eps
Apostrophes
Self · 1 eps
The Dick Cavett Show
Self - Guest · 1 eps
Spécial cinéma
Self · 2 eps
Wetten, dass..?
Self · 1 eps
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
Self · 2 eps
Le Grand Échiquier
Self · 1 eps
Cérémonie des César
Self - Presenter · 1 eps
28 minutes
Self · 1 eps
Leçon de Cinéma
Self · 2 eps
Chaos: The Manson Murders
Self
Scene by Scene
Self · 1 eps
Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes
Self - Victim (archive footage) · 1 eps
The Playboy Murders
Self (archive footage) · 1 eps
Heart of the Festival
Self (archive footage)
Breakdown: 1975
Self - Director of Chinatown (archive footage)
Ciné regards: Tess: Roman Polanski
Self
Un film et son époque
Self · 1 eps
A Special Day
Self
Helter Skelter: An American Myth
Self - Widower of Sharon Tate (archive footage) · 2 eps
Seduced and Abandoned
Self
Playboy: The Story of X
Self (archive footage)
Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau
Self (archive footage)
Mia Farrow: Shadows and Light
Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex 'n' Drugs 'n' Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood
Self
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex 'n' Drugs 'n' Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood
Self (archive footage)
Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans
Self (archive footage)
Close Up
Self (archive footage)
Elvis: That's the Way It Is
Self (uncredited)
Lionpower from MGM
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Polanski, Horowitz. The Wizards From the Ghetto
Self
Komeda: A Soundtrack for a Life
Self
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
Self (archive footage)
Henri Langlois vu par...
Self
Mansfield 66/67
Self - Filmmaker(archive footage)
The Family
Self
Elle s'appelait Françoise
Self
Being Bo Widerberg
Self (archive footage)
The New Cinema
Self
Ciao, Federico!
Self (uncredited)
Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir
Self
Filming 'Tess'
Self
Weekend of a Champion
Self
In The Tracks Of - Alexandre Desplat
Self
Remembering 'Rosemary's Baby'
Self
Tonite Let's All Make Love in London
Self
Mia and Roman
Himself
Tess: The Experience
Self
Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story
Self (archive)
Two Gangsters and an Island
Self
The Last Days of Sharon Tate
Self (archive footage)
Françoise Dorléac, from The Man from Rio to The Young Girls of Rochefort
self
Tess: From Novel to Screen
Self
Françoise Dorléac, une promesse
Self
Catherine Deneuve, belle et bien là
Self (archive footage)
Manson: Music from an Unsound Mind
Self (archive footage)
The Ten Commandments of Creativity
Self
Polanski Meets Macbeth
Self
Light Keeps Me Company
Self
A British Horror Film
Self
Sharon Tate: Murdered Innocence
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Deneuve, la reine Catherine
Self (archive footage)
Polanski, le travail à l'oeuvre
Self
Il falso bugiardo
Self (archive footage)
Toil And Trouble: Making 'Macbeth'
Self
Valley of the Dolls: A World Premiere Voyage
Himself
Weekend of a Champion
Himself
Dracula: The True Story
Himself
The Nomad
Self
Once Upon a Time... 'Tess'
Self
Roman Polanski: Odd Man Out
Self (archive footage)
Directing (42)
The Pianist
Director
NET Playhouse
Director
Chinatown
Director
Rosemary's Baby
Director
The Ninth Gate
Director
The Ghost Writer
Director
Bitter Moon
Director
Venus in Fur
Director
Carnage
Director
Frantic
Director
An Officer and a Spy
Director
Pirates
Director
Tess
Director
The Fearless Vampire Killers
Director
Oliver Twist
Director
Repulsion
Director
The Tenant
Director
The Palace
Director
Based on a True Story
Director
Cul-de-sac
Director
To Each His Own Cinema
Director
Death and the Maiden
Director
Knife in the Water
Director
Macbeth
Director
What?
Director
The King of Ads
Director
Le court des grands
Director
Henri Langlois vu par...
Director
The World's Most Beautiful Swindlers
Director
Mammals
Director
The River of Diamonds
Director
Bad Luck
Assistant Director
A Toothful Smile
Director
When Angels Fall
Director
Murder
Director
Hedda Gabler
Stage Director
Two Men and a Wardrobe
Director
Break Up the Dance
Director
Koniec nocy
Assistant Director
Sharon Tate Home Movies
Director
The Fat and the Lean
Director
The Lamp
Director
Writing (38)
NET Playhouse
Writer
Chinatown
Writer
Rosemary's Baby
Screenplay
The Ninth Gate
Screenplay
The Ghost Writer
Screenplay
Bitter Moon
Screenplay
Venus in Fur
Screenplay
Carnage
Screenplay
Frantic
Writer
An Officer and a Spy
Writer
Pirates
Writer
Tess
Screenplay
The Fearless Vampire Killers
Screenplay
The Fearless Vampire Killers
Story
Repulsion
Screenplay
The Tenant
Screenplay
The Palace
Writer
Based on a True Story
Screenplay
Cul-de-sac
Writer
Knife in the Water
Screenplay
Macbeth
Screenplay
What?
Screenplay
The World's Most Beautiful Swindlers
Writer
A Day at the Beach
Writer
Mammals
Writer
The Girl Across the Way
Writer
The River of Diamonds
Writer
Dance of the Vampires
Original Film Writer
A Toothful Smile
Screenplay
When Angels Fall
Screenplay
The Boat on the Grass
Writer
Murder
Writer
A Taste for Women
Screenplay
Two Men and a Wardrobe
Writer
Break Up the Dance
Writer
The Fat and the Lean
Writer
The Lamp
Screenplay
Cracow by Polanski
Idea
Producing (10)
The Pianist
Producer
The Ninth Gate
Producer
The Ghost Writer
Producer
Bitter Moon
Producer
Oliver Twist
Producer
To Each His Own Cinema
Producer
A Day at the Beach
Producer
Weekend of a Champion
Producer
G.G. Passion
Co-Producer
The Fat and the Lean
Producer