Roman Polanski's parents returned to Poland from France just two years before the World War II began: both were taken later to concentration camps (his mother eventually died there). Young Roman managed to escape the ghetto and was learning survival while wandering through the Polish countryside and living with the different Catholic families. Though local people usually ignored cinemas where mostly German films were shown, Polanski seemed not very much concerned about patriotism and frequently went to the movies. In 1945 he reunited with his father who sent him to technical school, but young Polanski seemed to have already made his choice.

In the 50s he took up acting, appearing amongst the other films in Andrzej Wajda's Pokolenie before studying at the Lodz Film School. His early shorts such as Dwaj ludzie z szafa, The Fat and the Lean and Mammals showed his taste for black humor and interest in bizarre human relationships. His feature debut, Knife in the Water, was the first Polish post-war film not associated with the war theme. Though being already a major Polish filmmaker Polanski yet chose to leave the country and headed to France. Being down-and-out in Paris, he befriended young scriptwriter, Gérard Brach, who eventually became his long-time collaborator. The next two films, Repulsion and Cul-de-sac, made in England and co-written by Brach, won respectively Silver and Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festivals.

In 1968 Polanski went to Hollywood, where he easily gained the reputation with the intelligent psychological thriller Rosemary's Baby. However, after the brutal murder of his wife Sharon Tate by the infamous Manson gang in 1969, the director decided to return to Europe. In 1974 he again appeared in the USA with Chinatown: that seemed to be the beginning of the promising Hollywood career. After his conviction for the statutory rape of a 13-year old girl, Polanski fled from America to avoid prison.

After Tess, which was awarded several Oscars and Cesars, his work became intermittent and rarely approached the level of his best films. The director also stretched his talents to include occasional work in theatre. He still likes to act in the films of other directors, sometimes with interesting results as it was in A Pure Formality.
Has not been back to the United States since 1978. Reuters reports that Polanski is returning to face sentencing on statutory rape charges. [September 1997] He was convicted of the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl and fled to Europe to escape incarceration. After Polanski fled from the American justice, the judge on his case swore to have him behind the bars. Though the judge died in 1989, the director still can't enter the US, otherwise he would be arrested. In 1969, while he was out-of-town on business, his wife, actress Sharon Tate was brutally murdered by cult leader Charles Manson and his cult members; she was eight months pregnant with their first child. Two children with Emmanuelle Seigner: Morgane and Elvis. Shortly before her murder, wife Sharon Tate gave Polanski a copy of Thomas Hardy's 1891 novel "Tess of the d'Urbervilles", and he planned to film it with her. When he finally made the movie Tess, he dedicated it to her. Roman and his father are Holocaust survivors. His father was Jewish and his mother (who was murdered in Auschwitz) was Roman Catholic. Received his first best director Oscar for the movie The Pianist five months after the awards ceremony. Harrison Ford, his friend, flew out to France to present Polanski the award, since the director can't set foot on US soil for fear of being arrested on rape charges. [8 September 2003] Won the Best Director Oscar in 2003 for The Pianist at the age of 69 years and 7 months, making him the oldest person ever to win that award. Polanski eclipsed the record previously held by George Cukor, who was 65 when he won for directing My Fair Lady. This record was beaten in 2005 when Clint Eastwood won at the age of 74 for Million Dollar Baby. Within the Hollywood industry in the late 60s and early 70s he was often mocked as the stereotypical short, tyrannical European director. Was voted the 26th Greatest Director of all time by Entertainment Weekly. He has said that his life's biggest regret was not being present at the house on Cielo Drive, Beverly Hills the night his wife Sharon Tate and four others were brutally murdered. Was one of the judges in the Miss Universe pageant in 1976. When he fled from the U.S. in the late 70s, much was made about the director's inability to ever make films in the States again. However, Polanski only shot 2 films in the States prior to his arrest: 'Rosemary's Baby' (1968) and 'Chinatown' (1974) were shot in North America. All other English-language films before the arrest were shot in the UK, and all the ones since have been shot in Central Europe. President of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1991 Is portrayed by Bruce McCarty in Love and Betrayal: The Mia Farrow Story Born in Paris to a Polish Jewish father and a Russian mother. Is portrayed by Marek Probosz in Helter Skelter