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Personal Info
Known For
Directing
Birthday
August 18, 1933
Place of Birth
Paris, France
Also Known As
- Роман Поляньскі
- Raymond Roman Thierry Liebling
- Роман Полянский
- Роман Поланский
- Роман Поланскі
- Rajmund Roman Thierry Polański
- Roman Raymond Polanski
Roman Polanski
2.2 Popularity
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
7.0
Self - Director of Chinatown (archive footage)
Breakdown: 1975
2025
6.0
Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
Mia Farrow: Shadows and Light
2025
6.0
Self
The Family
2023
7.6
Self (archive footage)
The Playboy Murders
2023
5.9
Self
Polanski, Horowitz. The Wizards From the Ghetto
2021
2.0
Self
In The Tracks Of - Alexandre Desplat
2020
6.7
Self - Widower of Sharon Tate (archive footage)
Helter Skelter: An American Myth
2020
6.0
Self
Polanski, le travail à l'oeuvre
2019
7.1
Concertgoer (uncredited)
An Officer and a Spy
2019
6.7
Self (archive footage)
Manson: Music from an Unsound Mind
2019
Credits
Breakdown: 1975
as Self - Director of Chinatown (archive footage)
2025
7.0
Mia Farrow: Shadows and Light
as Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
2025
6.0
The Family
as Self
2023
6.0
The Playboy Murders
as Self (archive footage)
2023
7.6
Polanski, Horowitz. The Wizards From the Ghetto
as Self
2021
5.9
In The Tracks Of - Alexandre Desplat
as Self
2020
2.0
Helter Skelter: An American Myth
as Self - Widower of Sharon Tate (archive footage)
2020
6.7
Polanski, le travail à l'oeuvre
as Self
2019
6.0
An Officer and a Spy
as Concertgoer (uncredited)
2019
7.1
Manson: Music from an Unsound Mind
as Self (archive footage)
2019
6.7
Valerie
2019
1.8
Françoise Dorléac, une promesse
as Self
2018
6.0
🎬
Face of Evil: The Charles Manson Murders
2015
2.0
Roman by Polanski
2015
0.0
Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans
as Self (archive footage)
2015
7.2
Toil And Trouble: Making 'Macbeth'
as Self
2014
5.0
Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau
as Self (archive footage)
2014
6.7
Henri Langlois vu par...
as Self
2014
4.0
Weekend of a Champion
as Himself
2013
6.3
Seduced and Abandoned
as Self
2013
6.2
Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir
as Self
2012
6.5
Close Up
as Self (archive footage)
2012
9.5
🎬
Komeda, Komeda...
as Self
2012
0.0
Roman Polanski: Odd Man Out
as Self (archive footage)
2012
6.0
A Special Day
as Self
2012
6.0
28 minutes
as Self
2012
2.5
Remembering 'Rosemary's Baby'
as Self
2012
6.0
Carnage
as Neighbor
2011
7.2
Cracow by Polanski
2010
0.0
Komeda: A Soundtrack for a Life
as Self
2010
7.0
Catherine Deneuve, belle et bien là
as Self (archive footage)
2010
7.2
🎬
Memories of a Young Pianist
as Man in Tavern (archive footage)
2009
5.0
🎬
On the Trail of the New Wave
as Self (archive footage)
2009
0.0
🎬
Bicycle
as Boy who wants to buy a bicycle
2008
1.0
Il falso bugiardo
as Self (archive footage)
2008
0.0
Quiet Chaos
as Steiner
2008
6.5
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
as Self (archive footage)
2008
6.3
Rush Hour 3
as Det. Revi
2007
6.5
Once Upon a Time... 'Tess'
as Self
2007
6.0
🎬
Polanski par Polanski
as Self
2006
0.0
🎬
The Best of Twist: Sets, Costumes & Photography
2006
3.0
🎬
Twist by Polanski
2006
3.0
Tess: The Experience
as Self
2004
10.0
Tess: From Novel to Screen
as Self
2004
0.0
Filming 'Tess'
as Self
2004
0.0
Leçon de Cinéma
as Self
2004
7.0
Two Gangsters and an Island
as Self
2003
6.0
🎬
Knife in the Water: A Ticket to the West
as Self
2003
0.0
Un film et son époque
as Self
2003
10.0
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex 'n' Drugs 'n' Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood
as Self
2003
7.1
A British Horror Film
as Self
2003
5.2
Sharon Tate: Murdered Innocence
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
2002
6.0
The Revenge
as Józef Papkin
2002
5.5
🎬
Polanski y los ojos del mal
as Himself
2002
6.0
🎬
Rosemary's Baby: A Retrospective
as Self
2000
5.0
Light Keeps Me Company
as Self
2000
7.8
🎬
Tribute to Alfred Lepetit
as Self
2000
1.0
The Ten Commandments of Creativity
as Self
2000
8.0
🎬
Last Pictures
as Self
2000
0.0
The Last Days of Sharon Tate
as Self (archive footage)
1999
0.0
Playboy: The Story of X
as Self (archive footage)
1998
6.3
Scene by Scene
as Self
1997
6.0
Dracula: The True Story
as Himself
1997
6.5
Elle s'appelait Françoise
as Self
1996
0.0
E! True Hollywood Story
1996
8.1
🎬
Empire of the Censors
as Self
1995
3.5
Sex, Lies and Jerzy Kosinski
1995
2.0
Dead Tired
as Roman Polanski
1994
6.0
A Pure Formality
as Inspector
1994
7.4
Back in the USSR
as Kurilov
1992
3.0
🎬
Hugh Hefner: Once Upon a Time
as Self (archive footage)
1992
4.4
En attendant Godot
as Lucky
1989
1.0
Frantic
as Taxi Driver (uncredited)
1988
6.7
🎬
Na siehste!
as Self
1987
0.0
🎬
Wedden, dat..?
as Self
1986
8.0
Clive James Meets Roman Polanski
1984
0.0
🎬
Na sowas!
as Self
1982
1.0
Chassé-croisé
1982
2.0
🎬
Wortwechsel
as Self
1982
0.0
🎬
7 sur 7
as Self
1981
0.0
Wetten, dass..?
as Self
1981
5.3
🎬
Bavarian Film Awards
as Self
1979
0.0
Ciné regards: Tess: Roman Polanski
as Self
1979
0.0
The Evolution of Snuff
1978
2.8
The Tenant
as Trelkovsky
1976
7.6
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
as Self
1975
6.0
Apostrophes
as Self
1975
9.0
Spécial cinéma
as Self
1974
0.0
Blood for Dracula
as Gambler
1974
5.8
Chinatown
as Man with Knife
1974
7.9
What?
as Mosquito
1972
5.4
Con bravura
as Caroler
1972
0.0
Weekend of a Champion
as Self
1972
7.0
Le Grand Échiquier
as Self
1972
8.0
Polanski Meets Macbeth
as Self
1972
0.0
Ciao, Federico!
as Self (uncredited)
1970
6.8
The Magic Christian
as Solitary Drinker
1969
5.6
Mia and Roman
as Himself
1968
4.0
The Dick Cavett Show
as Self - Guest
1968
6.8
The New Cinema
as Self
1968
0.0
Valley of the Dolls: A World Premiere Voyage
as Himself
1967
5.0
🎬
Apropos Film
as Self
1967
6.0
The Fearless Vampire Killers
as Alfred
1967
6.9
Tonite Let's All Make Love in London
as Self
1967
2.8
The Nomad
as Self
1967
0.0
Lionpower from MGM
1967
4.5
Repulsion
as Spoon Player
1965
7.4
The River of Diamonds
as Random Citizen
1964
7.5
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
as Self
1962
7.5
Knife in the Water
as Young Man (voice)
1962
7.3
The Fat and the Lean
as the lean
1961
6.1
Samson
as Partner of Malina's Blackmailer (uncredited)
1961
4.6
Ostrożnie yeti
as Driver
1961
3.2
Innocent Sorcerers
as Dudzio
1960
6.9
Good Bye, Till Tomorrow
as Romek
1960
6.5
Bad Luck
as Tutor (uncredited)
1960
6.7
When Angels Fall
as Vieille femme
1959
6.6
Lotna
as Musician (uncredited)
1959
5.4
The Lamp
as A passer-by (uncredited)
1959
6.0
What Will My Wife Say to This?
as Dancer
1958
1.0
Two Men and a Wardrobe
as Bad Boy
1958
6.3
Koniec nocy
as 'Mały'
1957
3.8
Wraki
as Romek
1957
4.1
Kanal
as Resistance Member pushed into a Sewer (uncredited)
1957
7.7
Nikodem Dyzma
as Porter (uncredited)
1956
4.7
Magical Bicycle
as Adaś
1955
1.0
Trzy starty
as Basia's Brother
1955
0.0
A Generation
as Mundek
1955
6.9
Godzina bez słońca
1955
1.0
Three Stories
as Genek "Mały" (segment 2)
1953
1.0
🎬
The Stalking Moon
as Fabrice Fournier
N/A
0.0