Although this iconic auteur is routinely hailed as one of the most influential directors of his generation, his jam-packed trophy case (which includes two Golden Globes, a Palm d'Or from Cannes and two New York Film Critics Circle Awards) was missing an Oscar until 2007. The former Susan Lucci of cinema, Scorsese had to wait until his sixth nomination to finally take home the statuette for
The Departed. While it was an honor way too long in coming, Scorsese never really needed a little gold man to validate his superlative talents, not only as a director but also as a writer, producer and sometime actor. A native New Yorker, Scorsese was a sickly child, and while his peers were carousing in the streets, he was developing a passion for cinema, whether it was slick Hollywood classics or arty foreign films. He began making shorts while earning his master's in filmmaking at New York University. In 1967, he won kudos for his extremely bloody short
The Big Shave, and also filmed his first feature-length (if no-budget) flick,
Who's That Knocking at My Door?, starring Harvey Keitel. Five years later, after various cinema-related gigs (including a stint editing the documentary
Woodstock), Scorsese landed his first proper directing job, helming the B-movie
Boxcar Bertha for schlock producer Roger Corman. But it was his next film,
Mean Streets, which he also produced and cowrote, that defined his signature, kinetic style. The violent tale of thugs trying to survive in Little Italy, the film starred Keitel and Robert De Niro, who would become Scorsese's muse. Their next collaboration,
Taxi Driver, expanded on Scorsese's haunting vision of a world gone mad, in which a homicidal loner could be embraced as a hero. Although
Taxi Driver earned Oscar nods for best film and for actors De Niro and Jodie Foster (as a 12-year-old hooker), Scorsese didn't even score a nomination. His next movie, the tuner
New York, New York, both a tribute to his hometown and the golden age of Hollywood musicals, went bust, although it did introduce him to Liza Minnelli, with whom he allegedly had an affair. (He went on to direct her in the 1977 Broadway musical
The Act, although theater veteran Gower Champion was brought in to "advise" him and ultimately relieved him of duty.) Since the '70s were a decade of excess, Scorsese, like many of his peers, suffered from a drug problem, but his friend De Niro helped get him back on track when they went to work on 1980's
Raging Bull. The story of a boxer who's even more violent when he's out of the ring, the film earned De Niro his second Oscar and Scorsese his first Oscar nod. After the flop
King of Comedy (a satire of celebrity that was later given its due) and the quirky indie comedy
After Hours, Scorsese proved he could indeed play the Hollywood game by helming his first true mainstream picture:
The Color of Money, a sequel to
The Hustler that starred Paul Newman and Tom Cruise. In 1988, he stirred up controversy by filming Nikos Kazantzakis' novel
The Last Temptation of Christ, which contained scenes depicting Jesus leading a secular life. But considering Scorsese was a guilt-ridden Catholic boy who had considered a career in the priesthood, the outcry seemed unwarranted. In reality, the film was a loving tribute to faith that earned him a second Oscar nod. Two years later, he ret
Martin Scorsese Fast Facts:
- Entered a seminary after grade school intending to become a priest.
- After attending New York University, he began teaching film at the school. His students included Oliver Stone and Spike Lee.
- John Hinckley Jr. claimed that Jodie Foster's underage hooker character in Taxi Driver inspired him to attempt to assassinate then-President Ronald Reagan in 1981.
- Directed the music video for Michael Jackson's "Bad."
- Like Alfred Hitchcock, Scorsese often appears in cameos in his films.
- Has tackled a handful of acting roles (Guilty By Suspicion, Quiz Show, 'Round Midnight) and spoofed his own neurotic image in a memorable American Express commercial in which he critiqued the photos of his nephew's 5th birthday party.
- Martin Scorsese Relationships:
- Barbara De Fina - Ex-wife
- Catherine Scorsese - Mother
- Catherine T. Scorsese - Daughter
- Charles Scorsese - Father
- Domenica Cameron-Scorsese - Daughter
- Francesca Scorsese - Daughter
- Frank Scorsese - Brother
- Helen Morris - Wife
- Isabella Rossellini - Ex-wife
- Julia Cameron - Ex-wife
- Laraine Marie Brennan - Ex-wife
- Martin Scorsese Awards:
- 1995 Emmy: Outstanding Cultural Program - Nominee
- 2006 Emmy: Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming - Nominee
- 2004 Emmy: Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or Special - Nominee
- 2004 Emmy: Outstanding Nonfiction Series - Nominee
- 2006 Emmy: Outstanding Nonfiction Series - Nominee
- 2005 Grammy: Best Long Form Music Video - Winner
- 1980 Oscar: Best Achievement in Directing - Nominee
- 1988 Oscar: Best Achievement in Directing - Nominee
- 1990 Oscar: Best Achievement in Directing - Nominee
- 2002 Oscar: Best Achievement in Directing - Nominee
- 2004 Oscar: Best Achievement in Directing - Nominee
- 2006 Oscar: Best Achievement in Directing - Winner
- 1990 Oscar: Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) - Nominee
- 1993 Oscar: Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay) - Nominee
- 1981 Golden Globe: Best Director - Motion Picture - Nominee
- 1991 Golden Globe: Best Director - Motion Picture - Nominee
- 1994 Golden Globe: Best Director - Motion Picture - Nominee
- 1996 Golden Globe: Best Director - Motion Picture - Nominee
- 2003 Golden Globe: Best Director - Motion Picture - Winner
- 2005 Golden Globe: Best Director - Motion Picture - Nominee
- 2007 Golden Globe: Best Director - Motion Picture - Winner
- College:
- New York University, New York, NY (BS in Film, 1964; MA in Film, 1966)
