Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski (born Rajmund Roman Thierry Polański; 18 August 1933) is a Polish and, since 1976, naturalized-French film director, producer, writer, and actor. Having made films in Poland, the United Kingdom, France and the United States, he is considered one of the few "truly international filmmakers." Polanski's films have inspired diverse directors, including the Coen brothers, Wes Anderson, David Fincher, Atom Egoyan, Darren Aronofsky, Park Chan-wook, Sean Durkin, Abel Ferrara, and Wes Craven. Born in Paris to Polish parents, he moved with his family back to Poland (Second Polish Republic) in 1937, shortly before the outbreak of World War II. He survived the Holocaust and was educated in Poland (People's Republic of Poland) and became a director of both art house and commercial films. Polanski's first feature-length film, Knife in the Water (1962), made in Poland, was nominated for a United States Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film but was beaten by Federico Fellini's 8½. He has since received five more Oscar nominations, along with two Baftas, four Césars, a Golden Globe Award and the Palme d'Or of the Cannes Film Festival in France. In the United Kingdom he directed three films, beginning with Repulsion (1965). In 1968 he moved to the United States, and cemented his status by directing the horror film Rosemary's Baby (1968) for which Ruth Gordon won an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress. In 1969, Polanski's pregnant wife, Sharon Tate, was murdered by members of the Manson Family while staying at Polanski's Benedict Canyon home above Los Angeles. Following Tate's death, Polanski returned to Europe and spent much of his time in Paris and Gstaad, but did not direct another film until 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 travelled to Hollywood to direct Chinatown (1974). The film was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, and was a critical and box-office success. Polanski'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, Polanski was arrested for the rape of a 13-year-old girl and pleaded guilty to the charge of unlawful sex with a minor. To avoid sentencing, Polanski fled to his home in London, eventually settling in France. More than 32 years later, in September 2009, he was temporarily arrested by Swiss police at the request of United States authorities, who unsuccessfully asked for his extradition. During an interview for a later film documentary, he offered his apology to the woman, and later said that he had regretted that episode for the last 33 years. Polanski continued to make films such as The Pianist (2002), a WWII true story drama about Jewish-Polish musician Władysław Szpilman. The film won three Academy Awards including Best Director, along with numerous international awards. He also directed other films, including Oliver Twist (2005), a story which parallels his own life as a "young boy attempting to triumph over adversity". In 2009 at age 76 he was due to be awarded a lifetime-achievement award at the Zurich Film Festival but was arrested and held in a detention center for 67 days upon arrival in Zurich. After posting $4.5 million bail, he was allowed to live at his chalet in Zurich under house arrest, wearing an ankle monitor, for nine months after which he was freed. In 2011, he was able to travel to Zurich from his home in France to receive the award. His subsequent films include The Ghost Writer (2010), a thriller focusing on a ghost writer working with a former British Prime Minister, for which he was awarded Best Director at the 23rd European Film Awards that year as well as Best Director at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival, and Carnage (2011), a comedy-drama starring Jodie Foster and Kate Winslet.