Władysław Szpilman

Władysław Szpilman studied piano at academies in Berlin and Warsaw and became a popular performer on Polish Radio and in concert. After the German invasion of Poland, he was confined within the Warsaw Ghetto, where he spent two years in hiding. Following the Warsaw Uprising and the destruction of the city, he was helped by Wilm Hosenfeld, a German officer who detested Nazi policies. He survived as one of the "Robinson Crusoes" - Poles who remained in the ruins of Warsaw after the Uprising. After the war, Szpilman resumed his career on Polish Radio and became a prolific composer, writing hundreds of songs and many orchestral pieces. His autobiographical account of survival became the basis for Roman Polanski's film The Pianist.