Oliver Stone

For the English cricketer, seeOlly Stone.For the American portrait painter, seeWilliam Oliver Stone.

Oliver Stone
Stone in 2016
Born	William Oliver Stone (1946-09-15)September 15, 1946 New York City, U.S.
Alma mater	New York University(BFA)
Occupations	Film director screenwriter producer author
Years active	1971–present
Spouses	Najwa Sarkis ​ ​ (m.1971;div.1977)​ Elizabeth Burkit Cox ​ ​ (m.1981;div.1993)​ Sun-jung Jung ​ (m.1996)​
Children	3, includingSean
Awards	Full list

William Oliver Stone(born September 15, 1946) is an American filmmaker.Stone is known as a controversial but acclaimed director, tackling subjects ranging from theVietnam War,andAmerican politicstomusicalbiopicsandcrime dramas.He has receivednumerous accoladesincluding fourAcademy Awards,aBAFTA Award,aPrimetime Emmy Award,and fiveGolden Globe Awards.

Stone was born inNew York Cityand later briefly attendedYale University.In 1967, Stone enlisted in theUnited States Armyduring theVietnam War.He then served from 1967 to 1968 in the25th Infantry Divisionand was twice wounded in action. For his service, he received military honors such as theBronze Starwith"V" Devicefor valor, thePurple HeartwithOak Leaf Cluster,theNational Defense Service Medal,theVietnam Service Medalwith one Silver Service Star. His service in Vietnam would be the basis for his later career as a filmmaker in depicting the brutality of war.

Stone started his film career writing the screenplays forMidnight Express(1978), for which he won theAcademy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay,Conan the Barbarian(1982) andScarface(1983). He then rose to prominence as writer and director of theVietnam Warfilm dramaPlatoon(1986), andBorn on the Fourth of July(1989) for which he receivedAcademy AwardsforBest DirectorandBest Picturefor the former andBest Directorfor the latter. He also directedSalvador(1986),Wall Street(1987) and its sequelWall Street: Money Never Sleeps(2010),The Doors(1991),JFK(1991),Heaven & Earth(1993),Natural Born Killers(1994),Nixon(1995),Any Given Sunday(1999),W.(2008) andSnowden(2016).

Many of Stone's films focus on controversial American political issues during the late 20th century, and as such were considered contentious at the times of their releases. Stone has beencritical of American foreign policy,which he considers to be driven bynationalistandimperialistagendas. He has approved of politiciansHugo ChávezandVladimir Putin,the latter of whom was the subject ofThe Putin Interviews(2017).Like his subject matter, Stone is a controversial figure in American filmmaking, with some critics accusing him of promotingconspiracy theories.

Early life

Stone was born in New York City, the son of aFrenchwoman named Jacqueline (née Goddet)and Louis Stone (born Louis Silverstein), a stockbroker.He grew up inManhattanandStamford, Connecticut.His parents met duringWorld War II,when his father was fighting as a part of theAllied forcein France.Stone's American-born father wasJewish,whereas his French-born mother wasRoman Catholic,both non-practicing.Stone was raised in theEpiscopal Church,and now practicesBuddhism.

Stone attendedTrinity Schoolin New York City before his parents sent him away toThe Hill School,acollege-preparatoryschool inPottstown, Pennsylvania.His parents divorced abruptly while he was away at school (1962) and this, because he was an only child, marked him deeply. Stone's mother was often absent and his father made a big impact on his life—perhaps because of this, father-son relationships feature heavily in Stone's films.

He often spent parts of his summer vacations with his maternal grandparents in France, both in Paris andLa Ferté-sous-Jouarrein Seine-et-Marne. Stone also worked at 17 in the Paris mercantile exchange in sugar and cocoa – a job that proved inspirational to Stone for his filmWall Street.He speaksFrenchfluently.Stone graduated fromThe Hill Schoolin 1964.

Stone was admitted toYale University,but left in June 1965 at age 18to teach high school students English for six months in Saigon at the Free Pacific Institute inSouth Vietnam.Afterwards, he worked for a short while as awiperon aUnited States Merchant Marineship in 1966, traveling from Asia to the US across the rough Pacific Ocean in January.He returned to Yale, where he dropped out a second time (in part due to working on an autobiographical novel, "A Child's Night Dream," published in 1997 bySt. Martin's Press).

U.S. Army

In April 1967, Stone enlisted in theUnited States Armyand requestedcombat duty in Vietnam.From September 27, 1967, to February 23, 1968, he served in Vietnam with 2nd Platoon, B Company, 3rd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment,25th Infantry Divisionand was twice wounded in action.He was then transferred to the1st Cavalry Divisionparticipating inlong-range reconnaissance patrolsbefore being transferred again to drive for a motorized infantry unit of the division until November 1968.For his service, his military awards include theBronze Starwith"V" Devicefor valor, thePurple HeartwithOak Leaf Clusterto denote two awards, theAir Medal,theArmy Commendation Medal,SharpshooterBadge with Rifle Bar,Marksman Badgewith Auto Rifle Bar, theNational Defense Service Medal,theVietnam Service Medalwith one Silver Service Star, theRepublic of Vietnam Gallantry Crosswith Unit Citation with Palm, twoOverseas Service Bars,theVietnam Campaign Medaland theCombat Infantryman Badge.

Awards and honors

(while with the U.S. Army)

On July 4, 2024, Stone was awarded the rank ofCommanderof theOrder of Arts and Letters,the highest civilian honor in France, for cultural contributions to both the country and the film industry.He was previously awarded the rank of Chevalier in 1992.

Writing and directing career

1970s

Stone in February 1987

Stone graduated fromNew York Universitywith aBachelor of Fine Artsdegree infilmin 1971, where his teachers included director and fellow NYU alumnusMartin Scorsese.The same year, he had a small acting role in the comedyThe Battle of Love's Return.Stone made a short, well received 12-minute filmLast Year in Viet Nam.He worked as a taxi driver, film production assistant, messenger, and salesman before making his mark in film as a screenwriter in the late 1970s, in the period between his first two films as a director: horror filmsSeizureandThe Hand.

In 1979, Stone was awarded his first Oscar, after adapting true-life prison storyMidnight Expressinto the successful filmof the same namefor British directorAlan Parker(the two men would later collaborate on the 1996 movie of stage musicalEvita).The original author,Billy Hayes,around whom the film is set, said the film's depiction of prison conditions was accurate. Hayes said that the "message of 'Midnight Express' isn't 'Don't go to Turkey. It's 'Don't be an idiot like I was, and try to smuggle drugs.'"Stone later apologized to Turkey for over-dramatizing the script, while standing by the film's stark depiction of the brutality of Turkish prisons.

1980s

Stone wrote further features, includingBrian De Palma's drug lord epicScarface,loosely inspired by his own addiction tococaine,which he successfully kicked while working on the screenplay.He also pennedYear of the Dragon(co-written withMichael Cimino) featuringMickey Rourke,before his career took off as a writer-director in 1986. Like his contemporary Michael Mann, Stone is unusual in having written or co-written most of the films he has directed. In 1986, Stone directed two films back to back: the critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessfulSalvador,shot largely in Mexico, and his long in-development Vietnam projectPlatoon,shot in the Philippines.

Platoonbrought Stone's name to a much wider audience. It also finally kickstarted a busy directing career, which saw him making nine films over the next decade. Alongside some negative reaction,Platoonwon many rave reviews (Roger Ebertlater called it the ninth best film of the 1980s), large audiences, and Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director. In 2007, a film industry vote ranked it at number 83 in anAmerican Film Institute"AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies"poll of the previous century's best American movies. British TV channelChannel 4votedPlatoonas the sixth greatest war film ever made.In 2019,Platoonwas selected by theLibrary of Congressfor preservation in the United StatesNational Film Registryfor being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Platoonwas the first of three films Stone has made about theVietnam War:the others wereBorn on the Fourth of JulyandHeaven & Earth,each dealing with different aspects of the war.Platoonis a semi-autobiographical film about Stone's experience in combat;Born on the Fourth of Julyis based on theautobiographyof US Marine turned peace campaignerRon Kovic;Heaven & Earthis based on the memoirWhen Heaven and Earth Changed Places,in whichLe Ly Haysliprecalls her life as a Vietnamese village girl drastically affected by the war and who finds another life in the USA.

Following the success ofPlatoon,Stone directed another hit, 1987'sWall Street,starring Charlie Sheen and Michael Douglas. Lead performerMichael Douglasreceived an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as a ruthless Wall Street corporate raider. AfterWall Street,he directed another movie the following year:Talk Radio,based onEric Bogosian's Pulitzer-nominated play.

1990s

The Doors,released in 1991, received criticism from former Doors keyboardistRay Manzarekduring a question-and-answer session atIndiana University Eastin 1997. During the discussion, Manzarek stated that he sat down with Stone aboutThe DoorsandJim Morrisonfor over 12 hours.Patricia Kennealy-Morrison—a rock critic and author—was a consultant on the movie, in which she makes a cameo appearance, but she writes in her memoirStrange Days: My Life With and Without Jim Morrison(Dutton, 1992) that Stone ignored everything she told him and proceeded with his own version of events. From the moment the movie was released, she blasted it as untruthful and inaccurate.The other surviving former members of the band,John DensmoreandRobby Krieger,also cooperated with the filming ofThe Doors,but Krieger distanced himself from the work before the film's release. However, Densmore thought highly of the film,and celebrated its DVD release on a panel with Oliver Stone.

During this same period, Stone directed one of his most ambitious, controversial and successful films:JFK,depicting theassassination of John F. Kennedyon November 22, 1963. In 1991, Stone showedJFKtoCongressonCapitol Hill,which helped lead to passage of the Assassination Materials Disclosure Actof 1992. TheAssassination Records Review Board(created by Congress to lessen, but not end the secrecy surrounding Kennedy's assassination) discussed the film, including Stone's observation at the end of the film, about the dangers inherent in government secrecy.Stone published an annotated version of the screenplay, in which he cites references for his claims, shortly after the film's release. He stated "I make my films like you're going to die if you miss the next minute. You better not go get popcorn."

Stone's satire of the modern media,Natural Born Killerswas released in 1994. Originally based on ascreenplaybyQuentin Tarantino,but significantly rewritten by Stone,Richard Rutowski,and David Veloz,critics recognized its portrayal of violence and the intended satire on the media. Before it was released, theMPAAgave the film a NC-17 rating; this caused Stone to cut four minutes of film footage in order to obtain an R rating (he eventually released the unrated version on VHS and DVD in 2001). The film was the recipient of the Grand Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festivalthat year. He appeared in a cameo as himself in the presidential comedyDave.

Stone went on to direct the 1995Richard NixonbiopicNixon,which received multiple Oscar nominations for: the script,John Williams' score,Joan Allenas Pat Nixon, andAnthony Hopkins' portrait of the title role. Stone followedNixonwith the 1997 road movie/film noir,U Turn,then 1999'sAny Given Sunday,a film about power struggles within anAmerican footballteam.

2000s

Stone and Argentina's PresidentCristina Fernández de Kirchner,January 14, 2009

After a period spanning 13 years (1986 to 1999), where he released a new film every 1–2 years, Stone slowed his pace to 4 movies and 2 documentaries in the ensuing decade. First directingAlexanderin 2004, then World Trade Center in 2006, followed by W. in 2008, and finally South of the Border (Documentary) 2009.

Stone directedAlexander.He later re-edited his biographical film ofAlexander the Greatinto a two-part, 3-hour 37-minute filmAlexander Revisited: The Final Cut,which became one of the highest-selling catalog items from Warner Bros.He further refined the film and in 2014 released the two-part, 3-hour 26-minuteAlexander: The Ultimate Cut.AfterAlexander,Stone went on to directWorld Trade Center,based on the true story of twoPAPDpolicemen who were trapped in the rubble and survived theSeptember 11 attacks.

Stone wrote and directed theGeorge W. BushbiopicW.,chronicling the former President's: childhood, relationship with his father, struggles with alcoholism, rediscovery of his Christian faith, and continues the rest of his life up to the2003 invasion of Iraq.

2010s

Oliver Stone withRino Barillariin "Piazza dé Ricci" exit of the restaurant "Pierluigi" in Rome – September 25, 2012

In 2010, Stone returned to the theme ofWall Streetfor the sequelWall Street: Money Never Sleeps.

In 2012, Stone directedSavages,based on anovelbyDon Winslow.

The cast ofSnowdenspeaking at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con International in San Diego, California

In 2015, he was presented with an honorific award at theSitges Film Festivalfor his film,Snowden,starringJoseph Gordon-Levittas whistleblowerEdward Snowden.Snowdenfinished filming in May 2015 and was released on September 16, 2016. He received the 2017 Cinema for Peace Award for Justice for such film.

On May 22, 2017, various industry papers reported that Stone was going to direct a television series about theGuantanamo detention camp.Daniel Vollwas credited with creating the series.Harvey Weinstein's production company was reported as financing the series, with Stone scheduled to direct every episode of the first season.However, Stone announced he would quit the series after sexual misconduct allegations surfaced against Weinstein in October 2017.

2020s

In July 2020, Stone teamed withHoughton Mifflin Harcourtto release his first memoir, titledChasing the Light: Writing, Directing, and Surviving Platoon, Midnight Express, Scarface, Salvador, and the Movie Game,which chronicles his turbulent upbringing in New York City, volunteering for combat in Vietnam, and the trials and triumphs of moviemaking in the 1970s and '80s. The book, which ends on his Oscar-winningPlatoon,was praised byThe New York Times:"The Oliver Stone depicted in these pages — vulnerable, introspective, stubbornly tenacious and frequently heartbroken—may just be the most sympathetic character he's ever written... neatly sets the stage for the possibility of that rarest of Stone productions: a sequel."

Documentaries

Stone with Hugo Chávez at theVenice International Film Festival,July 9, 2009, for the screening ofSouth of the Border

Stone made three documentaries onFidel Castro:Comandante(2003),Looking for Fidel,andCastro in Winter(2012). He madePersona Non Grata,a documentary on Israeli-Palestinian relations, interviewing several notable figures of Israel, includingEhud Barak,Benjamin NetanyahuandShimon Peres,as well asYasser Arafat,leader of thePalestine Liberation Organization.

In 2009, Stone completed a feature-length documentary,South of the Borderabout the rise of leftist governments in Latin America, featuring seven presidents:Hugo Chávezof Venezuela, Bolivia'sEvo Morales,Ecuador'sRafael Correa,Cuba'sRaúl Castro,theKirchnersof Argentina, Brazil'sLula da Silva,and Paraguay'sFernando Lugo,all of whom are critical of US foreign policy in South America. Stone hoped the film would get the rest of the Western world to rethink socialist policies in South America, particularly as it was being applied by Venezuela's Hugo Chávez. Chávez joined Stone for the premiere of the documentary at theVenice International Film Festivalin September 2009.Stone defended his decision not to interview Chávez's opponents, stating that oppositional statements and TV clips were scattered through the documentary and that the documentary was an attempt to right a balance of heavily negative coverage. He praised Chávez as a leader of theBolivarian Revolution,a movement for social transformation in Latin America, and also praised the six other presidents in the film. The documentary was also released in several cities in the United States and Europe in the mid-2010.

In 2012, the documentary miniseriesOliver Stone's Untold History of the United Statespremiered onShowtime,Stone co-wrote, directed, produced, and narrated the series, having worked on it since 2008 with co-writersAmerican UniversityhistorianPeter J. Kuznickand British screenwriterMatt Graham.The 10-part series is supplemented by a 750-page companion book of the same name, also written by Stone and Kuznick, published on October 30, 2012, bySimon & Schuster.Stone described the project as "the most ambitious thing I've ever done. Certainly in documentary form, and perhaps in fiction, feature form."The project received positive reviews from former Soviet leaderMikhail Gorbachev,The GuardianjournalistGlenn Greenwald,and reviewers fromIndieWire,San Francisco Chronicle,andNewsday.Hudson InstituteadjunctfellowhistorianRonald Radoshaccused the series ofhistorical revisionism,while journalistMichael C. Moynihanaccused the book of "moral equivalence"and said nothing within the book was" untold "previously.Stone defended the program's accuracy to TV hostTavis Smileyby saying: "This has been fact checked by corporate fact checkers, by our own fact checkers, and fact checkers [hired] byShowtime.It's been thoroughly vetted... these are facts, our interpretation may be different than orthodox, but it definitely holds up. "A review ofUntold HistoryatThe Huffington Postby filmmakerRobert Orlandosaid there were "two flawed assumptions that underlie their master theory. First is the notion that the central conflict of the 20th century can be laid at the feet of a right-wing military conspiracy... Stone's second flawed assumption inUntold Historyis that capitalism coordinated the military-industrial complex's agenda. "Amidst other criticisms of Stone's documentary series and accompanying bookThe Untold History of the United States,Daily BeastcontributorMichael C. Moynihanaccused him of using untrustworthy sources, such asVictor Marchetti,whom Moynihan described as an antisemitic conspiracy theorist published inHolocaust denialjournals. Moynihan wrote that: "There are hints at dark forces throughout the book: business interests controlled by the Bush family that were (supposedly) linked to Nazi Germany, a dissenting officer in the CIA found murdered after disagreeing with a cabal of powerful neoconservatives, suggestions that CIA director Allen Dulles was a Nazi sympathizer."

Stone was interviewed inBoris Malagurski's documentary filmThe Weight of Chains 2(2014), which deals withneoliberalreforms in theBalkans.

On March 5, 2014, Stone andteleSURpremiered the documentary filmMi amigo Hugo(My Friend Hugo), a documentary about Venezuela's late president, Hugo Chávez, one year after his death. The film was described by Stone as a "spiritual answer" and tribute to Chávez.At the end of 2014 according to aFacebookpost Stone said he had been in Moscow to interview (former Ukrainian president)Viktor Yanukovych,for a "new English language documentary produced by Ukrainians".

Two years later in 2016, Stone was executive producer forUkrainian-born directorIgor Lopatonok's filmUkraine on Fire,a documentary written by Vanessa Dean. In the film, Lopatonok showed the historic background of divisions in the region; Stone interviewed ousted president Yanukovych and Russian presidentVladimir Putinabout the removal of Yanukovych in the 2014Maidan Revolution.Narratives in the film such as by the late investigative journalistRobert Parrydescribed the rise of US-fundedNGOsactive in the area and suggested that the Maidan Revolution was a US-backedcoup d'état.

Stone's series of interviews with Russian president Putin over the span of two years was released asThe Putin Interviews,a four-night television event onShowtimeon June 12, 2017.On June 13, Stone and ProfessorStephen F. CohenjoinedJohn Batchelorin New York to record an hour of commentary onThe Putin Interviews.In 2019, he releasedRevealing Ukraine,another film produced by Stone, directed by Lopatonok and featuring Stone interviewing Putin.During these interviews, Putin made an unproven claim about Georgian snipers being responsible for the February 20 killings of protesters during the Euromaidan demonstrations, a hypothesis Stone himself had earlier supported on Twitter.

In June 2021, Stone's documentaryJFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glasswas selected to be shown in the Cannes Premiere section at the2021 Cannes Film Festival.

In 2021, he also produced and featured inQazaq: History of the Golden Man,directed by Lopatonok, an eight-hour film consisting of Stone interviewing Kazakh politician and former leaderNursultan Nazarbayev.The movie has been criticized for its non-confrontational approach in the interview and, because no opposition members were interviewed, according to some critics this resulted in a promotion of the authoritarian rule and cult of personality of Nazarbayev.The film received at least $5 million funding from Nazarbayev's own charitable foundation,Elbasy,via the country's State Center for Support of National Cinema, according to theOrganized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project.Stone and Lopatonok had denied any Kazakhstani government involvement.According toRolling Stone,"What little attentionQazaqdid receive was largely negative, with critics decrying the film for its glowing depiction of Nazarbayev. "

In 2022, Stone directed and co-wroteNuclear Now,aclimate changedocumentary based on the bookA Bright Future: How Some Countries Have Solved Climate Change and the Rest Can Followwritten by the US scientistsJoshua S. Goldsteinand Staffan A. Qvist. The movie argues thatnuclear energyis needed to fight climate change, asrenewablesalone will not be sufficient for the planet to obtaincarbon neutralitybefore climate change becomes irreversible. Of the film, Stone stated, "People worry about nuclear waste and meanwhile the whole world is choking on fossil fuel waste. That’s silly. Trillions of dollars have been invested in solar and wind and hydropower. Everything possible is being discussed, except for nuclear... Ithasto be on the agenda. "

Other work

On September 15, 2008, Stone was named the artistic director of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts Asia in Singapore.

Stone contributed a chapter to the 2012 bookLast Word: My Indictment of the CIA in the Murder of JFKbyMark Laneand published bySkyhorse Publishing.Skyhorse has published numerous other books with forewords or an introduction by Stone,namelyThe JFK Assassination,Reclaiming Parkland: Tom Hanks, Vincent Bugliosi, and the JFK Assassination in the New Hollywood,The Plot to Overthrow Venezuela: How the US is orchestrating a coup for oil,Snowden:The Official Motion Picture Edition,The Putin InterviewsandJFK: The CIA, Vietnam, and the Plot to Assassinate John F. Kennedywhich features a quote from Stone on the newest edition's cover: "Blows the lid right off our 'Official History.'"

In 2022, he appeared inTheaters of War,discussing the role of the military in Hollywood.

Directorial style

Many of Stone's films focus on controversial American political issues during the late 20th century, and as such were considered contentious at the times of their releases. They often combine different camera and film formats within a single scene, as demonstrated inJFK(1991),Natural Born Killers(1994) andNixon(1995).

Influences

Stone listed Greek-French directorCosta-Gavrasas an early significant influence on his films. Stone mentioned that he "was certainly one of my earliest role models,...I was a film student at NYU whenZcame out, which we studied. Costa actually came over withYves Montandfor a screening and was such a hero to us. He was in the tradition ofGillo Pontecorvo'sThe Battle of Algiersand was the man in that moment... it was a European moment. "

Personal life

Family

Oliver Stone and his wife Sun-jung Jung at the 2018Fajr International Film FestivalinTehran

Stone has been married three times, first to Najwa Sarkis on May 22, 1971. They divorced in 1977. He then married Elizabeth Burkit Cox, an assistant in film production, on June 7, 1981.They had two sons,Sean Stone/Ali (b. 1984) and Michael Jack (b. 1991). Sean appeared in some of his father's films while a child. Sean Stone has worked for the Russia state media companyRT Americasince 2015.Oliver and Elizabeth divorced in 1993. Stone is now married to Sun-jung Jung from South Korea, and the couple have a daughter, Tara (b. 1995).Stone and Sun-jung live in Los Angeles.

Religion and humanism

Stone is mentioned inPulitzer Prize-winning American authorLawrence Wright's bookGoing Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Beliefas having been a member ofScientologyfor about a month, saying "It was like going to college and readingDale Carnegie,something you do to find yourself. "In 1997, Stone was one of 34 celebrities to sign an open letter to then-German ChancellorHelmut Kohl,published as a newspaper advertisement in theInternational Herald Tribune,which protested against the treatment ofScientologists in Germanyand compared it to theNazis' oppression ofJewsin the 1930s.In 2003, Stone was a signatory of the thirdHumanist Manifesto.

Legal issues

In 1999, Stone was arrested andpleadedguilty to alcohol and drug charges. He was ordered into arehabilitation program.He was arrested again on the night of May 27, 2005, in Los Angeles for possession of an undisclosed illegal drug.He was released the next day on a $15,000 bond.In August 2005, Stone pleadedno contestand was fined $100.

Sexual harassment allegations

In 2017, formerPlayboymodelCarrie Stevensalleged that in 1991, Stone had "walked past me and grabbed my boob as he waltzed out the front door of a party."

The allegation Stevens made surfaced after Stone announced he would no longer directThe Weinstein Company's television seriesGuantanamofollowing the revelation of theHarvey Weinstein sexual misconduct allegations.Stone also drew criticism for his comments onHarvey Weinsteinhimself, saying:

I'm a believer that you wait until this thing gets to trial. I believe a man shouldn't be condemned by a vigilante system. It's not easy what he's going through, either. During that period he was a rival. I never did business with him and didn't really know him. I've heard horror stories on everyone in the business, so I'm not going to comment on gossip. I'll wait and see, which is the right thing to do.

Later that day, however, he withdrew his remarks, saying that he had been unaware of the extent of the allegations due to his travel schedule. "After looking at what has been reported in many publications over the last couple of days, I'm appalled and commend the courage of the women who've stepped forward to report sexual abuse or rape," he said.

Melissa Gilbertaccused Stone of "sexual harassment" during an audition forThe Doorsin 1991. She alleged that Stone told her to get on her hands and knees and say, "Do me baby". Gilbert reportedly refused and left the audition in tears, calling it humiliating. Stone released a statement denying the accusation. The film's casting director, Risa Bramon Garcia, contradicted her story as well, saying, "No actor was forced or expected to do anything that might have been uncomfortable, and most actors embraced the challenge".

Political views

Stone (right) with Slovenian philosopherSlavoj Žižek(left) and Greek politicianAlexis Tsipras(center) in 2013

Stone has been described as havingleft-wingpolitical views.He has also drawn attention for his opinions on controversial world leaders such asAdolf Hitler,Joseph Stalin,Hugo ChávezandVladimir Putin.In Showtime'sThe Putin Interviews,Stone called Joseph Stalin "the most famous villain in history, next to Adolf [Hitler]", who "left a horrible reputation, and stained the [Communist] ideology forever... it's mixed with blood, and terror."Stone has endorsed the works of author andUnited States foreign policycriticWilliam Blum,saying that his books should be taught in schools and universities.

U.S. presidential politics

Stone served as a delegate forJerry Brown's campaign in the1992 Democratic Party presidential primariesand spoke at the1992 Democratic National Convention.

Stone has suggested a link between9/11and thecontroversies of the 2000 election:"Does anybody make a connection between the 2000 election and the events of September 11th?... Look for the thirteenth month!"

According toEntertainment Weekly,Stone voted forBarack Obamaas President of the United States in both the2008and2012elections.Stone was quoted as saying at the time: "I voted for Obama because...I think he's an intelligent individual. I think he responds to difficulties well...very bright guy...far better choice, yes."In 2012, Stone endorsedRon Paulfor the Republican nomination for president, citing his support for anon-interventionistforeign policy. He said that Paul is "the only one of anybody who's saying anything intelligent about the future of the world."He later added: "I supported Ron Paul in the Republican primary...but his domestic policy...made no sense!"In March 2016, Stone wrote onThe Huffington Postindicating his support forVermontU.S. SenatorBernie Sandersfor the 2016 Democratic nomination.In September 2016, Stone said he was voting forGreen PartycandidateJill Steinfor president.

Speaking at theSan Sebastián film festival,Stone said that many Americans had become disillusioned withBarack Obama's policies,having originally thought he would be "a man of great integrity." He said: "On the contrary, Obama has doubled down on the (George W.) Bush administration policies," and "has created...the most massiveglobal security surveillancestate that's ever been seen, way beyond East Germany'sStasi".

In April 2018, Stone attended a press conference at the Fajr Film Festival inTehran,where he likenedDonald Trumpto "Beelzebub",the biblical demonic figure.Although Stone voted forJoe Bidenin2020,he criticized what he perceived to be the hypocrisy of theDemocratic Party;Stone argued that the Democrats were not as concerned aboutRussian interferenceas they had been in2016when Trump won.He reflected, "I sense theneoconservativesare jumping aroundWashington,getting their ammunition ready because they know this man, in the end, will come over to their bidding. "

On November 22, 2021, Stone penned an op-ed onThe Hollywood Reporter,criticizing bothDonald TrumpandJoe Bidenfor not declassifying all records on theassassination of John F. Kennedy.In July 2023, during an interview withRussell Brand,Stone stated that he regretted voting for Biden, because he feared that Biden could startWorld War IIIover theRusso-Ukrainian war.

Holocaust controversy

Oliver Stone inTehran.2018Fajr International Film Festival

In a January 2010 press conference announcing his documentary series on the history of the United States, he said: "Hitler is an easy scapegoat throughout history and it's been used cheaply. He's the product of a series of actions. It's cause and effect." Just before commenting about Hitler, he mentioned Stalin: "We can't judge people as only 'bad' or 'good.'"In response to Stone's comment about his intention to place Hitler "in context", RabbiMarvin Hierof theSimon Wiesenthal Centersaid it "is like placing cancer in context, instead of recognizing cancer for what it really is—a horrible disease."

Interviewed byThe Sunday Timeson July 25, 2010, Stone said: "Hitler did far more damage to the Russians than the Jewish people, 25 or 30 [million killed]." He objected to what he termed "the Jewish domination of the media", appearing to be critical of the coverage ofthe Holocaust,adding "There's a major lobby in the United States. They arehardworkers. They stay on top of every comment, the most powerful lobby in Washington. Israel has fucked up United States foreign policy for years. "The remarks were criticized by Jewish groups, including theAmerican Jewish Committeewhich compared his comments negatively to those ofMel Gibson.Abraham Foxmanof theAnti-Defamation League(ADL) said, "Oliver Stone has once again shown his conspiratorial colors with his comments about 'Jewish domination of the media' and control over U.S. foreign policy. His words conjure up some of the most stereotypical and conspiratorial notions of undue Jewish power and influence."

Yuli Edelstein,the speaker of Israel'sKnessetand the leading Sovietrefusenik,described Stone's remarks as what "could be a sequel toThe Protocols of the Elders of Zion",as well as from Israel's Diaspora Affairs and Public Diplomacy Minister.

A day later, Stone stated:

In trying to make a broader historical point about the range of atrocities the Germans committed against many people, I made a clumsy association about the Holocaust, for which I am sorry and I regret. Jews obviously do not control media or any other industry. The fact that the Holocaust is still a very important, vivid and current matter today is, in fact, a great credit to the very hard work of a broad coalition of people committed to the remembrance of this atrocity—and it was an atrocity.

Two days later, Stone issued a second apology to the ADL, which was accepted. "I believe he now understands the issues and where he was wrong, and this puts an end to the matter," Foxman said.

WikiLeaks

Oliver Stone is a vocal supporter ofWikiLeaksfounderJulian Assange.Stone signed a petition in support of Assange's bid forpolitical asylumin June 2012.In August 2012, he penned aNew York Timesop-ed with filmmakerMichael Mooreon the importance of WikiLeaks and free speech.Stone visited Assange in the Ecuadorian Embassy in April 2013 and commented, "I don't think most people in the US realize how important WikiLeaks is and why Julian's case needs support." He also criticized thedocumentaryWe Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaksand the filmThe Fifth Estate,saying "Julian Assange did much for free speech and is now being victimised by the abusers of that concept".

In June 2013, Stone and numerous other celebrities appeared in a video showing support forChelsea Manning.

Foreign policy

Stone calledSaudi Arabiaa major destabilizer in the Middle East. He also criticized theforeign policy of the United States,saying: "We made a mess out ofIraq,Syria,Libya,but it doesn't matter to the American public. It's okay to wreck the Middle East. "

Stone has had an interest in Latin America since the 1980s, when he directedSalvador,and later returned to make his documentarySouth of the Borderabout the left-leaning movements that had been taking hold in the region. He has expressed the view that these movements are a positive step toward political and economic autonomy for the region.He supported Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez and admired the Colombian militant groupFARC.

Stone has criticized the U.S.-supportedOperation Condor,a state terror operation that carried out assassinations and disappearances in support of South America'sright-wing dictatorshipsin Argentina (seeDirty War),Bolivia,Brazil,Chile,Paraguay,andUruguay.

In December 2014, Stone made statements supporting the Russian government's narrative on Ukraine, portraying the 2014 UkrainianRevolution of Dignityas aCIA plot.He also rejects the claim that former Ukrainian president (who was overthrown as a result of that revolution)Viktor Yanukovychwas responsible for thekilling of protestersas claimed by the succeeding Ukrainian government. Stone said Yanukovych was the legitimate president who was forced to leave Ukraine by "well-armed,neo-Nazi radicals".He said that in" the tragic aftermath of this coup, the West has maintained the dominant narrative of 'Russia in Crimea' whereas the true narrative is 'USA in Ukraine' ".James KirchickofThe Daily Beastcriticized Stone's comments.After the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine,Stone said that "Russia was wrong to invade."However, he continued to blame the conflict on the U.S. and NATO, emphasizing his fear of a potentialnuclear warand accusing the U.S. of seeking to dominate the world.

In a June 2017 interview withThe Nationto promote his documentary onVladimir Putin,Stone rejected the narrative of the United States' intelligence agencies thatRussia sought to influencethe2016 presidential election.Stone accused theCIA,FBI,andNSAof cooking the intelligence. He said: "The influence on the election from the Russians to me is absurd to the naked eye. Israel has far more influence on American elections throughAIPAC.Saudi Arabia has influence through money...Sheldon Adelsonand theKoch brothershave much more influence on American elections... And the prime minister of Israel comes to our country and addresses Congress to criticize the president's policy in Iran at the time—that's pretty outrageous. "

Russia passeda lawin 2013 banning gay propaganda to minors, which has been criticized as being used for a crackdown onLGBTQsupport.In a 2019 interview with Putin, Stone said of the law that "It seems like maybe that's a sensible law." Stone later said he is nothomophobic.

Stone took the RussianSputnik Vvaccine for theCOVID-19 viruswhile filming in Russia.

Filmography

Feature Films

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Producer	Notes
1973	Sugar Cookies	No	No	Associate
1974	Seizure	Yes	Yes	No	Also editor
1978	Midnight Express	No	Yes	No
1981	The Hand	Yes	Yes	No
1982	Conan the Barbarian	No	Yes	No
1983	Scarface	No	Yes	No
1985	Year of the Dragon	No	Yes	No
1986	Salvador	Yes	Yes	Yes
	8 Million Ways to Die	No	Yes	No
	Platoon	Yes	Yes	No
1987	Wall Street	Yes	Yes	No
1988	Talk Radio	Yes	Yes	No
1989	Born on the Fourth of July	Yes	Yes	Yes
1990	Blue Steel	No	No	Yes
	Reversal of Fortune	No	No	Yes
1991	The Doors	Yes	Yes	No
	Iron Maze	No	No	Executive
	JFK	Yes	Yes	Yes
1992	Zebrahead	No	No	Executive
	South Central	No	No	Executive
1993	The Joy Luck Club	No	No	Executive
	Heaven & Earth	Yes	Yes	Yes
1994	Natural Born Killers	Yes	Yes	No
	The New Age	No	No	Executive
1995	Killer: A Journal of Murder	No	No	Executive
	Gravesend	No	No	No	Presenter
	Nixon	Yes	Yes	Yes
1996	Freeway	No	No	Executive
	The People vs. Larry Flynt	No	No	Executive
	Evita	No	Yes	No
1997	U Turn	Yes	Uncredited	No
	Cold Around the Heart	No	No	Executive
1998	The Last Days of Kennedy and King	No	No	Executive	Documentary
	Savior	No	No	Yes
1999	The Corruptor	No	No	Executive
	Any Given Sunday	Yes	Yes	Executive
2003	Comandante	Yes	Yes	Yes	Documentary, also narrator
2004	Alexander	Yes	Yes	No
2006	World Trade Center	Yes	No	No
2008	W.	Yes	No	No
2009	South of the Border	Yes	No	No	Documentary
2010	Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps	Yes	No	Uncredited
2012	Castro in Winter	Yes	No	No	Documentary
	Savages	Yes	Yes	No
2014	Mi amigo Hugo	Yes	No	No	Documentary
2015	A Good American	No	No	Executive
2016	Ukraine on Fire	No	No	Executive
	Snowden	Yes	Yes	No
	All Governments Lie	No	No	Executive	Documentary
2019	Revealing Ukraine	No	No	Executive
2021	JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass	Yes	Yes	No
	Qazaq: History of the Golden Man	No	No	Executive
2022	Nuclear Now	Yes	Yes	No
2024	Lula	Yes	Yes	—

Television

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Producer	Notes
1993	Wild Palms	No	No	Executive	TV Mini-Series
1995	Indictment: The McMartin Trial	No	No	Executive	TV movie
2001	The Day Reagan Was Shot	No	No	Executive
2003–2004	America Undercover	Yes	Yes	No	EpisodesLooking for FidelandPersona Non Grata
2012–2013	The Untold History of the United States	Yes	Yes	Executive	TV series documentary
2017	The Putin Interviews	Yes	Yes	Yes
2021	JFK: Destiny Betrayed	Yes	No	No

Awards and honors

Main article:List of awards and nominations received by Oliver Stone

As director

Year	Title	Academy Awards		BAFTA Awards		Golden Globe Awards		Golden Raspberry Awards
		Nominations	Wins	Nominations	Wins	Nominations	Wins	Nominations	Wins
1986	Salvador	2
	Platoon	8	4	3	2	4	3
1987	Wall Street	1	1			1	1	1	1
1989	Born on the Fourth of July	8	2	2		5	4
1991	JFK	8	2	4	2	4	1
1993	Heaven & Earth					1	1
1994	Natural Born Killers					1
1995	Nixon	4		1		1
1997	U Turn							2
2004	Alexander							6
2010	Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps					1
2016	Snowden							1
Total		34	9	10	4	18	10	10	1

Honors

• Commander of theOrder of Intellectual Merit(Morocco,2003)
• 2007: Lifetime Achievement Award ofZurich Film Festival
• 2024: made Commander of France’sOrder of Arts and Letters

See also

• Oliver Stone's unrealized projects

Bibliography

Books

• Oliver Stone'sPlatoon&Salvador.Co-authored with Richard Boyle. New York:Vintage Books,1987.ISBN978-0394756295.254 pages.
• JFK: The Book of the Film: The Documented Screenplay.Co-authored with Zachary Sklar.Hal Leonard Corporation,1992.ISBN978-1557831279.
• A Child's Night Dream: A Novel.New York:Macmillan,1998.ISBN978-0312194468.
• Oliver Stone: Interviews.University Press of Mississippi,2001.ISBN978-1578063031.
• Last Word: My Indictment of the CIA in the Murder of JFK.Co-authored withMark Lane&Robert K. Tanenbaum.New York:Skyhorse Publishing,2012.ISBN978-1620870709.
• The Untold History of the United States.Co-authored by Peter Kuznick. New York:Simon & Schuster,2012.ISBN978-1451613513.
• The Putin Interviews.New York:Skyhorse Publishing,2017.ISBN978-1510733435.
• Chasing the Light: Writing, Directing, and Surviving Platoon, Midnight Express, Scarface, Salvador, and the Movie Game(July 2020)

Interviews

• Crowdus, Gary."Clarifying the Conspiracy: An Interview with Oliver Stone".Cinéaste,Vol. 19, No. 1, 1992. pp. 25–27.JSTOR41688064.
• Long, Camilla."Oliver Stone: Lobbing Grenades in All Directions".Archived fromthe original.The Sunday Times,July 25, 2010.
• Louis Theroux, January 4, 2021, BBC Radio 4'Grounded'(Omits mention of: Stone's support for whistleblower Julian Assange; "JFK"; "The Untold History of the United States" )https:// bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p091pfzv.

Screenplays

• Snowden: Official Motion Picture Edition.Co-authored withKieran Fitzgerald.Skyhorse Publishing,2016.ISBN978-1510719712.

Further reading

Articles

• Wills, Garry."Dostoyevsky Behind a Camera: Oliver Stone is Making Great American Novels on Film".The Atlantic Monthly,Vol. 280, No. 1, July 1997. pp. 96–101.

Books

• Hamburg, Eric.Nixon: An Oliver Stone Film.New York:Hyperion Books.ISBN978-0786881574.598 pages.
• Riordan, James.Stone: The Controversies, Excesses, and Exploits of a Radical Filmmaker.New York:Hyperion Books,1996.ISBN978-0786860265.618 pages.
• Salewicz, Chris.Oliver Stone: The Making of His Movies.New York:Thunder's Mouth Press.ISBN978-1560251620.143 pages.
• Scott, Ian and Henry Thompson.The Cinema of Oliver Stone: Art, Authorship and Activism.Manchester University Press,2016.ISBN978-1526108715

External links

• The Oliver Stone Experience (official Oliver Stone website)
• Oliver StoneatIMDb
• Oliver Stone Bibliography (via UC Berkeley)
• AppearancesonC-SPAN