Roman Polanski
French and Polish filmmaker (born 1933) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Raymond Roman Thierry Polański[lower-alpha 1] (né Liebling;[2] born 18 August 1933) is a French and Polish[1][3] film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two British Academy Film Awards, ten César Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, as well as the Golden Bear and a Palme d'Or.
Roman Polanski | |
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 Polanski in Paris, 2011 | |
| Born | Raymond Roman Thierry Liebling (1933-08-18) 18 August 1933 (age 90) |
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| Years active | 1953–present |
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| Children | 2, including Morgane |
| Conviction(s) | Unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor |
Capture status | Fugitive (US-only) |
In 1977, Polanski was arrested for drugging and raping a 13-year-old girl. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of unlawful sex with a minor in exchange for a probation-only sentence. The night before his sentencing hearing in 1978, he learned that the judge would likely reject the proffered plea bargain, so he fled the U.S. to Europe, where he continued his career. He remains a fugitive from the U.S. justice system. Further allegations of abuse have been made by other women.
Polanski's Polish Jewish parents moved the family from his birthplace in Paris back to Kraków in 1937.[4] Two years later, the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany started World War II, and the family found themselves trapped in the Kraków Ghetto. After his mother and father were taken in raids, Polanski spent his formative years in foster homes, surviving the Holocaust by adopting a false identity and concealing his Jewish heritage.[5]
Polanski's first feature-length film, Knife in the Water (1962), made in Poland, was nominated for the United States Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.[6] After living in France for a few years, he moved to the United Kingdom, where he directed his first three English-language feature-length films: Repulsion (1965), Cul-de-sac (1966), and The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967). In 1968, he moved to the United States and cemented his status in the film industry by directing the horror film Rosemary's Baby (1968). He made Macbeth (1971) in England and Chinatown (1974) back in Hollywood. His other critically acclaimed films include The Tenant (1976), Tess (1979), The Pianist (2002) which won him the Academy Award for Best Director, The Ghost Writer (2010), Venus in Fur (2013), and An Officer and a Spy (2019). Polanski has made 23 feature films to date.[7]
In 1969, Polanski's pregnant wife, actress Sharon Tate, was murdered, along with four friends by members of the Manson Family in a nationally famous case.[8][9]