Charlotte Lewis net worth explored after British actress testified against Roman Polanski in defamation trial

Charlotte Lewis, the English actress, has filed a defamation lawsuit against the 90-year-old Franco-Polish filmmaker Roman Polanski. She was in court on March 5, 2024, at the opening of the hearing.

Disclaimer: The article contains mentions of s*xual assault.

The 56-year-old has a net worth of $1.5 million, as per Celebrity Net Worth. Charlotte testified on Tuesday that she had been the victim of a “smear campaign” after she accused Polanski of s*xually abusing her as a teenager.

Back in 2019, the filmmaker had told Paris Match magazine, that Lewis had lied about the incident that allegedly happened in 1983. This brought on the backlash against her, as per BBC. Polinski has faced controversy for decades since fleeing the United States from a separate s*xual misconduct charge.

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Details about Charlotte Lewis's career and net worth explored as Roman Polanski defamation trial kicks off

Charlotte Lewis was born in Kensington, London, England, United Kingdom in August 1967. She made her acting debut in 1986 with the film Pirates. She has appeared in several movies in her three-decades-long career. Some of them include The Golden Child, Dial: Help, Tripwire, Stranger in the House, Embrace of the Vampire, Decoy, The Glass Cage, Navajo Blues, Mutual Needs, and Lost Angelas, as per IMDb.

Her work in movies and television shows has helped her accumulate a wealth of $1.5 million, as per Celebrity Net Worth. She is most famous for her role as Priscilla Mather on the TV mini-series Broken Badges from 1990 to 1991. Charlotte Lewis has also made appearances in other television series including Seinfeld, Renegade, Highlander: The Raven, and more.

In 2010, Charlotte Lewis accused Roman Polanski of s*xually assaulting her in "the worst possible way" when she was 16 during a casting meeting in 1983. It was reportedly during her debut time when she appeared in his 1986 movie Pirates, as per BBC.

On Tuesday, the actress testified against the filmmaker in a criminal court in the French capital at a defamation trial hearing. She said,

"It nearly destroyed my life. He took advantage of me and I have lived with the effects of his behavior ever since it occurred."

Roman Polanski claimed the accusation was a "heinous lie" in 2019 with the Paris Match magazine. During the sit-down, he allegedly read from a 1999 article in the now-defunct British newspaper News of the World, which quoted Lewis as saying: "I was fascinated by him, and I wanted to be his lover." The actress disputed the accuracy of the quote and subsequently sued for defamation, as per BBC.

According to The Guardian, the interview and the 2010 reveal resulted in Charlotte Lewis receiving severe backlash. The media coverage of the controversy had given her a “nervous breakdown”, and her then six-year-old son “had to change school because everybody read the articles”.

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Roman Polanski's alleged previous s*xual assault cases including some of minors

Several other women have since come forward with accusations that Mr Polanski abused them. Polanski has denied all such claims, however, he is known to have fled the United States evading various extradition attempts by US authorities, as per BBC.

Roman Polanski is currently wanted in America since 1977 for allegedly r*ping a 13-year-old Samantha Gailey. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of unlawful s*x with a minor at the time. However, the filmmaker was informed that a judge planned to rule out his plea deal and send him to prison, and Roman fled the US for Paris.

Four other women have claimed between 2017-2019 that the director reportedly abused them in the 1970s. Three of the accusers were minors at the time. One of the women is a Californian artist named Marianne Barnard. She accused him of s*xually assaulting her in 1975. Roman also allegedly made her pose naked when she was only 10 years old, as per The Guardian.

Roman Polanski currently resides in Paris and will not attend Charlotte Lewis's lawsuit trial. He will be represented by his legal team, as per BBC.