Martin Scorsese biography

Date of Birth: November 17, 1942

Hailing from Queens, New York, Scorsese had initially intended to enter the Roman Catholic priesthood. But while working towards an English major he found himself drawn to the film arts department and decided to change his career goals. During his studies, he produced two short student films; both of which won awards from film foundations and in regional festivals.

After school, Scorsese started working as a film editor. But he soon realized that success as a director would most likely happen if he were in Hollywood, so he took the trek west. His first successful film, Mean Streets, was released in 1973. Starring Robert De Niro, it was an instant success and singled Scorsese out as 'the new young director to watch.'

He didn't disappoint the prediction as two years later, he released Taxi Driver. The film, which again starred De Niro and then unknown Jodie Foster, received the top award (Golden Palm) at the Cannes Film Festival, and considered by many film buffs to be a classic.

His next hit, Raging Bull (1980), gave Scorsese his first Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations. It wasn't to be the last time he received a nomination, as throughout the '80s and '90s, he received Oscar nominations for three more films, The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Goodfellas (1990) (earning nominations for both Best Screenplay and Best Director), and The Age of Innocence (1993). In 2003, he received another Academy Award nomination, and finally, won his first Golden Globe award, this time for Gangs Of New York (2003). Scorsese has also received the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute, and the Board of Governors Award from the American Society of Cinematographers for his vast amount of quality work.

Other noteworthy films include New York, New York (1977), The Color of Money (1986), and Cape Fear (1991), which was both controversial and one of the biggest hits of his career. For The Aviator, Scorsese received another Golden Globe nomination and his fifth Best Director Academy Award nomination. In 2007, he won his second Golden Globe award for his work in The Departed (2006) as well as his first Best Director Academy Award—an honor that many believed was long overdue. The awards didn't stop there. He received a third Golden Globe for directing Hugo—a film jokingly referred to as the first movie he's ever made that children can watch, as well as another Academy Award nomination for best director. Two years later, he helmed The Wolf of Wall Street (2014), which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill. The film scored Academy Award nominations for Best Achievement in Directing and Best Motion Picture of the Year.

Martin's most recent credits include executive producing the Emmy-nominated series Vinyl with Bobby Cannavale and Ray Romano, and directing the 17th century-set drama Silence with Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver.

Besides directing, Scorsese has acted (mainly as himself) in a number of films and television specials.

Scorsese is one of the founders of the Film Foundation, which promotes the restoration of films, and in 1992 launched the Martin Scorsese Presents, a company dedicated to restoring and distributing classic films.

Although he never became a priest, Scorsese knows a thing or two about standing at the altar, having married five times. He is presently living with fifth wife, Helen, and their daughter. He has two daughters from two former wives.