Roman Polanski

Cast · Director · Writer

Born

August 18, 1933 · Paris, France

Birth name

Rajmund Roman Liebling

Roman Polanski is a French-Polish director, screenwriter and actor. Born in Paris to Polish parents, Polański moved with his family to Poland in 1937 and his mother died in a concentration camp. After surviving the horrors of the Holocaust, Roman, at the age of 14, had his first approach to the theater, where he began his interest in the art. He studied directing at the Łódź State Film School, and before graduating had already directed several short films that received recognition and awards. In 1962 he debuted with his first feature film, Knife in the Water. Among his most outstanding works are Repulsion (1965), Rosemary's Baby (1968), Chinatown (1974), Tess (1979), Death and the Maiden (1994), The Pianist (2002) with which he won the Oscar Award for Best Director. Despite his great successes, his personal life was marked by tragedies and controversies, such as the murder of his partner, Sharon Tate at the hands of the sect led by Charles Manson. On the other hand, in 1977, Polanski was arrested in the United States on charges related to an underage girl and subsequently fled to Europe to avoid prison. Despite the controversy, he continued to direct films and win awards.