Barry Levinson

Born: April 6 1942
Where: Baltimore, Maryland

Barry Levinson entered the entertainment business as a comic writer and performer, forming a stand-up duo with actor Craig T. Nelson.

He also wrote for several TV programs and won back-to-back Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy-Variety or Music Series before graduating to film work.

He started by co-writing the scripts for Silent Movie and High Anxiety with Mel Brooks and also appeared in the films, but his future lay with directing.

Diner marked his debut in 1982 and it did nothing to hurt the careers of young up and comers Mickey Rourke, Steve Guttenberg and Kevin Bacon. He also wrote the script, which went on to earn him an Oscar nomination.

Barry had started the ball rolling and in 1988 he won the Best Director Oscar for the multiple award-winning Rain Man, starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise.

More success followed in 1991 when Bugsy, which he directed and produced, was nominated for ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.

Barry had another hit with Sleepers in 1996 and released two films back to back a year later: Wag the Dog (nominated for two Oscars) and Sphere, with Sharon Stone, Samuel L. Jackson and Dustin Hoffman (his fourth collaboration with the director).

In 1999, Barry was honoured for his commitment to the craft, his defining impact on the film and television industry, and his gifts and accomplishments as a director.

He received a Creative Achievement Award at the Annual American Comedy Awards and was bestowed the degree of Doctor of Fine Arts by the American University of Washington, DC - where he first studied broadcast journalism.