One of the most prominent and influential filmmakers of the latter half of the Twentieth Century, Martin Scorsese generally roots his films in his own experience, exploring his Italian-American heritage and examining themes built around religious or social sin and redemption. While he has not enjoyed the kind of mainstream marketplace success of many of his contemporaries, Scorsese has directed numerous critically-acclaimed features. The one-time seminary student studied filmmaking at New York University and shot a handful of short films while obtaining his degrees. In 1967, his first feature, "Who's That Knocking at My Door?" was shown at the Chicago Film Festival but failed to find a distributor. While teaching at NYU, Scorsese aided fellow student Michael Wadleigh in the editing of the Oscar-winning documentary "Woodstock" (1969). Producer Joseph Brenner agreed to distribute Scorsese's first film if it included a gratuitous sex scene, which he dutifully added. "Who's That Knocking at My Door?", a semi-autobiographical look at an Italian-American Catholic (played by Harvey Keitel) who deals with women as either virgins or whores, opened to critical praise. Roger Corman tapped Scorsese to direct the Depression-era allegory "Boxcar Bertha" (1972), a film which parallels the story of Christ and Mary Magdalene. Featuring Barbara Hershey and David Carradine, the film introduced a favorite theme of the director's: that of the a so-called sinner who temporarily falls from grace only to be finally, if ambiguously, redeemed. The following year, Scorsese broke through with "Mean Streets,” his autobiographical tale of a group of young hoods living and dying in NYC (although ironically, the film was shot in Los Angeles). Again Harvey Keitel was the director's screen alter ego with Robert De Niro as his unstable friend Johnny Boy. A stylish and richly realized character piece, "Mean Streets" marked the beginning of one of the most productive and important star-director pairings in film history. In De Niro, Scorsese found the perfect vehicle to channel rage tempered with humanity. As a follow-up, though, Scorsese attempted the feminist-themed "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" (1974). Lead actress Ellen Burstynreportedly had asked Francis Ford Coppolafor recommendations on directors and he gave her only one name: Scorsese's. When they met, Burstyn asked the director what he knew about women and he reputedly replied, "Nothing, But I'd like to learn." Evoking the styles of such famed "women's directors" as Douglas Sirk and George Cukor, "Alice" was a critical and box-office success that netted its star a Best Actress Oscar and spawned a long-running CBS sitcom. Scorsese was on much more familiar ground with the testosterone-laden "Taxi Driver" (1976). An iconographic street opera penned by Paul Schrader, it not only gave De Niro a tour-de-force role as the unstable Vietnam veteran turned vigilante Travis Bickle, the film also melded the themes of Scorsese's early works. The two female characters are literally a whore and a golden girl, treated oppositely by Bickle who is the epitome of the sinner in need of redemption. The film garnered its share of controversy at its release mostly because of its bloody finale--a sustained, hallucinatory, brilliantly-staged set piece of carnage built around Jodie Foster's teenage prostitute. With "New York, New York" (1977), Scorsese set out initially to create a nostalgic look at the movie musical but during filming shaped the story around the dark relationship between a musician (De Niro) and his deteriorating relationship with a band singer (Liza Minnelli, whose character was deemed to be loosely based on her own mother, Judy Garland). The overall result was an uneven film that audiences, expecting an affectionate musical, found too depressing. After the box-office failure of "New York, New York,” Scorsese triumphed with what is considered his masterpiece, "Raging Bull" (1976). Drawn from the autobiography of boxer Jake La Motta, the film is a no-hold-barred look at the rise and fall of a champion. The literate script co-written by Scorsese and Mardik Martin afforded Robert De Niro with the role of his career. Shot in black-and-white (except for the "home movie" sequences) and expertly edited by longtime collaborator Thelma Schoonmaker, the film earned eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. (De Niro and Schoonmaker took home statues.) Scorsese continued to examine the effects of fame in the underrated "The King of Comedy" (1983) which cast De Niro as an obsessed fan and Jerry Lewis as the talk show host object of his attentions. The director attempted to film a dream project, "The Last Temptation of Christ,” but Paramount withdrew funding at the last minute, In reaction, Scorsese made "After Hours" (1985), a relatively small black comedy set on the mean streets of New York during one night. He moved on to Chicago for "The Color of Money" (1986), a sequel to 1961's "The Hustler", with Paul Newmanreprising his role of pool shark 'Fast' Eddie Felsen and Tom Cruise as his protégé. After several false starts, Scorsese was finally able to realize his vision and film "The Last Temptation of Christ" (1988). Based on the novel by Nikos Kazantzakis, the film depicted a very human spiritual leader who was a social outcast, wavering between good and evil, battling the desires of the flesh and ultimately choosing a path to redemption. It was the culmination of Scorsese's filmic theses. As written by Paul Schrader and interpreted by Willem Dafoe this Christ suggested a "Messiah on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.” Although superbly shot, using exotic locations and a galvanizing world music score by Peter Gabriel the film somehow lacked the emotional power and cohesion of Scorsese's earlier, smaller-scale productions. Clearly an intensely personal project for Scorsese and Schrader, the film generated controversy, with religious forces accusing the film of blasphemy, causing some theater and video chains to refuse to carry the film. Adapted from Nicholas Pileggi's book "Wiseguys,” about small-time gangster-turned-Federal witness Henry Hill, "GoodFellas" (1990) marked a return to classic Scorsese form and content. The film captures both the undeniable excitement as well as the tawdry, daily details of life on the fringes of the Mafia, pushing audience manipulation to the extreme by juxtaposing moments of graphic violence with scenes of high humor. The film boasts superb camerawork, including several extended tracking shots, and consummate performances from De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesciand Lorraine Bracco Some critics rank "GoodFellas" among Scorsese's finest achievements, while others found it a less challenging retread of "Mean Streets"—superior entertainment but not a work of art. "Cape Fear" (1991) was another matter. The result was a slick, pretentious and excessive remake of the compact and powerful 1962 original which teamed Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum. The performances, as to be expected, were strong (notably Nick Nolte and Juliette Lewis and the camerawork and editing were impressive. De Niro's central performance was showy and over-the-top in contrast to Mitchum in the original. Additionally, the film's climactic scenes were more suitable to low-budget horror films than typical of Scorsese's other work. Nonetheless, the film was the biggest hit of the director's career to date. "The Age of Innocence" (1993), based on Edith Wharton's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, seemed unlikely offerings from the director. as it was a subtle drama of manners set among the high society of 19th Century New York. Using a careening camera, sumptuous color and decor to convey the characters' repression, Scorsese turned to such masters as James Whale William Wyler, Max Ophuls and Luchino Visconti for inspiration and his completed film earned respectful reviews and a healthy box office. He was back in typical fashion with "Casino" (1995), set in the 70s and 80s and again focusing on the Mafia, this time transposed to Las Vegas. Filled with iconic images, "Casino" was a flawed allegory of America's loss of innocence and most reviewers felt it simply raised the same issues (which had been covered to better effect) in "GoodFellas.” Again defying categorization, Scorsese turned his attentions to another unlikely subject, the Dalai Lama. "Kundun" (1997) was a biopic as only Scorsese could direct. The story of a proponent of non-violence, it moves the audience into the world of Tibet. Filled with gorgeous saffrons and deep maroons, "Kundun" was a visual and aural feast (the Philip Glass score was among its best components). The sequences covering the Dalai Lama's early life and training were compelling, but the director and screenwriter Melissa Mathison seemed at a loss as how to end their film. Following on the heels of another similar-themed feature (the Brad Pitt vehicle "Seven Years in Tibet"), "Kundun" struggled at the box office despite critical kudos. Scorsese next directed Nicolas Cage as a fast-living EMT in the morbid, psychotropic drama "Bringing Out the Dead" (1999), which yielded little by way of critical acclaim or box office success. He spent the next few years working on a long-awaited opus, "The Gangs of New York" , the story of the New York immigrant riots of the late 19th century. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Day-Lewis , the movie went through a series of set-backs, budget problems and a year-long release delay as Scorsese reportedly wrangled with Miramax head Harvey Weinstein over various details before its fall 2002 release. "Gangs" was given its due as a mighty achievement, lavishly staged and photographed and featuring a powerhouse performance from Day-Lewis, but while some critics and audiences marveled at the world that the director created, there was some dissatisfaction with the story, which was not as urgent and engrossing as Scorsese's previous top-shelf fare. Nevertheless, with his relationship with Miramax repaired by the time of the film's release, Weinstein began stumping for an Academy Award nomination for the director with one of Weinstein's famously shrewd award campaigns and the results were fruitful: not only did Scorsese take home the Golden Globe award as Best Director of a drama, he also scored an Oscar nomination for "Gangs." Defying the hype surrounding the difficulties of bringing "Gangs" to the screen, Scorsese readily re-upped with Miramax and re-teamed with DiCaprio for "The Aviator" (2004), a lavish biopic of the legendary billionaire Howard Hughes which DiCaprio had first developed with screenwriter John Logan and director Michael Mann. Feeling a certain kinship with the obsessive lead character and impressed with the way the script zeroed in on a specific era of Hughes' life, from his early days establishing himself as a Hollywood studio head to his bitter battle with the U.S. government over his airline, all set against Hughes' increasingly troubling obsessive compulsive disorder. The director delivered his grandest, most enthralling film since "Casino"—thanks in no small part to his fruitful collaboration with the increasingly impressive DiCaprio—a sumptuous visual feast that captured much of the exotic glamour of old Hollywood and the rest of Hughes' world while also following Scorsese's enduring template of following a character's inevitable descent from a seemingly glamorous height. Powered by Miramax's now legendary promotional muscle, "The Aviator" won the Golden Globe award for Best Motion Picture - Drama. It also led the pack with 11 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, Scorsese's fifth nod in the directing category. Once again, however, the director did not bring home either the DGA honor or the long-awaited Oscar. In 2006, Scorsese made a triumphant return to form with his next film, “The Departed,” a slick crime thriller loosely based on the excellent Hong Kong actioner “Infernal Affairs” (2002). The film focused on Billy Costigan, a young undercover cop (DiCaprio once again) assigned to infiltrate a mob syndicate ran by deviant gangland chief Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson in his first ever collaboration with Scorsese). As Costigan gains Costello's confidence, Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), a member of the boss’ gang, has managed to infiltrate the Boston police department. Each man becomes consumed by his double life, gathering information for their employers while it becomes clear to both that they’re in danger of being exposed to the enemy—the two moles must race to uncover the identity of the other man before blowing their own cover. Scorsese’s return to the organized crime thriller was hailed by fans and critics alike—he had studiously avoided the genre since “Casino” in order to explore other avenues. This time, however, he chose to eschew his Italian heritage to explore the Irish-run mob in Boston, a slight departure that gave a fresh spin on old territory. Meanwhile, “The Departed” earned huge helpings of critical kudos prior to its early October release, positioning the film for a strong opening weekend. The film did have a substantial box office take — over $120 million all told — while earning the director another win at the Golden Globe Awards for Best Director – Motion Picture, setting the stage for an Oscar nomination for Best Director at the 79th Annual Academy Awards. To the delight of everyone in attendance and watching at home, Scorsese finally won the coveted director's award, an honor made that much sweeter when he received a standing ovation and was handed the award by his longtime friends and peers, Francis Ford Coppola Steven Spielberg and George Lucas Away from the director's chair, Scorsese developed a reputation for a willingness to send up his own image, either as a streetwise filmmaker or an anxious, mile-a-minute-speaking auteur with appearances as himself or a parody thereof in such TV projects as "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Saturday Night Live," and "The Sopranos," and on the big-screen in the Albert Brooks comedy "The Muse" (1999) and the CGI-animated underwater opus "Shark Tale" (2004). He also essayed more straight-on dramatic roles in such films as "Yume" (1990), "Guilty By Suspicion" (1991) and "Quiz Show" (1994), and made a point of cameoing, Hitchcock-style, in most of his own films.