Paul Anderson

Born: 4 March 1965
Where: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England

The Geordie director has made the leap from gritty urban drama to big budget horror outings such as Resident Evil and Alien Vs Predator.

After graduating from Warwick University, he gained notoriety in the UK when he directed the ultra-violent Shopping from his own script.

The film, which was banned in Britain, was highly regarded for its stylish direction and shoestring budget, and featured Jude Law in his first role - as a ram-raider.

Upping the budget, Anderson's next film was Mortal Kombat, a flashy adaptation of the hit computer game, which was a box office success.

Next up was the atmospheric sci-fi horror flick, Event Horizon, starring Sean Pertwee and Jason Isaacs, but the film scored poorly with audiences.

Soldier, written by Blade Runner screenwriter David Webb, came next with Kurt Russell in the lead, but yet again Anderson had a box office flop and so opted for the small screen for his next feature, a supernatural mystery titled The Sight.

However, he shot back into the limelight when he took the director's chair for the long-anticipated adaptation of the popular survival horror video game Resident Evil.

Back on commercial track, Anderson helmed the unimaginative Alien Vs Predator, which was essentially a shameless exploitation of the two horror franchises.

In 2004, he produced Resident Evil: Apocalypse and returned to the director's chair for the remake of the 1975 action thriller Death Race 2000.

Death Race stars Jason Statham as a prisoner whose only chance of freedom is by winning a deadly race.