Happy 50th Birthday, Christopher Nolan! Born today in 1970 as Christopher Edward Nolan, this British-American screenwriter, producer and director is known for making personal, distinctive films within the Hollywood mainstream.
His directorial efforts have grossed more than $4.7 billion in theatres worldwide and garnered a total of thirty-four Oscar nominations and ten wins.
Born and raised in London, England, United Kingdom, Nolan, years later, developed an interest in filmmaking from a young age.
After studying English literature at University College London, the made his feature debut with the 1998 British black and white thriller/mystery film 'Following'.
Two years later, Nolan gained international recognition with his second film. It was also the first film of which he is best known for writing and directing, being the 2000 American black and white/color neo-noir psychological thriller/mystery film 'Memento'.
The film's script was based on a pitch by Nolan's younger brother, British-American screenwriter, television producer, director and author Jonathan. He had written the short story "Memento Mori" from the concept.It was published in the March 2001 edition of Esquire magazine.
The name refers to memento mori, a symbolic or artistic expression of the Latin phrase meaning "remember that you will die." 'Memento' is now widely regarded as one of Nolan's finest works and one of the best films of the 2000s.
The following year, 'Memento' received numerous accolades, including Oscar nominations. Nolan was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
The film was also nominated for Best Film Editing (Dody Dorn). This occurred at the 73rd Academy Awards in late March 2001.
One year later, Nolan transitioned from independent to studio filmmaking with the 2002 American psychological thriller/mystery film 'Insomnia'.
After this, Nolan found further critical and commercial success with The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005–2012),
The first installment was the 2005 American/British superhero action/fantasy film 'Batman Begins', the second was the 2008 American/British superhero action/adventure film 'The Dark Knight', and the third was the 2012 British/American superhero action/thriller film 'The Dark Knight Rises'.
Of the trilogy, Nolan is best known for co-conceiving, co-writing, co-producing and directing the second film of which he is best known, being 'The Dark Knight'.
On a budget of $185 million, the film grossed $1.038 billion at the box office.
The following year, 'The Dark Knight' received eight nominations; it won the award for Best Sound Editing and Heath Ledger was posthumously awarded Best Supporting Actor. This occurred at the 81st Academy Awards in late February 2009.
Ledger had passed seven months prior to the film's release in late January. This was due to an accidental drug overdose. Ledger was 28.
This was the second posthumous award given in film history. The first was at the 49th Academy Awards in late March 1977 for English-Australian actor Peter Finch.
This was for his performance in American director, producer, and screenwriter Sidney Lumet's 1976 American satirical/drama film 'Network'.
'The Dark Knight' is considered one of the best films of its decade and one of the best superhero films ever made.
During the making of The Dark Knight Trilogy, Nolan co-wrote, co-produced and co-directed the third film of which he is best known. This was the 2006 British/American psychological thriller/mystery film 'The Prestige'.
The film had been based on British novelist and science fiction writer Christopher Priest's 1995 science fiction horror fantasy fiction novel of the same name.
Two years after the release of 'The Dark Knight', Nolan wrote, co-produced and directed the fourth and final film of which he is best known. This was the 2010 American/British science fiction thriller/action film 'Inception'.
On a budget of $160 million, the film grossed $829.9 million at the box office worldwide, becoming the fourth highest-grossing film of the 2010s.
Considered one of the best films of the 2010s, 'Inception' received critical praise for its screenplay, direction, themes, action sequences, visual effects, musical score, and ensemble cast.
The following year, the film won four Oscars for Best Cinematography, Best Sound Editing, and Best Visual Effects.
It was also nominated for four more: Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Art Direction, and Best Original score (Hans Zimmer). This occurred at the 83rd Academy Awards in late February 2011.
Nolan is also known for directing the epic 2014 American/British/Canadian sci-fi/adventure film 'Interstellar' and the 2017 British/Dutch/French/American war/action film 'Dunkirk'.
Also in 2017, the Library of Congress deemed 'Memento' "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film registry.
The following year, 'Dunkirk' earned Nolan Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Director. This occurred at the 90th Academy Awards in early March 2018.
Nolan is currently directing the upcoming 2020 American action sci-fi thriller spy film 'Tenet', starring African-American actor and former football running back John David Washington. The film is set to be released on September 3.
Nolan's films are typically rooted in epistemological and metaphysical themes, exploring human morality, the construction of time, and the malleable nature of memory and personal identity.
His work is permeated by mathematically inspired images and concepts, unconventional narrative structures, practical special effects, experimental soundscapes, large-format film photography, and materialistic perspectives.
Nolan has co-written several of his films with Jonathan. Nolan runs the production company.
Nolan has received many awards and honours. In 2015, Time magazine named him one of the 100 Most Influential People In The World.
In 2019, Nolan was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his services to film.
In 2020, 'The Dark Knight' was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
This meant that it became the second DC superhero film after the 1978 American/British/Canadian/Swiss/French action/adventure film ‘Superman' to earn the honor.
Nolan has been active from 1989–present.
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If Nolan was a chef...
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