Martin Scorsese

Martin Charles Scorsese was born on November 17, 1942 in Queens, New York City, toCatherine Scorsese(née Cappa) andCharles Scorsese,who both worked in Manhattan's garment district, and whose families both came from Palermo, Sicily. He was raised in the neighborhood of Little Italy, which later provided the inspiration for several of his films. Scorsese earned a B.S. degree in film communications in 1964, followed by an M.A. in the same field in 1966 at New York University's School of Film. During this time, he made numerous prize-winning short films includingThe Big Shave (1967),and directed his first feature film,Who's That Knocking at My Door (1967).

He served as assistant director and an editor of the documentaryWoodstock (1970)and won critical and popular acclaim forMean Streets (1973),which first paired him with actor and frequent collaboratorRobert De Niro.In 1976, Scorsese'sTaxi Driver (1976),also starring De Niro, was awarded the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and he followed that film withNew York, New York (1977)andThe Last Waltz (1978).Scorsese directed De Niro to an Oscar-winning performance as boxer Jake LaMotta inRaging Bull (1980),which received eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, and is hailed as one of the masterpieces of modern cinema. Scorsese went on to directThe Color of Money (1986),The Last Temptation of Christ (1988),GoodFellas (1990),Cape Fear (1991),The Age of Innocence (1993),Casino (1995)andKundun (1997),among other films. Commissioned by the British Film Institute to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of cinema, Scorsese completed the four-hour documentary,A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies (1995),co-directed byMichael Henry Wilson.

His long-cherished project,Gangs of New York (2002),earned numerous critical honors, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Director; theHoward HughesbiopicThe Aviator (2004)won five Academy Awards, in addition to the Golden Globe and BAFTA awards for Best Picture. Scorsese won his first Academy Award for Best Director forThe Departed (2006),which was also honored with the Director's Guild of America, Golden Globe, New York Film Critics, National Board of Review and Critic's Choice awards for Best Director, in addition to four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Scorsese's documentary of the Rolling Stones in concert,Shine a Light (2008),followed, with the successful thrillerShutter Island (2010)two years later. Scorsese received his seventh Academy Award nomination for Best Director, as well as a Golden Globe Award, forHugo (2011),which went on to win five Academy Awards.

Scorsese also serves as executive producer on the HBO seriesBoardwalk Empire (2010)for which he directed the pilot episode. Scorsese's additional awards and honors include the Golden Lion from the Venice Film Festival (1995), the AFI Life Achievement Award (1997), the Honoree at the Film Society of Lincoln Center's 25th Gala Tribute (1998), the DGA Lifetime Achievement Award (2003), The Kennedy Center Honors (2007) and the HFPA Cecil B. DeMille Award (2010). Scorsese and actorLeonardo DiCapriohave worked together on five separate occasions:Gangs of New York (2002),The Aviator (2004),The Departed (2006),Shutter Island (2010)andThe Wolf of Wall Street (2013).