Stephen Norrington

Born: 1964
Where: London, UK

The special effects expert first attracted attention as director of Blade, a novel spin on the vampire legend starring Wesley Snipes.

After working as a makeup assistant on The Witches and as part of the sfx crew on Aliens, Norrington made his feature debut with the Robocop-style Death Machine.

However, it was with Blade in 1998 with Snipes as a half-human, half-vampire avenging his mother's death where the director really cut his teeth.

Next up was the London-based thriller The Last Minute starring Max Beesley, which drew comparisons with Guy Ritchie's gangster chic.

In 2003, he helmed the big budget League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, starring Sean Connery, based on the bestselling Alan Moore comic series.

Upcoming projects include Tick Tock, an action thriller starring Jennifer Lopez.