From Polish ghetto to Oscar-winning director
In his early 20s, he appeared in Andrzej Wajda’s film, A Generation (1954), about Polish resistance against the Nazis.
He studied at the Polish film school in Lodz, winning awards for his short films, including Two Men and a Wardrobe (1958).
He won the critics’ prize at the Venice film festival for his first major film, Knife in the Water (1962).
Polanski then moved to England to make three films, including Repulsion (1965). He later moved to America to score his first Hollywood hit with Rosemary’s Baby (1968), which starred Mia Farrow as a woman who dreams she has been impregnated by the devil.
In 1969, Polanski’s pregnant wife, Sharon Tate, was murdered by a cult led by Charles Manson.
His film Chinatown (1974) became Polanski’s greatest success, nominated for 11 Oscars, winning best original screenplay.
Five years later, Tess, won an Oscar for cinematography. He refused to direct Schindler’s List after his childhood experience.
However, in 2002 he directed The Pianist, about a Warsaw musician during the Holocaust, wining the Cannes Palme d’Or, Baftas for best director and film and Oscars for best director and actor. His next film, Oliver Twist, is due for release in October.
