Roman Raymond Polanski (born
August 18,
1933) is an
Academy Award-winning and four-time nominated
film director,
writer,
actor and
producer. After beginning his career in
Poland, Polanski became a celebrated
arthouse filmmaker and
Hollywood director of such films as
Rosemary's Baby (1968) and
Chinatown (1974). Polanski is considered one of the world’s great film directors.
[1]
He is also known for his tumultuous personal life. He lived in Nazi occupied Poland during WWII. In 1969, his pregnant wife,
Sharon Tate, was murdered by the
Manson Family. In 1978, after pleading guilty in a plea bargain with the Los Angeles district attorney, to "
unlawful sexual intercourse" with a 13-year-old girl,
[2] Polanski fled to
France before sentencing. He now lives there and has French citizenship (France has limited extradition with the
United States). He is considered by U.S. authorities to be a fugitive from justice.
He has continued to direct films from Europe, including
Frantic (1988),
Death and the Maiden (1994),
The Ninth Gate, the Academy Award-winning and
Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or-winning
The Pianist (2002), and
Oliver Twist (2005).