Michael Mann

A man of extraordinary vision in a career spanning three decades, award-winning producer and director Michael Mann has been an inspiration to generations of filmmakers.

Mann was born in Chicago and educated at the University of Wisconsin. He then moved to England to do graduate work at the London Film School. After completing his degree, he remained in Europe to start a small production company making documentaries, shorts and television commercials. In 1970, his short film, JUANPURI won the Jury Prize at Cannes. He came back to the U.S. in 1971 to shoot and direct 17 DAYS DOWN THE LINE, a documentary about a road trip upon his return to America.

In the mid-1970s, Mann made his theatrical film debut with THE THIEF, a modernist crime story starring James Caan and Jim Belushi that was nominated for the Golden Palm Award at Cannes. He followed this in 1983 with the gothic horror film THE KEEP, starring Gabriel Byrne, Scott Glenn, and Ian McKellen. In 1986, he directed MANHUNTER, a psychological thriller based upon the first of Thomas Harris’ Hannibal Lecter books, Red Dragon, featuring William Petersen and Brian Cox as Lecter.

Throughout the 1980s, Mann continued to work in television with the revolutionary “Miami Vice” and the acclaimed Chicago and Las Vegas drama “Crime Story,” starring Dennis Farina. In addition to these efforts, he produced the 1990 Emmy-winning miniseries “Drug Wars: The Camarena Story” and executive produced the 1992 Emmy-nominated sequel “Drug Wars: The Cocaine Cartel.”

In 1992, Mann directed, co-wrote and produced THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Madeline Stowe. Following this success, in 1995, he directed HEAT from his own original screenplay that starred Al Pacino and Robert De Niro; in fact, Ashley Judd and Amy Brenneman each had their first major roles in HEAT.

In 1999, Mann earned Oscar nominations for co-writing, directing, and producing THE INSIDER, starring Russell Crowe and Al Pacino. Based upon Marie Brenner’s Vanity Fair article: “The Man Who Knew Too Much,” the film tells the true story of Jeffrey Wigand, a tobacco industry executive who blew the whistle on the industry’s cover-up of cigarette’s known health risks.

In 2001, Mann took audiences into the heart and life of legendary boxer, Muhammed Ali in ALI, starring Will Smith and Jon Voight, both of whom received Oscar nominations.

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