Curtis Hanson

A former high school dropout who became a photographer and editor at Cinema magazine, writer-director Curtis Hanson honed his filmmaking skills by writing screenplays for low-budget horror flicks before directing eventually Oscar-caliber films. As with seemingly everyone of his age who wielded a camera, Hanson had his start penning "The Dunwich Horror" (1970) for the definitive mentor, Roger Corman, before directing "Sweet Kill" (1973) for the low-brow producer. In the 1980s, he graduated to Hitchcockian thrillers like "The Bedroom Window" (1987) and "Bad Influence" (1990), which paved the way for his true breakthrough film, "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" (1992), a tense psychological thriller that became his first bona fide box office hit. Following the action adventure "The River Wild" (1994), Hanson reached true artistic heights with his lush adaptation of James Ellroy's "L.A. Confidential" (1997), widely considered to be the best crime noir since "Chinatown" (1974). From there, he made the quirky adaptation of Michael Chabon's "Wonder Boys" (2000) before drawing a convincing performance from rap star Eminem in "8 Mile" (2002). After directing the dueling-sisters comedy-drama "In Her Shoes (2005), poker drama "Lucky You" (2007) and television political drama "Too Big to Fail" (HBO 2010), Hanson fell ill with heart trouble during the filming of surf drama "Chasing Mavericks" (2012), causing the film to be finished by Michael Apted. Hanson never directed another film and died at his home in the Hollywood Hills on September 20, 2016 at the age of 71. Throughout his career, Hanson was able to keep critics guessing while maintaining his status as one of Hollywood's most diverse directors.