Tom DiCillo

Born: 1954

Where: Jacksonville, Florida, USA

DiCillo won early raves for his independent features Johnny Suede and Living in Oblivion.

Johnny Suede, starring Brad Pitt and Catherine Keener, won the Grand Prize at the Locarno Film Festival.

Living in Oblivion landed the best screenplay at the Sundance Film Festival and opened the New Directors' series at New York's Museum of Modern Art.

A graduate of New York University's Graduate Film School, he was already winning awards for his short films.

After graduation, he studied acting and also worked as a cinematographer shooting eight feature films, including Jim Jarmusch's Stranger Than Paradise.

After his early success, he wrote and directed Box of Moonlight starring John Turturro and Sam Rockwell in 1995.

Recent work includes the disappointing Double Whammy with Denis Leary and The Real Blonde, starring Matthew Modine and Darryl Hannah.