James Mangold

Born: 1964
Where: New York, USA

Mangold's breakthrough movie was the gritty police drama Cop Land, which gave action hero Sylvester Stallone the chance to show he could act.

As a film-maker from the age of 11, Mangold had the rare honour of his own agent and a contract with Disney at 21 years old.

However, he was sacked as a director on the TV play The Deacon Street Deer because his approach was deemed "too dark".

In reality, he had rubbed up Walt Disney Studios chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg the wrong way over a contract but found work on the animated Oliver & Company.

He enrolled at Columbia University to study film where he wrote and directed the silent film Victor, which was screened at the London Film Festival.

His feature debut Heavy won the Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize and three years later he penned the script for Cop Land.

Finally in the Hollywood spotlight, Mangold went on to direct the Oscar winning Girl, Interrupted, with Winona Ryder.

He followed that with the less successful romantic comedy Kate & Leopold but was back on firm ground with the accomplished thriller Identity with Ray Liotta and John Cusack.

Upcoming projects include the Johnny Cash biopic Walk The Line with Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon.