Harold Becker

Born: 1950
Where: New York, New York

Becker studied art and photography and first co-directed The Ragman's Daughter in 1972.

Seven years later he found the perfect vehicle for a solo project - The Onion Field, Joseph Wambaugh's fact-based novel about cop killers who avoid prosecution.

He followed with another Wambaugh adaptation, The Black Marble, with James Woods.

He's had a knack of showcasing future stars - from Woods to Sean Penn and Tom Cruise - and reviving the careers of stars like Al Pacino and Alec Baldwin.

For his third feature, Becker helmed Taps, featuring the young Penn and Cruise.

The Boost was overshadowed by the off-screen relationship of co-stars James Woods and Sean Young.

But Becker bounced back with Sea Of Love, which rejuvenated the careers of Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin.

He re-teamed with Pacino for City Hall, and did the same thing with Alec Baldwin in Malice and Mercury Rising.

With Domestic Disturbance, he also pulled in more than adequate performances from John Travolta and Vince Vaughn.