Todd Solondz

Born: October 15 1959
Where: Newark, New Jersey, USA

The controversial one-time wannabe rabbi has divided critics and public with a serious of pitch black satires including Happiness and Palindromes.

A product of the New Jersey suburbs, he would subsequently base his bleak ruminations on urban despair in places like his hometown.

The film-maker - who has been compared to fellow director Kevin Smith - originally intended to be a rabbi but gave it up for screenwriting.

Working as a bike messenger for The Writers Guild, he devoted his time to writing with limited success.

But, while attending New York Film School, he was offered three picture deals by two major Hollywood studios on the strength of a handful of shorts.

However, his 1989 debut - Fear, Anxiety and Depression - failed and Solondz dropped out, teaching English to Russian immigrants.

An arrangement with a lawyer friend who secured him funding brought forth Welcome to the Dollhouse, the bleak tale of outcast Dawn "Wienerdog" Wiener (Heather Matarazzo).

Even darker was the 1998 follow-up Happiness, which caused a storm with its non-judgemental portrayal of a paedophile.

In 2002, Storytelling - divided into Fiction and Non-Fiction sections - caused a furore thanks to a Selma Blair sex scene and a segment featuring James Van Der Beek which was removed.

Recent work includes the equally provocative Palindromes, which asked difficult questions about America's abortion debate.