POV
Roman Raymond Polanski (; born 18 August 1933) is a
French-born and resident
Polish film director, producer, writer and actor. Polanski began his career in
Poland, and later became a critically-acclaimed 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 an
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. He has since received five more
Oscar nominations, and in 2002 received the
Academy Award for Best Director for his film,
The Pianist. He has also been the recipient of two
Baftas, four
Césars, a
Golden Globe and the
Palme d'Or. He left the
People's Republic of Poland in 1961 to live in France for several years, then moved to Britain, where he collaborated with
Gérard Brach on three films, beginning with
Repulsion (1965). In 1968 he moved to the United States, immediately cementing his burgeoning directing status with the 1968 groundbreaking Academy Award winning horror film
Rosemary's Baby.