Wayne Wang

Born: January 1949
Where: Hong Kong

American-based Wang slipped into the American mainstream with Amy Tan's weepie The Joy Luck Club after making his name with largely experimental films.

His Zen-inspired San Francisco detective story Chan is Missing was an early success which he followed up with the Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart.

His first non-Asian project Slamdance was a resounding flop however he returned to form with Eat A Bowl Of Tea and the scathing satire Life Is Cheap...But Toilet Paper is Expensive.

After The Joy Luck Club he impressed with Smoke, starring Harvey Keitel and Forest Whitaker, and followed it with the improvised Blue in the Face with Roseanne and Madonna.

The director went on to helm the feature adaptation of Mona Simpson's Anywhere But Here starring Susan Sarandon and Natalie Portman.

After the dark The Center of the World with Peter Sarsgaard and Molly Parker, Wang took a decidely lighter turn down mainstream avenue with the glossy Cinderella fairy tale Maid in Manhattan.