Wladyslaw Szpilman

Władysław Szpilman was a Polish-Jewish pianist, classical composer and Holocaust survivor. He is widely known as the central figure in the 2002 Roman Polanski film The Pianist, which was based on his autobiographical account of how he survived the German occupation of Warsaw. He was born in Sosnowiec, Poland, and studied piano at music academies in Warsaw and Berlin. He became a popular performer on Polish radio and in concert. Confined within the Warsaw Ghetto after the German invasion of Poland, Szpilman spent two years in hiding. Following the Warsaw Uprising and the subsequent destruction of the city, he was helped by Wilm Hosenfeld, a German officer who detested Nazi policies. After World War II, Szpilman resumed his career on Polish radio. He was also a prolific composer; his output included hundreds of songs and many orchestral pieces. He died in Warsaw in 2000, at the age of 88.