Tag Archives: filmmaker

Oliver Stone: Controversial Director

Oliver Stone was born on September 15, 1946, in New York City, to a Jewish father and French Roman Catholic mother. Raised an Episcopalian from some sense of compromise, his parents divorced while he was a teenager. Devastated by the family split, it was only then that he learned of his father’s many extramarital affairs. Oliver attended several schools, notably New York University and Yale University, but dropped out after one year. He returned to Yale after teaching English at the Free Pacific Institute in South Vietnam and working six months in the merchant marine, but he dropped out again … Continue reading →

Martin Scorsese: Director of Distinction

Martin Scorsese was born on November 17, 1942, in Queens, New York. As a youth, his desire was to become a Catholic priest, and he entered a seminary in 1956. Although he loved his faith, his passion for film overruled his religious dictates and he channeled his love of life into the art of filmmaking. He graduated New York University as a film major in 1964. His student films of the 1960s caught the eye of veteran film impresario Roger Corman, particularly his co-editing skills as reflected in “Woodstock” (1970). The early 1970s saw success with “Boxcar Bertha” (1972) and … Continue reading →

Ron Howard: Child Star and Gifted Director

Ronald William Howard was born on March 1, 1954, to an acting family in Oklahoma. His father, Rance Howard, majored in drama at the University of Oklahoma and his mother, Jean Speegle Howard, attended acting school in New York. He made his movie debut at the tender age of 18 months, when he appeared in “Frontier Woman” (1956). His first real part was in 1958 at the age of four. He became a regular on “Playhouse 90,” and in 1960 was cast as Andy Griffith’s precocious son in the “The Andy Griffith Show.” In his shift from child star to … Continue reading →

Woody Allen: A Unique Filmmaker

Allen Stewart Konigsberg was born on December 1, 1935, in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Martin and Nelttie Konigsberg. Some sources incorrectly claim his first name to be “Woodrow.” By the time he was fifteen years of age, he was selling one-liners to gossip columns. He graduated from Midwood High School in Brooklyn, and attended New York University for a while. He was suspended from college and never graduated. In his stand-up days, he referred to himself as ”Heywood”, and while he was working in that capacity, he was hired to write “What’s New, Pussycat?” in 1965. A year … Continue reading →