Born in Paris to Polish parents, was raised and educated in Poland where he attended Art School in Krakow and the National Film School in Łódź. He made his stage acting debut at the age of fourteen and continued to perform on the popular radio show The Merry Gang. In his teens, he appeared in the film Three Stories and subsequently played small parts in several Polish films including Andrzej Wajda’s Generations.
While still in Film School, Polanski directed several short films including Two Men and a Wardrobe (1957), When Angels Fall (1958), The Fat and the Lean (1958) and Mammals (1961), which all won prizes at various film festivals.
His feature film debut was Knife in the Water (1962), which won the Critics’ Prize at the Venice Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Foreign Language Film. In 1999 he won European Film Award for Outstanding European Achievement in World Cinema. Later Polanski was three times nominated to Oscars, as director for Tess and Chinatown and as writer for Rosemary’s Baby.
In 2002 won Golden Palm at Cannes Film Festival and in 2003 won Oscar® for Best Director for “The Pianist”.
| 2013 | Venus in Fur – 2014 Cesar Award for Best Director |
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| 2011 | Carnage – Little Golden Lion for Roman Polanski at 2011 Venice Film Festival |
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| 2010 | The Ghost Writer – 2010 Berlin IFF – Silver Bear Award for Best Director; – 2011 César Awards in English Language Film Category for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay |
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| 2005 | Oliver Twist | |
| 2002 | The Pianist (Pianista) – 2003 Academy Award, Oscar for Best Director; – 2003 BAFTA Award for Best Film and David Lean Award for Directions; – 2003 Bermuda IFF – Audience Choice Award; Cesar Award, France for Best Film and Best Director; – 2003 David di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Film; Czech Lion ’04; Goya Award ’03; Orly Polish Film Award ’03 |
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| 1999 | The Ninth Gate – 1999 European Film Award for Outstanding Eauropean Achievment in World Cinema |
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| 1994 | Death and the Maiden | |
| 1992 | Bitter Moon | |
| 1988 | Frantic | |
| 1986 | Pirates | |
| 1979 | Tess – Cesar Award for Best Film and Best Director |
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| 1976 | Tenant | |
| 1974 | Chinatown – BAFTA Award ’75; Bodil Award for Best Non-European Film; – Golden Globe Award for Best Director |
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| 1972 | What? | |
| 1971 | Macbeth | |
| 1968 | Rosemary’s Baby – David di Donatell Award for Best Foreign Director |
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| 1967 | The Fearless Vampire Killers | |
| 1966 | Cul-De-Sac – Golden Bear at the Berlin IFF |
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| 1965 | Repulsion – FIPRESCI Prize and Silver Berlin Bear – Special Prize of the Jury at the Berlin IFF |
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| 1962 | Knife in the Water (Nóż w wodzie) – 1962 Venice Film Festival – FIPRESCI Prize | |
| 1958 | Two Men and a Wardrobe (Dwaj ludzie z szafą) – San Francisco IFF – Golden Gate Award for Best Short Subject |