Doug Liman

Born: 1965
Where: USA

The director scored a massive critical hit with his second feature Swingers.

Written by Jon Favreau, the movie told the story of a group of wannabe actors coaxing a friend back onto the singles scene from the bar stools of an LA watering hole.

The son of Iran-Contra affair prosecutor Arthur L Liman, he graduated from Brown University in 1988.

While at college, he co-founded a student-run cable TV station before going on to study at the University of Southern California school of TV and film.

He directed his first feature - the straight-to-video Getting In - in 1994 before hitting his stride with Swingers two years later.

In 1999, he made the comedy based around a drugs deal, Go, starring Katie Holmes and began working as a film producer.

Early projects with his backing included Kissing Jessica Stein before switching styles completely to direct the Matt Damon thriller The Bourne Identity.

In 2005, he directed the assassination comedy Mr and Mrs Smith, starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.