Director Roman Polanski doesn’t believe he’ll get fair treatment in a Los Angeles court, and has requested to disqualify the L.A. Superior Court in his lawsuit against the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. He has instead requested that the case against the Academy’s decision to expel him be assigned to a judge from outside Los Angeles County.
In his latest lawsuit, Polanski seeks reinstatement into the Academy because he claims “its decision was made without due process based on an ancient conviction and a fugitive status lawful under California law.”
The unusual request from the international fugitive (he fled the U.S. in 1978 after being convicted of raping a young woman) was made on Monday. In it, Polanski’s attorneys state “the history of Polanski litigation means that any judgment of this court would raise an issue of impartiality.”
The filing continues to state that Polanski claims that “several Los Angeles judges have acted either dishonestly, or denied him due process, adding that those claims have been “reinforced via the added authority” of courts in Poland and Switzerland, where Polanski has been residing.
“Mr. Polanski has no reason to believe that the Honorable Mary H. Strobel is personally biased, but believes the history of the Polanski litigation means that any judgment of this Court would raise an issue of impartiality,” the filing stated.
“Mr. Polanski recognizes the extraordinary nature of his suggestion, but hopes the Court understands the documented history of his dispute with the Court justifies this request,” it continued.
The rest of the 245-page filing includes a summary of the Polanski proceedings, a Polish judge’s opinion supporting Polanski, and his brief filed in a Krakow Regional Court. The filing then outlines the depths of injustices Polanski has faced at the hands of L.A. judges for the rape trial, being placed on Interpol’s red notice (criminal alert) list in 2005, his 2009 arrest in Switzerland at the behest of U.S. authorities, his consequent house arrest, and other extradition attempts. The lengthy document also references the infamous 1969 murder of his pregnant wife Sharon Tate at the hands of the Manson Family.
The filing even includes a photo of Polish judge Dariusz Mazur — the same judge who denied a request by the United States to extradite Polanski back in 2015 — as an examplar of justice. His portrait is captioned with a quote, “The justice system in Los Angeles, possibly fearing excessive media criticism and influenced by the mistaken pursuit to protect its good name, has lost the ability to self-correct its own past mistakes.”
12 Actors Who Have Played Charles Manson in Movies and TV (Photos)
No other mass criminal or cult figure in American history has garnered as much fascination within Hollywood and popular culture as Charles Manson (though Ted Bundy is coming close). He and his "family" have been the subject of many onscreen treatments from "American Horror Story: Cult" to Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood." Here is a sampling of actors who have dared to play the notorious figure.
Steve Railsback - "Helter Skelter" (1976)
The memory of Manson was still fresh when this TV special based on Vincent Bugliosi's book aired. CBS even made it a two-night special.
CBS
Michael Reid MacKay - "Summer Dreams: The Story of the Beach Boys" (1990)
This TV special about the career of the Beach Boys explored Manson's relationship with founding member Dennis Wilson.
ABC
Marcelo Games - "The Manson Family" (1997)
Officially released in the U.S. in 2004, this dramatization of the Manson Family murders in director Jim Van Bebber's film is seen all through the lens of Super 8 home movies.
Dinsdale Releasing
Trey Parker - "South Park" (1998)
Way back in Season 2 of "South Park," Trey Parker had some fun with Manson by having the kids teach him the true meaning of Christmas after he escapes from prison.
Comedy Central
Jeremy Davies - "Helter Skelter" (2004)
This CBS update of their classic "Helter Skelter" shifted more of the focus away from Bugliosi and onto Manson and "family" member Linda Kasabian, with Jeremy Davies playing the cult leader.
CBS
Ryan Kiser - "House of Manson" (2014)
Kiser actually had the "honor" of portraying Manson twice, once in 2009's "Lie" and again in 2014 for "House of Manson." The latter film goes further back into Manson's life leading up to the murder of Sharon Tate and resembles Charles "Tex" Watson's account of events most closely.
Gravitas Ventures
Taran Killam - "Saturday Night Live" (2014)
Remember when news came out that Manson had found love in prison with 26-year-old Star Burton? Who couldn't fall for his beard and "winning smile." And he's only in for income tax fraud!
NBC
Gethin Anthony - "Aquarius" (2015)
The short-lived NBC drama "Aquarius" was set in 1967 and followed two detectives searching for a missing girl who ended up being a Manson recruit.
NBC
Jeff Ward - "Manson's Lost Girls" (2016)
Even Lifetime got into the Manson Family story. One of the network's original movies focused on Linda Kasabian and several of the other female members of the family caught up in Manson's spell.
Lifetime
Evan Peters - "American Horror Story" (2017)
In "American Horror Story: Cult," Evan Peters plays a politician who becomes obsessed and inspired by Manson and is eventually possessed by him.
FX
Matt Smith - "Charlie Says" (2019)
"Charlie Says" is set years after the Manson Family murders and focuses on the psychological rehabilitation of Leslie Van Houten, Patricia Krenwinkel and Susan Atkins. "Doctor Who" actor Matt Smith portrays Manson in flashbacks to examine the mental spell he cast on the many women who killed for him.
IFC Films
Damon Herriman - "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" AND "Mindhunter" (2019)
Damon Herriman makes only a brief appearance in Quentin Tarantino's ninth film -- but the Manson Family and victims like Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) figure prominently in the plot set around the time of the 1969 murders. And the actor was also cast as the cult leader in the second season of David Fincher's Netflix series "Mindhunter" -- where he has a more extensive scene in a prison meeting with an FBI investigator.
Sony Pictures
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From Steve Railsback in ”Helter Skelter“ to Damon Herriman in ”Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood“ and ”Mindhunter“
No other mass criminal or cult figure in American history has garnered as much fascination within Hollywood and popular culture as Charles Manson (though Ted Bundy is coming close). He and his "family" have been the subject of many onscreen treatments from "American Horror Story: Cult" to Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood." Here is a sampling of actors who have dared to play the notorious figure.