Oliver Stone

Perhaps one of most controversial and politically-charged directors of his generation, Oliver Stone has made some of the most seminal and enduring films of any time. With one foot consistently in the 1960s, Stone traveled back in time on numerous films to present his unflinching take on a turbulent time wrought with sex, drugs and an endless war. Though he directed his first film in 1974 and earned an Academy Award for screenwriting four years later, he would have to wait until "Platoon" (1986) in order to gain name recognition and industry respect. But once he was on the map, Stone made a string of exceptional films that cemented his place as one of Hollywood's most unique and compelling directors, thanks to "Wall Street" (1987), "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989) and "J.F.K." (1991). He was a man uniquely concerned with the destructive actions of the country he loved. Though some of his films veered in focus - namely "Natural Born Killers" (1994), "U-Turn" (1997) and "Alexander" (2004) - there was no doubting Stone's well earned place in cinematic history.