Rob Cohen

Born: March 12 1949
Where: Cornwall, New York

The hotshot executive and producer made a name for himself after turning to directing hi-octane action thrillers such as xXx and Stealth.

In a career spanning more than 30 years, he also made a mark as producer of films including The Wiz and Bird on a Wire.

While studying anthropology at Harvard University, Cohen assisted director Daniel Petrie on the TV movie Silent Night, Lonely Night.

He was then hired by producer Martin Jurow to write screenplays and then worked as a reader for the International Famous Agency, evaluating scripts.

One of his finds was The Sting, the 1973 Paul Newman/Robert Redford crime comedy and multi Oscar winner.

After leaving IFF, Cohen moved to Motown, where he produced "antidotes" to the blaxploitation films of the era, including Mahogany and The Wiz.

In 1978, he set up his own production company which produced numerous box office hits including The Witches of Eastwick, The Running Man and The Hard Way.

Cohen made his directorial debut in 1980 with the drama A Small Circle of Friends and went on to work in TV, including stints on Miami Vice.

In 1993, he wrote and directed The Bruce Lee Story, which launched the careers of Jason Scott Lee and Lauren Holly.

Dragonheart featured Randy Quaid as knight forging an unlikely alliance with a dragon voiced by Sean Connery.

In 1996, Daylight starred Sylvester Stallone as disgraced emergency chief coping with an explosion in a New York tunnel.

The Skulls revealed the machinations of Ivy League university secret societies but 2001's The Fast and the Furious marked the debut of Cohen's hi-octane action style.

He followed it with the Vin Diesel-starring action thriller xXx, a special effects blockbuster intended to rival the James Bond franchise.

Recent work includes the gung-ho aerial action thriller Stealth, starring Josh Lucas, Jessica Biel and Jamie Foxx as crack US Navy fighter pilots.