Oliver Stone

This writing and directing powerhouse is the driving force behind some of the best known and loved films of recent times. Oliver has worked with many of Hollywood’s biggest celebrities and won three Academy Awards during his long career. Not all of the attention focused on the talent has been positive, however. Critics claim that some of his work represents an anti-US government stance, and rumors abound that the director uses drugs on the job.

Oliver Stone was born in New York City on September 15, 1946. After graduating from a boarding school in 1964, Oliver attended New York University and dropped out of the prestigious Yale twice. He served with the United States Army in the Vietnam conflict for a year and, during his service, was wounded twice and was awarded several honors. The experience influenced him to make three films centered on the conflict: Platoon, which starred Charlie Sheen and Johnny Depp; Born on the Fourth of July, starring Tom Cruise and Kyra Sedgwick; and the 1993 flick Heaven and Earth. The first two films both earned him the Academy Award for Directing. He also won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for the 1978 film Midnight Express.

Stone’s subject matter is extremely diverse, dealing with everything from serial killers to the assassination of a US president. He has been involved in several well-known movies throughout his career including Scarface, starring a young Al Pacino and the ever-beautiful Michelle Pfeiffer, and Evita, starring Madonna and Antonio Banderas.

Never one to shy away from sensitive subjects, several of Oliver’s projects have generated considerable controversy. Ironically, they were arguably also his most successful motion pictures. The 1991 film JFK, based on the assassination of President John F Kennedy, boasted an all-star cast including Kevin Bacon, Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones and Laurie Metcalf. Winning Academy Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing, and receiving a slew of other nominations including Best Picture, JFK was named by film critic Robert Ebert as one of the best of the decade. It was also widely criticized, however, for the blend of truth and fiction that was presented to a willing audience as history. Stone is a well-known JFK conspiracy theorist, which probably influenced the angle of the film.

Oliver again gathered big names including Anthony Hopkins, Joan Allen and James Woods for his second US President inspired film. Nixon was critically acclaimed with four Academy Awards, but also drew criticism for the manner in which the President was portrayed.

Natural Born Killers, written by Quentin Tarantino, with its psychedelic images and focus on two serial killers (played by Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis), also created some negative buzz for its alleged glorification of violence. Rumors persist that Oliver, along with the cast and crew, took mushrooms during the filming. Stone has in fact been arrested in the past for drug possession and driving under the influence.

Oliver’s other work has included producing the mini-series Wild Palms for ABC, publishing the largely autobiographical A Child’s Night Dream, as well as making several documentaries in 2003. His most recent film was World Trade Center, starring Nicholas Cage, which centered around the catastrophic events of September 11, 2001.

Before his current relationship with Sun-jung Jung, which began in 1996, Oliver had already been married twice. His first was to Najwa Sarkis, which lasted 6 years, ending in 1977. He married Elizabeth Stone in 1981, and the couple had children Sean and Michael before their split in 1993.