Happy 74th Birthday, Oliver Stone! Born today in 1946 as William Oliver Stone, this American conspiracy theorist, author, screenwriter, film producer and film director has become known as a master of controversial subjects and a legendary filmmaker.
Stone was admitted into Yale University, but left in June 1965 at age eighteen to teach high school students English for six months in Saigon at the Free Pacific Institute in South Vietnam.
In April 1967, Stone enlisted in the United States Army and requested combat duty in Vietnam.
From September 16, 1967 to April 1968, he served in Vietnam with 2nd Platoon, B Company, 3rd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division and was twice wounded in action. For his service, his most notable military award was the Purple Heart.
Stone graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in film in 1971, where his professors included director and fellow NYU alumnus Martin Scorsese.
In the late 1970s, Stone was awarded his first Oscar. This was for writing the screenplay for English filmmaker Alan Parker's 1979 neo noir drama/prison film 'Midnight Express'. This occurred at the 51st Academy Awards in early April 1979.
In the early 1980s, Stone wrote further features. Most notably, this included Brian De Palma's 1983 American crime drama film 'Scarface'. It was a remake of Howard Hawks' 1932 American pre-Code black and white crime/drama film 'Scarface' (also known as 'Scarface: The Shame of a Nation').
The film was loosely inspired by Stone's own addiction to cocaine, which he successfully kicked while working on the screenplay.
Three years later, Stone co-wrote, co-produced and direct the first film of which he is best known. This was the 1986 British/American/Mexican war/drama film 'Salvador'. The film had been released on March 5, 1986.
The other writer for the film was American reporter, veteran photojournalist and author Richard Boyle. In the film, he is portrayed by James Woods.
On a budget of $4.5 million, 'Salvador' grossed only $1.5 million at the box office.
Nonetheless, 'Salvador' was nominated for two Oscars. These included Best Actor in a Leading Role (James Woods) and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (Stone and Richard Boyle). However, the film didn't win. This occurred attended the 59th Academy Awards in late March 1987.
In December of that same year, Stone wrote and directed the second film of which he is best known. This was the 1986 American/British war/drama film 'Platoon'. It was the first Hollywood film to be written and directed by a veteran of the Vietnam War
On a budget of $6 million, 'Platoon' was a bus office success. It grossed $138.5 million in North American alone, making up for the losses of 'Salvador'.
'Platoon' is the first installment of Stone's Vietnam Trilogy. The film had been released on December 19, 1986.
The following year, 'Platoon' won four Oscars. This included Best Picture, Best Directing, Best Editing, and Best Sound Mixing. This again occurred at the 59th Academy Awards in late March 1987.
Later that same year, Stone co-wrote and directed the third film of which he is best known. This was the 1987 American drama/crime film 'Wall Street'.
One year later, 'Wall Street' won an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Michael Douglas). This occurred at the 60th Academy Awards in mid-April 1988.
Stone also co-wrote, co-produced and directing the 1989 American biographical war/anti-war film 'Born on the Fourth of July' This was the second installment of Stone's Vietnam Trilogy.
In the film, Tom Cruise portrayed American anti-war activist, writer, and former United States Marine Corps sergeant Ron Kovic.
The real Kovic co-wrote the screenplay along with Stone. The film was based on the eponymous 1976 biographical personal narrative war story book.
On a budget of $17.8 million. 'Born on the Fourth of July' grossed $161 million at the box office.
One year later, the film won an Oscar for Best Director. It was Stone's second win in this category. This occurred at the 62nd Academy Awards in late March 1990.
Six months later, Stone served as co-producer for Iranian-born Swiss director and film producer Barbet Schroeder's 1990 American drama/mystery film 'Reversal of Fortune'.
It starred Jeremy Irons and Glenn Close, of which Irons won an Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in the film.
The following year, Stone co-wrote, co-produced and directed the fourth film of which he is best known. This was the 1991 American political thriller drama/mystery film 'JFK'.
On a budget of $40 million, 'JFK' grossed $205.4 million at the box office. The film has a run time of three-and-a-half hours and features an all-star cast.
'JFK' was adapted from former District Attorney of Orleans Parish, Louisiana Jim Garrison's 1988 biographical true crime book On the Trail of the Assassins: My Investigation and Prosecution of the Murder of President Kennedy.
It was also adapted from American newspaper journalist and New York Times best-selling author Jim Marrs' 1989 biographical true crime book Crossfire: The Plot That Killed Kennedy.
One year later, 'JFK' won two Oscars. This was for Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing. This occurred at the 64th Academy Awards in late March 1992.
Two years later, Stone co-wrote and directed the fifth and final film of which he is best known. This was the 1994 American crime/drama film 'Natural Born Killers'. The story had been conceived by Quentin Tarantino.
Upon release, the film was a box office success, grossing over $50.3 million against a production budget of $34 million, but received a mixed critical reception.
Some critics praised the plot, acting, humor, and combination of action and romance, while others found the film overly violent and graphic.
Notorious for its violent content and inspiring "copycat" crimes, the film was named the eighth most controversial film in history by Entertainment Weekly in 2006.
Stone and Michael Douglas reunited for the 2010 American drama film 'Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps' (also known as 'Wall Street 2' or 'Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps').
On AFI's 100 Years... 100 Quotes list, "Greed, for lack of a better word, is good." ranked in at #57.
In 2019, 'Platoon' was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
Many of Stone's films focus on controversial American political issues during the late 20th century, and as such were considered contentious at the times of their releases.
They often combine different camera and film formats within a single scene, as demonstrated in a few of his films. Critics have also accused Stone of promoting conspiracy theories.
Like his subject matter, Stone has become a controversial figure in American filmmaking, with critics accusing him of promoting unsubstantiated conspiracy theories, and of misrepresenting real-world events and figures in his works.
Undoubtedly one of the most controversial directors in Hollywood, Stone has made films that are remarkable for both the way in which their subject matter is handled and the degree of controversy such handling inspires.
Although he has served as a producer, screenwriter, and actor on a variety of films, Stone is consistently identified with his more political works, from his so-called Vietnam Trilogy to 37th U.S. President Richard M. Nixon.
Despite this association with political films, Stone has stated that he considers his films "first and foremost to be dramas about individuals in personal struggles," and that he believes himself to be a dramatist rather than a political filmmaker.
Stone's films, filled with a variety of angles and styles, and pushing his actors to give Oscar-worthy performances, despite his failures, has always returned to success.
Some of the trademarks in Stone's films include often representing his left-wing and government critical political views and prominently featuring the military, either within the events or in characters' back stories.
His films also included biopics about real-life individuals and events, non-linear storytelling and flashback structure and featuring large casts, featuring many well-known actors in both major and minor roles.
Stone is a three-time Oscar winner, and although he has mostly been stung by critics of his films, he remains a well-known name today in the film industry.
The films Stone directed have been nominated for thirty-one Oscars, including eight for acting, six for screenwriting, and three for directing.
There is no denying that he has cemented himself a position among the legends of Hollywood.
Stone has been active from 1971–present.
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