Roman Polanski

Roman Polanski appears in Andy Warhol’s diary as a socially visible figure whose presence at film-world gatherings sits uneasily alongside reports of a criminal charge. The entries offer brief, episodic glimpses rather than a full account of his life or the outcome of the legal proceedings: he is at dinners and parties, while the diary also records his arrest-related coverage and a reported threat toward Alana.

Social Presence

At a dinner at Mr. Chow’s, Polanski sat across from Warhol. The diary notes that they had encountered one another in the hotel lobby shortly before the meal, when Polanski was on his way to see Rocky; after returning, he said he had liked it. The account places him among the guests at an evening organized around film and celebrity, treating him as part of the gathering’s familiar social world.

Polanski also attended a dinner party hosted by Sue Mengers for Sidney Lumet. There, the diary records his part in introducing Gene Hackman to Warhol: Polanski said Hackman wanted to meet him, and Hackman came over. These brief exchanges show Polanski acting as a connected participant in the Hollywood social scene, not merely as a name in the news.

Charge and Public Scrutiny

On March 12, 1977, the diary describes a newspaper headline reporting that a movie director had been charged with rape and identifies Polanski. It says the charge concerned a thirteen-year-old girl whom he had taken to a party at Jack Nicholson’s house. The entry further reports that police went to Nicholson’s home the following day after the girl’s parents contacted them and searched the house. The account presents the report as part of the day’s news, sharply interrupting its otherwise ordinary details.

At a later Hollywood gathering, the diary says Polanski was out on bail in connection with the charge. It also records that he made a threatening remark toward Alana. The entry does not establish what followed from that reported threat, and the diary excerpts provide no resolution of the criminal case. Their account is therefore limited to the contrast between Polanski’s continued presence at social events and the serious allegations being reported about him.

A Fragmentary Portrait

The diary’s portrait is built from juxtaposition. Polanski can be found across a restaurant table, discussing a film, or helping connect people at a party; elsewhere, his name appears in a headline and in accounts of conduct that carries a different weight. The scenes establish his access to Warhol’s celebrity milieu while making clear that social familiarity does not settle the significance of the charge. They remain snapshots, not a comprehensive biography or a record of the case’s eventual outcome.