Michael Mann

MICHAEL MANN

Date of Birth: February 5, 1943

This Chicago, Illinois native began his film career late. After attending the University of Wisconsin, where he majored in English literature, the son of two grocers moved across the pond to became a student of London's International Film School.

Mann began his career in the late 70's, writing for TV shows like Starsky and Hutch (1975). Four years later, he wrote and directed his first film, the award-winning prison drama The Jericho Mile (1979) (TV).

He made his motion picture directorial debut with Thief (1981), which he followed with The Keep (1983), Manhunter (1986), The Last of the Mohicans (1992) and Heat (1995), writing the screenplays as well.

Unlike most directors, Mann likes to operate the camera himself to get much of his photography. He admits, "I need that creative intimacy, and quite frankly, the control to execute my vision, on all my projects."

He hit it big in 1984 when he produced and created the long-running TV series Miami Vice (1984), which made Don Johnson a household name and pastel T-shirts under sports jackets a new fashion trend. He followed that up in 1986 with a disastrous, lesser-known TV series, Crime Story (1986), as well as the Emmy Award-winning miniseries Drug Wars: The Camarena Story (1990).

In 1999, he completed The Insider, a true story which looks at the cover up of an episode of 60 Minutes, which was intending to expose a malpractice in the tobacco industry. He received several awards including the Los Angeles Film Critics Association award and Golden Satellite award for Best Picture, as well as a Golden Satellite award for Best Director. He was also nominated for three academy awards: Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture.

He has been married to his wife Summer since 1974. They have four children.

Filmography:

Public Enemies (2009)
Miami Vice (2006)
Collateral (2004)
Ali (2001)
The Insider (1999)
Heat (1995)
The Last of the Mohicans (1992)
Manhunter (1986)
The Keep (1983)
Thief (1981)