Roman Polanski
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Roman Polański (born August 18, 1933) is a Polish film director and actor.
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2 Career & Tragedy 3 Controversy 4 Trivia 5 Directorial Filmography 6 External links |
Early Life
Roman Polański was born in Paris as Raimund Liebling to Ryszard Polanski (aka Ryszard Liebling), a Jew, and Bula Polanski (nee Katz), a Roman Catholic. In 1937 his family moved back to Poland. His mother died in a concentration camp, but Polanski avoided incarceration there, escaped the Cracow Ghetto and spent the war wandering the countryside of Europe. He was educated at the film school in Lodz, Poland (graduated in 1959).
Career & Tragedy
Several short films made during the study gained considerable recognition. His first major film Knife in the Water (1962) was the first significant Polish film after the war that was not associated with the war theme. It was Polanski's first nomination for the Oscar.
Roman met rising starlet Sharon Tate while filming The Fearless Vampire Killers and during their time together doing the film they began dating. In 1968 Polanski went to Hollywood where he gained reputation with the sophisticated psychological thriller Rosemary's Baby (1968). On 25 January, 1968 he married Sharon in London, England.
On 9 August 1969, an eight months pregnant Sharon was brutally murdered by Charles Manson's gang along with three of her and Roman's friends. Distraught and heartbroken, Polanski returned to Europe shortly after her funeral.
Controversy
In 1974 he returned to the USA with the film Chinatown (1974). The film seemed to be the beginning of a new start for Polanski's professional life, as it brought him a nomination for Academy Award for Directing. However, he became embroiled in a scandal surrounding statutory rape charges involving him and a 13-year-old girl, Samantha Geimer, daughter of the actress. According to reports, his fame gained him the trust of her mother to host the young model at his home for photo session. Her mother hope he will pull her daughter into showbusiness. After convincing her to get into his hot-tub, he drugged her with pills and alcohol and had consensual intercourse with her. The sister of the girl heard her reporting the fact of sexual intercourse to her friend over the phone. When her mother reported the intercourse to the police, he fled the United States but returned later to face the charges. On February 1, 1978, after pleading guilty to the charges, Polanski skipped bail and fled to France.
He received another Academy Award nomination for Tess (1979). During the filming he had a relationship with the young Nastassja Kinski; the relationship failed. Since Tess Polanski has spent his time in France and Poland, and continues to direct movies and theater and act in films. He married actress and model Emmanuelle Seigner in 1989. They have two children: Morgane and Elvis.
Polanski was laureate of the Palme d'Or (Golden Palm) award at the Cannes Film Festival on May 26 2002 for The Pianist, later winning the 2002 Academy Award for Directing. He could not attend the awards, held in Hollywood, because he still faces sentencing if he ever returns to the USA.
He speaks five languages: Polish, Russian, English, French and Italian.
Trivia
- Roman has said that the greatest regret he has about his life was not being at Cielo Drive when his wife Sharon, their unborn son, and friends died.
- Dedicated the movie Tess to Sharon. Sharon put the book on his nightstand before leaving London and also left a note saying how it would make a wonderful movie.
- His mother was reportedly 4 months pregnant when she was murdered.
Directorial Filmography
- Oliver Twist (2005)
- The Pianist (2002)
- The Ninth Gate (1999)
- Death and the Maiden (1994)
- Bitter Moon (1992)
- Frantic (1988)
- Pirates (1986)
- Tess (1979)
- Le Locataire (aka The Tenant) (1976)
- Chinatown (1974)
- What (aka Diary of Forbidden Dreams) (1973)
- Macbeth (1971)
- Rosemary's Baby (1968)
- The Fearless Vampire Killers (aka Dance of the Vampires) (1967)
- Cul de sac (1966)
- Repulsion (1965)
- Knife in the Water (aka Noż w wodzie) (1962)
- Short movie - Two Men and a Wardrobe (aka Dwoch ludzi z szafą) (1958)
External links