Roman Polański (born 18 August 1933) is a Polish-French film director, producer, writer and actor. Born in Paris to Polish parents, Polański relocated with his family to Poland in 1937. After surviving the Holocaust, he continued his education in Poland and became a critically acclaimed director of both art house and commercial films. Polański'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 Poland in 1961 to live in France for several years, then moved to the United Kingdom 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. In 1969, Polański's pregnant wife, Sharon Tate, was murdered while staying at the Polańskis' Benedict Canyon home above Los Angeles by members of the Manson Family. Following Tate's death, Polański returned to Europe and spent much of his time in Paris and Gstaad, but did not make another film until he filmed Macbeth (1971) in England. The following year he went to Italy to make What? (1973) and subsequently spent the next five years living near Rome. However, he traveled to Hollywood to direct Chinatown (1974) for Paramount Pictures, with Robert Evans serving as producer. The film was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, and was a critical and box-office success; the script by Robert Towne won for Best Original Screenplay. Polański's next film, The Tenant (1976), was shot in France, and completed the "Apartment Trilogy", following Repulsion and Rosemary's Baby. In 1977, after a photo shoot in Los Angeles, Polański was arrested for the sexual abuse of a 13 year old girl. He was charged with rape but pleaded guilty to unlawful sex with a minor. To avoid sentencing, Polański fled to his home in London, and then moved on to France the following day. He has had a U.S. arrest warrant outstanding since then, and an international arrest warrant since 2005. Polański continued to make films such as The Pianist (2002), a World War II-set adaptation of Jewish-Polish musician Władysław Szpilman's autobiography of the same name, which echoed some of Polański's earlier life experiences. Like Szpilman, Polański escaped the ghetto and the concentration camps while family members were killed. The film won three Academy Awards including Best Director, the Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or, and seven French César Awards including Best Picture and Best Director. He then released the successful films Oliver Twist (2005), To Each His Own Cinema (2007), and The Ghost Writer (2010), completed while under house arrest. In September 2009, Polański was arrested by Swiss police, at the request of U.S. authorities, when he traveled to receive a lifetime achievement award at the Zurich Film Festival. In October 2009, the U.S. requested his extradition; however, on July 12, 2010, the Swiss rejected that request and instead declared him a "free man" after releasing him from custody.
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Biography from TMDB.
- August 18, 1933 (93)
- Paris, France
- Actor, director, writer and producer
- 39 on MovieCove · 95 credits in all
What are Roman Polanski's films like?
Across their 40 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 6 · Wry 4 · Earnest 30
A split, not a type: Light 12 · Serious 8 · Dark 20
Grounded 14 · Stylized 20 · Heightened 6
A split, not a type: Gentle 9 · Charged 11 · Intense 20
A split, not a type: Steady 19 · Shifting 14 · Whiplash 7
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 24 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 8
A split, not a type: Slow burn 24 · Even-paced 12 · Relentless 4
A split, not a type: Casual 13 · Engaged 12 · Full focus 15
A split, not a type: Easy watch 15 · Affecting 10 · Heavy 15
A split, not a type: Resolved 23 · Open-ended 7 · Ambiguous 10
Roles they play
Usually the Trickster: 3 of 6 analyzed roles.
- Heroas Alfred in The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967)
- Heroas Trelkovsky in The Tenant (1976)
- Tricksteras Trelkovsky in The Tenant (1976)
- Tricksteras Kurilov in Back in the U.S.S.R. (1992)
- Mentoras Inspector in A Pure Formality (1994)
- Tricksteras Józef Papkin in The Revenge (2002)
Moods and endings
- Happy4
- Bittersweet11
- Tragic8
- Ambiguous15
- Cyclical2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Roman Polanski's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 18 of their 39 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (11).
- The Pianist (2002) · director, producer · free
- Repulsion (1965) · actor, director, writer · free
- Death and the Maiden (1994) · director · free
- The Ghost Writer (2010) · director, writer, producer · free
- Venus in Fur (2013) · director, writer · free
- Cul-de-sac (1966) · director, writer · free
- The Ninth Gate (1999) · director, writer, producer · free
- Rush Hour 3 (2007) · actor · free
- Blood for Dracula (1974) · actor · free
- What? (1972) · actor, director, writer · free
- Back in the U.S.S.R. (1992) · actor · free
- Lionsgate+, show their 3 titles on Lionsgate+
- Shout! TV, show their 3 titles on Shout! TV
- Sony Pictures Core, show their 2 titles on Sony Pictures Core
- Cineverse, show their title on Cineverse
- Howdy, show their title on Howdy
- IndieFlix, show their title on IndieFlix
- ScreenPix, show their title on ScreenPix
- Sundance Now, show their title on Sundance Now
- ViX, show their title on ViX
Subscription and free streaming for Roman Polanski's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
95 credits, 39 with a MovieCove page; 88 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
La scripte (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)
Marisol: llámame Pepa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
The Palace(2023)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
An Officer and a Spy(2019)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Sharon Tate Home Movies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Valerie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)
Based on a True Story(2017)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all filmsCaptain Jokes Parrot's Disaster of the Caribbean (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)
Face of Evil: The Charles Manson Murders (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
Roman by Polanski (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)
Henri Langlois vu par... (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
Venus in Fur(2013)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Tower Heist(2011)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
Carnage(2011)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
Cracow by Polanski (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
The Ghost Writer(2010)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all filmsMemories of a Young Pianist (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
Bicycle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Quiet Chaos(2008)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
Making of Chinatown (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
To Each His Own Cinema(2007)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
Rush Hour 3(2007)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all filmsThe Best of Twist: Sets, Costumes & Photography (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
Twist by Polanski (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
Le court des grands (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Oliver Twist(2005)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
Hedda Gabler (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Dance of the Vampires (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
The Revenge(2002)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
The Pianist(2002)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
The Unbeatable Bruce Lee(2001)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
The Ninth Gate(1999)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
E! True Hollywood Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Sex, Lies and Jerzy Kosinski (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Dead Tired(1994)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
A Pure Formality(1994)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
Death and the Maiden(1994)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Bitter Moon(1992)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Back in the U.S.S.R.(1992)
Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films
Dracula in the Movies(1992)
Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
The King of Ads (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
En attendant Godot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
Frantic(1988)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Pirates(1986)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Clive James Meets Roman Polanski (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
Chassé-croisé (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Tess(1979)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
The Evolution of Snuff (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
The South Bank Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
The Tenant(1976)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
Blood for Dracula(1974)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
Chinatown(1974)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
What?(1972)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films
Con bravura (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
Weekend of a Champion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)
Macbeth(1971)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
The Boat on the Grass (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)
A Day at the Beach(1970)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
The Magic Christian(1969)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
Rosemary's Baby(1968)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
The Girl Across the Way (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
G.G. Passion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
NET Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)
Cul-de-sac(1966)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
Repulsion(1965)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
The River of Diamonds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
A Taste for Women (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Mammals (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)
Knife in the Water(1962)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
The Fat and the Lean (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
Samson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
Ostrożnie yeti (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
Innocent Sorcerers(1960)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Goodbye, Till Tomorrow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
Bad Luck (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)
When Angels Fall (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
Lotna (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
The Lamp (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)
What Will My Wife Say to This? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
Two Men and a Wardrobe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)
Koniec nocy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Wraki (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
A Toothful Smile (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Kanal(1957)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Break Up the Dance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Murder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)
Nikodem Dyzma (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Magical Bicycle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Trzy starty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
A Generation (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Godzina bez słońca (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)
Three Stories (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)
The Stalking Moon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 95 titles, 94 of them dated from 1953 to 2026.
Film career
Top draw in 5 MovieCove titles.
- 1955Screen debut· A Generation
- 1959First top-billed film· The Lamp
- 1976Career best· The Tenant
Billing
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.
How do Roman Polanski's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 77th percentile, the median of all 39; across their 40 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 77th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up21
- 50th to 74th7
- 25th to 49th8
- Below 25th3
Shape of the crowd
19 of their 39 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved7
- Divisive1
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser19
- Broadly Agreed2
- Mixed9
Reviewers score the acting 73/100 in their films, across 33 reviewed titles; fans 80, detractors 45. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Roman Polanski's work okay for kids?
Across up to 24 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Roman Polanski work with?
People who share at least 2 of Roman Polanski's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Hervé de Luze shares the most, 11.
Directors
- Andrzej WajdaShared titles: Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir (2011), The Revenge (2002), Innocent Sorcerers (1960), Kanal (1957)See all 4 shared titles with Andrzej Wajda
Writers
- Gérard BrachShared titles: Bitter Moon (1992), Frantic (1988), Pirates (1986), Tess (1979), The Tenant (1976), What? (1972), The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967), Cul-de-sac (1966), Repulsion (1965), The World's Most Beautiful Swindlers (1964)See all 10 shared titles with Gérard Brach
- John BrownjohnShared titles: The Ninth Gate (1999), Bitter Moon (1992), Pirates (1986), Tess (1979)See all 4 shared titles with John Brownjohn
- Jerzy SkolimowskiShared titles: The Palace (2023), Knife in the Water (1962), Innocent Sorcerers (1960)See all 3 shared titles with Jerzy Skolimowski
- Robert HarrisShared titles: An Officer and a Spy (2019), The Ghost Writer (2010)See all 2 shared titles with Robert Harris
Actors
- Emmanuelle SeignerShared titles: An Officer and a Spy (2019), Based on a True Story (2017), Venus in Fur (2013), Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir (2011), The Ninth Gate (1999), Bitter Moon (1992), Frantic (1988)See all 7 shared titles with Emmanuelle Seigner
- Sharon TateShared titles: Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir (2011), Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood (2003), The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967), Valley of the Dolls: A World Premiere Voyage (1967)See all 4 shared titles with Sharon Tate
- Catherine DeneuveShared titles: Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir (2011), Repulsion (1965), The World's Most Beautiful Swindlers (1964)See all 3 shared titles with Catherine Deneuve
- Jack MacGowranShared titles: A Day at the Beach (1970), The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967), Cul-de-sac (1966)See all 3 shared titles with Jack MacGowran
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Hervé de LuzeShared titles: The Palace (2023), Venus in Fur (2013), Carnage (2011), The Ghost Writer (2010), Oliver Twist (2005), The Pianist (2002), The Ninth Gate (1999), Death and the Maiden (1994), Bitter Moon (1992), Pirates (1986), The World's Most Beautiful Swindlers (1964)See all 11 shared titles with Hervé de Luze
- Pawel EdelmanShared titles: The Palace (2023), Based on a True Story (2017), Venus in Fur (2013), Carnage (2011), Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir (2011), The Ghost Writer (2010), To Each His Own Cinema (2007), Oliver Twist (2005), The Pianist (2002), The Revenge (2002)See all 10 shared titles with Pawel Edelman
- Alastair McIntyreShared titles: Tess (1979), What? (1972), Macbeth (1971), A Day at the Beach (1970), The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967), Cul-de-sac (1966), Repulsion (1965)See all 7 shared titles with Alastair McIntyre
- Alexandre DesplatShared titles: The Palace (2023), Based on a True Story (2017), Venus in Fur (2013), Carnage (2011), Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir (2011), The Ghost Writer (2010)See all 6 shared titles with Alexandre Desplat
Producers
- Alain SardeShared titles: Venus in Fur (2013), The Ghost Writer (2010), To Each His Own Cinema (2007), Oliver Twist (2005), The Pianist (2002), Bitter Moon (1992), The Tenant (1976)See all 7 shared titles with Alain Sarde
- Robert BenmussaShared titles: Venus in Fur (2013), The Ghost Writer (2010), To Each His Own Cinema (2007), Oliver Twist (2005), The Pianist (2002), Bitter Moon (1992)See all 6 shared titles with Robert Benmussa
- Timothy BurrillShared titles: Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir (2011), The Ghost Writer (2010), Oliver Twist (2005), Bitter Moon (1992), Tess (1979), Macbeth (1971)See all 6 shared titles with Timothy Burrill
- Andrew BraunsbergShared titles: Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir (2011), The Tenant (1976), Blood for Dracula (1974), What? (1972), Macbeth (1971)See all 5 shared titles with Andrew Braunsberg
Mixed roles
- Claude ChabrolShared titles: Mia Farrow, ombres et lumières (2025), The World's Most Beautiful Swindlers (1964)See all 2 shared titles with Claude Chabrol
