Neil Jordan

Though not a painter like his grandfather, mother and two sisters, Irish filmmaker Neil Jordan inherited the same artistic sensibilities and opted for a camera instead of a brush to create the visually rich canvasses of his always-complex pictures. After finding some success as the author of moody, turbulent short stories, Jordan was discovered by director John Boorman, who hired the young writer as a creative consultant on "Excalibur" (1981) and later funded his first feature, "Angel" (1982). He transitioned to Hollywood with a couple of misfire comedies - "High Spirits" (1988) and "We're No Angels" (1989) - that sent him packing to Ireland. Back on his home turf, he wrote and directed the lyrical coming-of-age drama "The Miracle" (1991), which found him in his non-comedic comfort zone. Free to indulge his passion for unconventional love stories underpinned by issues of violence and death, Jordan directed "The Crying Game" (1992), which earned him an Academy Award and the fine distinction of creating one of the most notorious plot twists in cinema history. Returning to Hollywood, he directed the more commercially successful "Interview with the Vampire" (1994) before helming a long-held passion project about the titular divisive Irish hero, "Michael Collins" (1996). Along with such other acclaimed works as "The Butcher Boy" (1997) and "The Good Thief" (2003), Jordan, at his best, delivered provocative films that combined a stylistic freshness with pensive philosophical, social and sexual dimensions.