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Born to Bula and Ryszard Liebling. -
Roman's interest in film grew, stating in an interview later in life "Even as a child, I always loved cinema and was thrilled when my parents would take me before the war. Then we were put into the ghetto in Kraków and there was no cinema, but the Germans often showed newsreels to the people outside the ghetto, on a screen in the marketplace."
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Jewish Residential District in Krakow (German: Der jüdische Wohnbezirk in Krakau) which was the official name. Krakow was one of five Nazi ghettos created by Germany.
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Polish Defensive War of 1939, a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak Republic, and the Soviet Union, which marked the beginning of World War II
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Roman attended primary school for only a couple of weeks. Soon after all Jewish children were expelled. He was not allowed to enter another classroom for the next 6 years.
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Jewish children over the age of twelve wear white armbands, with a blue Star of David imprinted, for visual identification -
The largest of the Nazi ghettos during World War II and the Holocaust. Occurred prior to the liquidation and was established in 1940 Later influencing one of Roman's films. -
During these raids Ryszard and Bula were taken. Ryszard was sent to Mauthausen-Gusen in Austria. Bula was sent to Auschwitz where she was murdered in a gas chamber.
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Roman was able to escape the ghetto and survive with the help of some Polish Roman Catholics. -
A heavy influence on Polanski, which he stated "I still consider it as one of the best movies I've ever seen and a film which made me want to pursue this career more than anything else ... I always dreamt of doing things of this sort or that style. To a certain extent I must say that I somehow perpetuate the ideas of that movie in what I do." -
Roman began attending the National Film School in Łódź . -
While attending school, Roman made acting appearances in several productions.
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In his debut as a director Roman took inspiration from his personal life with a short film, Rower (Bicycle). It was believed to be lost, which also starred Polanski. -
Polanski married actress Barbara Kwiatkowska-Lass. Their marriage led to divorce 5 years later.
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Roman moved back to France where he made two short films as well as contributing one segment to a French-produced omnibus film. He has had that segment removed.
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Polanski dated a succession of actresses including Carol Lynley, Jacqueline Bisset, Jill St. John and Michelle Phillips
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Polanski's first feature length film. Poland release with an American release on October 12, 1963. -
For his work on Knife in the Water. it was nominated for best foreign language film. -
Roman made three feature films while living in England: Repulsion (1965), Cul-de-sac (1966), and The Fearless Vampire Killers/Dance of the Vampires (1967).
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Roman met Sharon on the set of The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967). They then married in Chelsea, London at the registry office. -
One of the most known films by Roman Polanski. Robert Evans who was a studio head brough Roman to America ostensibly to direct the film Downhill Racer but told Polanski that he really wanted him to read the horror novel Rosemary's Baby by Ira Levin. In three weeks, her wrote a 272-page screenplay. It was a big success at the box office. It is a staple horror movie today. -
After getting married, Roman and Sharon moved into 10050 Cielo Drive part of the Beverley Crest neighborhood in Los Angeles. They were expecting their first child.
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On the night of August 8–9, four members of the Family – Tex Watson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel and Linda Kasabian – drove from Spahn Ranch to 10050 Cielo Drive under the direction of Charles Manson and Tex Watson. Sharon along with 3 friends and a guest house caregiver were murdered. -
Polanski adapted Macbeth into a screenplay with the Shakespeare expert Kenneth Tynan. -
Written by Polanski and previous collaborator Gérard Brach, What? (1972) is a mordant absurdist comedy loosely based on the themes of Alice in Wonderland and Henry James. -
Polanski returned to Hollywood in 1973 to direct Chinatown. It went on to get 11 academy award nominations. The movie released June 20, 1974.
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Polanski returned to Paris for his next film, based on a 1964 novel by Roland Topor, a French writer of Polish-Jewish origin. -
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. -
An Interpol red notice was issued in 1978 after he fled the United States, limiting his movements to France, Switzerland, and Poland. However, his name is no longer found on Interpol's wanted list. In January 2014, newly uncovered emails from 2008 by a Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge, Larry P. Fidler, indicated that if Polanski returned to the United States for a hearing, the conduct of the judge who had originally presided over the case, Laurence A. Rittenband might free him.
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Polanski became a fugitive from American justice and could no longer work in countries where he might face arrest or extradition.
Roman Polanski fled the United States to avoid trial for statutory rape involving a thirteen-year-old girl. He left after learning that he was on the verge of going to prison for the charges against him -
Roman gave an interview with novelist Martin Amis in which, discussing the case, he said "If I had killed somebody, it wouldn't have had so much appeal to the press, you see? But ... fucking, you see, and the young girls. Judges want to fuck young girls. Juries want to fuck young girls. Everyone wants to fuck young girls!" -
A film directed by Roman, which was an epic romantic drama. -
The suit alleged sexual assault, false imprisonment, seduction of a minor, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. In 1993, Polanski agreed to settle with his victim. In August 1996, Polanski still owed her $604,416; court filings confirm that the settlement was completed by 1997.The victim, now married and going by the name Samantha Geimer, stated in a 2003 interview with Larry King that the police and media had been slow at the time of the assault to believe her.
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An adventure comedy film written by Gérard Brach, John Brownjohn and Roman Polanski, and directed by Polanski. -
An American French neo-noir mystery thriller film directed by Roman Polanski and starring Harrison Ford and Emmanuelle Seigner. -
Polanski married French actress Emmanuelle Seigner, and they have two children: daughter Morgane and son Elvis. -
An erotic romantic thriller film co-written and directed by Roman Polanski. It stars Peter Coyote, Emmanuelle Seigner, Hugh Grant and Kristin Scott Thomas. -
Roman and Emmanuelle welcome their first daughter into the world. -
A mystery drama directed by Polanski. Starring Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley and Stuart Wilson; It was based on the 1990 play of the same name by Ariel Dorfman, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Rafael Yglesias. -
The Polanski's welcome their first son into the world. -
A neo-noir horror thriller film directed, produced, and co-written by Roman Polanski. An international co-production between the United States, Portugal, France, and Spain, the film is loosely based upon Arturo Pérez-Reverte's 1993 novel The Club Dumas. -
An epic biographical historical drama film produced and directed by Roman Polanski, with a script by Ronald Harwood, and starring Adrien Brody. -
A drama film directed by Roman Polanski. The screenplay by Ronald Harwood adapts Charles Dickens’s 1838 novel of the same name. -
A 2002 article in the magazine claimed that Polanski promised he would "make another Sharon Tate out of you" in an attempt to seduce a Scandinavian model while he was travelling to Tate's funeral. In 2004, Polanski sued Vanity Fair magazine in London for libel. Polanski was awarded £50,000 in damages plus some of his legal costs.
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A neo-noir[4] political thriller film directed by Roman Polanski.[5] The film is an adaptation of the 2007 novel, The Ghost, by Robert Harris with the screenplay written by Polanski and Harris. -
A documentary film by Marina Zenovich, Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, was released in Europe and the United States where it won numerous awards. The documentary focused on the judge of his sexual abuse case and his final decision. -
Polanski was arrested while in Switzerland at the request of United States authorities. The arrest brought renewed attention to the case and stirred controversy, particularly in the United States and Europe. On 12 July 2010, the Swiss rejected the United States' request, declared Polanski a "free man" and released him from custody. A year later, he was invited to the 2011 Zurich Film Festival where he received a lifetime achievement award.
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A documentary film Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir had its world premiere in Zurich, Switzerland. During an interview in the film, he offers his apology to Geimer: "She is a double victim: My victim, and a victim of the press." -
A black comedy film directed by Roman Polanski, based on the Tony Award-winning 2006 play Le Dieu du carnage by French playwright Yasmina Reza. -
A French-language erotic drama film directed by Roman Polanski, based on the play of the same name by American playwright David Ives, which itself was inspired by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch's novel Venus in Furs. -
Polanski was questioned by Polish prosecutors in Kraków. On 30 October 2015, Polish judge Dariusz Mazur denied a request by the United States to extradite Polanski
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the Supreme Court of Poland dismissed the government's appeal, holding that the prosecutor general had failed to prove misconduct or flagrant legal error on the part of the lower court. -
A French-language psychological thriller film directed by Roman Polanski. The screenplay was written by Polanski and Olivier Assayas, adapted from the novel of the same name by Delphine de Vigan. -
In December 2017, Polanski filed a ₪1.5 million suit in Herzliya Magistrates' Court against Israeli journalist and filmmaker Matan Uziel. Polanski maintained that Uziel, through his website, www.imetpolanski.com, falsely reported that five women had come forward to accuse him of raping them. In November 2018, it was published that Polanski decided to drop the lawsuit and was ordered by the court to pay Uziel ₪30,000 (US$8,000) for court costs. The court accepted Uziel's request not to drop it.
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Polanski was removed from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, with the decision referencing the case. -
Roman gave interviews to Paris Match and Gazeta Wyborcza, accusing Matan Uziel of carefully orchestrating the attacks on his character and for playing a major role in designing an international campaign to besmirch his name and reputation in order to make his career fall from grace. -
A historical drama film directed by Roman Polanski about the Dreyfus affair, with a screenplay by Polanski and Robert Harris based on Harris's 2013 novel of the same name. -
A black comedy film[3] directed by Roman Polanski, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jerzy Skolimowski and Ewa Piaskowska. -
“Timeline of Roman Polanski’s 45-Year-Old Teen Sex Abuse Case.” WRIC ABC 8News, 18 July 2022, https://www.wric.com/entertainment-news/timeline-of-roman-polanskis-45-year-old-teen-sex-abuse-case.
“33 Lovely Photos of Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski on Their Wedding Day in 1968.” Vintage Everyday, 22 July 2019, https://www.vintag.es/2019/07/sharon-tate-and-roman-polanski-wedding.html.
Gedzah, Kennedy. “Bula Liebling: What Happened to Roman Polanski’s Mother?” Dicy Trends, -
“Roman Polanski (b. 1930s).” WikiTree: The Free Family Tree, 20 Jan. 2025, https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Polanski-19.
“Roman Polanski: A Biografia.” AdoroCinema, https://www.adorocinema.com/personalidades/personalidade-495/biografia.
“Roman Polanski.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Polanski#Personal_life. Accessed 24 Oct. 2025.
“Roman Full Documentary.” YouTube, 17 May 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1pPzZyxHwk&t=372s.