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Mini Biography

After serious deliberations about entering the priesthood - he entered a seminary in 1956 - Martin Scorsese opted to channel his passions into film. He graduated from NYU as a film major in 1964. Catching the eye of producer Roger Corman with his 1960s student films (including co-editing Woodstock (1970)), Scorsese directed the gritty exploiter Boxcar Bertha (1972). Mean Streets (1973) followed in 1973 and provided the benchmarks for the Scorsese style: New York settings, loners struggling with inner demons, pointed-Shoes rock-meets-opera soundtracks and unrelenting cathartic violence. "Mean Streets" also featured Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel, two actors who would help shape that style. After Scorsese directed Ellen Burstyn to a Best Actress Oscar in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), the trio was reunited for the dark journey of Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver (1976). The film achieved additional notoriety five years after its release when Bickle's (De Niro) concern for a teenaged hooker played by Jodie Foster inspired John Hinckley's assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan in 1981. After New York, New York (1977) (which one critic described as a wife-abuse musical) and The Last Waltz (1978), Scorsese released Raging Bull (1980). The biography of middleweight fighter Jake LaMotta earned two Oscars (Actor - DeNiro, Editing - Thelma Schoonmaker) and was later selected as the Best film of the decade by U.S. critic gods Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert. Scorsese then explored fans as pariah ( The King of Comedy (1983)), dark-comic dreams ( After Hours (1985)), and revisited pool shark Eddie Felson from The Hustler (1961) ( The Color of Money (1986) with Paul Newman). Scorsese outraged some religious groups by attempting to portray a human son of God in The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) before returning to more familiar territory with the Mafia in Goodfellas (1990). He followed with two films which were remakes, Cape Fear (1991) and The Age of Innocence (1993). Besides directing and co-writing, Scorsese has also acted. It's interesting to note he played the gunman at the finale of Mean Streets (1973) and the cab passenger planning to kill his wife in Taxi Driver (1976). He also had a role in _Yume (1990)_.

Spouse

Trade Mark

Frequently casts Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, Leonardo DiCaprio, Victor Argo, and Joe Pesci.

Begins his films with segments taken from the middle or end of the story. Examples include Raging Bull (1980), Goodfellas (1990) and Casino (1995).

[slow-motion] Makes use of slow motion techniques (e.g., Mean Streets (1973), Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980)).

His lead characters are often sociopathic and/or want to be accepted in society.

Extensive white lighting in scenes of his films.

Often uses diagetic music (i.e., source of music is visible on-screen).

His blonde leading ladies are usually seen through the eyes of the protagonist as angelic and ethereal; they always wear white in their first scene and are photographed in slow-motion (Cybill Shepherd in _Taxi Driver (1976)_ ; Cathy Moriarty's white bikini in Raging Bull (1980); Sharon Stone's white minidress in Casino (1995)). As the movie progresses, these ladies usually prove to be anything *but* angelic.

Often uses long tracking shots (a notoriously difficult shot to perfect) which is why he has been dubbed by some as The King of the Tracking Shot

Often uses freeze frames (e.g., Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Departed)

Frequently uses music by The Rolling Stones ("Mean Streets", "Goodfellas", "Casino", "The Departed"), especially the song "Gimme Shelter"

Often begins his movies with the childhood of his main characters (Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Goodfellas, Kundun, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed)

Cameo appearances by himself and his family members in his movies.

Trivia

American Film Institute Life Achievement Award. [20 February 1997]

Listed as one of 50 people barred from entering Tibet. Disney clashed with Chinese officials over the film Kundun (1997), which Scorsese directed. [19 December 1996]

Awarded third annual John Huston Award for Artists Rights by the Artists Rights Foundation. [1995]

He has used his parents, Charles Scorsese and Catherine Scorsese, in many of his movies. Catherine played Joe Pesci's mother in Goodfellas (1990).

Presented with a special tribute at the 1976 Telluride Film Festival. It was presented by Michael Powell. [1976]

He is a longtime friend and was once a housemate of The band's Robbie Robertson. He directed The Last Waltz (1978), the documentary of their supposedly last gig which Robertson produced. Robertson later produced the soundtrack for Scorsese's The Color of Money (1986).

Often uses Thelma Schoonmaker as his editor. She was later married to Michael Powell. He often quotes Powell as an influence.

His Name is pronounced "Scor-sez-see".

He directed Michael Jackson's Bad (1987) (V) music video. The full length video runs 16 minutes and is in both black & white and color. It is usually shortened down to just the color segment for television.

He appears as attached to his pet white Bichon Frise Zoe as he was to his beloved parents - except Zoe is right beside Marty every day in the office.

Daughter Francesca Scorsese born. [16 November 1999]

John Woo dedicated his action film _Dip hyut shueng hung (1989)_ ("The Killer") to Scorsese on a commentary he did for the movie's DVD.

Daughter Domenica Cameron-Scorsese with Julia Cameron.

Taught both Oliver Stone and Spike Lee at NYU.

Was at one point going to make a movie about the life of comedian Richard Pryor.

He was an altar boy at Old St. Patrick's Cathedral, which was used in his early films I Call First (1967) and Mean Streets (1973). Old St. Patrick's is also where the baptism scene in The Godfather (1972) took place.

Was at one point slated to direct Clockers (1995), but for reasons that are not entirely clear, handed the directing chores to his onetime NYU student Spike Lee, while staying on as producer. He was also at one point going to direct Little Shop of Horrors (1986) for David Geffen, with Steven Spielberg as the executive producer. He was ultimately uninvolved, but claims that he wanted to shoot the movie in 3-D. It no doubt would have been a loving homage to Roger Corman, for whom he directed Boxcar Bertha (1972).

He took a Cameo in his film Taxi Driver (1976) (as a man about to kill his wife) only because the Actor who was supposed to play the role was sick on the day the scene was to be shot. Says he is generally uncomfortable in front of the camera.

Has a dog named Silas.

Is the subject of the song "Martin Scorsese" by alternative band King Missile.

Father of actress Cathy Scorsese from his first marriage.

Is of Italian-Sicilian descent.

28 February 2003: Received star on Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The lead character in his films often uses a voiceover to gives the audience insight about his way of life (Goodfellas (1990), Casino (1995), Gangs of New York (2002), etc.).

Has asthma.

Of the three films he's been trying to make since the mid-1970s, he has done two: The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and Gangs of New York (2002). The third film, a biopic of Dean Martin, is currently (Jan. 2004) "on hold" at Warner Bros. He has often said that he would love for Tom Hanks to play the legendary crooner.

For "Dino," his Dean Martin biopic, which has been on hiatus at Warner Brothers since the late 1990s, he has a very specific all A-List cast in mind, which maybe why it has yet to be produced. He wants Tom Hanks to star as Martin, Jim Carrey to play Jerry Lewis, John Travolta to play Frank Sinatra, Hugh Grant to play Peter Lawford, and Adam Sandler to play Joey Bishop.

Was voted the 4th greatest director of all time by Entertainment Weekly, making him the only living person in the top 5 and the only working film director in the top 10 (Ingmar Bergman being retired as a filmmaker).

Appeared on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" (2000) as a shrill version of himself who comes to regret his decision to cast Larry David as a violent gangster in a movie after David repeatedly ruins the suit he needs to wear as the character.

Several characters in his films refer to the legendary (noir) Actor John Garfield, star of the original The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), which is also mentioned.

He was one of three major directors to have been offered the opportunity to direct Schindler's List (1993) by producer Steven Spielberg, the other two being Roman Polanski and Billy Wilder. Scorsese thought a Jewish filmmaker should direct it; Polanski wasn't yet ready to deal with the painful subject (having lost his parents in the Holocaust); and Wilder (who was retired and who lost his mother and grandmother in the Holocaust) finally told Spielberg that he should do it himself.

Because so many of his actors win or are nominated for awards, actors are dying to work with him. The film With Friends Like These... (1998) pokes fun at this very real desire.

Both The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and Gangs of New York (2002) were personal passions of his that he had wanted to make since the 1970s. When he first starting considering them, Robert De Niro was in his mind to play the lead characters in both (Jesus Christ in "Temptation" and Bill Cutting in "Gangs"). De Niro ultimately turned down the part in "Temptation" and it was decided he was too old to play Cutting by the time that "Gangs" finally went into production.

He has famously collaborated with Robert De Niro in 8 films. Scorsese has said that his creative collaboration with De Niro is very deep and that they can often understand each other without even talking. Their collaboration has had many dry spells (including recently), but Scorsese Says he shows almost every script he writes or considers directing to De Niro to see what the Actor's thoughts on them are even when De Niro ultimately has no involvement the film.

Recently appeared in an "American Express" ad where he goes to pick up photos of his nephew's birthday party at a drug store, and then proceeds to nervously pick through what's wrong with each picture while trying to get the clueless photo-lab clerk's opinion on them. He proceeds to buy more film with an American Express card and calls the people on the pictures saying they need to reshoot. Scorsese Says this funny ad is probably the closest he's come to accurately "playing" himself.

Biography/bibliography in: "Contemporary Authors". New Revision Series, Vol. 85, pp. 328-334. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group, 2000.

Hates the overuse of CGI effects and tries to use them as little as possible. He also shuns the idea of shooting movies digitally and vowed to continue shooting all of his movies on film. Other directors siding with Scorsese on this issue include Steven Spielberg and Oliver Stone.

Apart from his legendary work as a filmmaker, he has been a vocal supporter of film preservation for almost three decades. His efforts to create a strong public awareness for the work of film archives include The Film Foundation, a non-profit organisation which he started together with other filmmakers. The Film Foundation regularly partners with the American film archives on the restoration of "lost" or endangered films. With this background he has agreed to serve as Honorary President of the Austrian Film Museum in Vienna.

Personally spurns the notion of the "director's cut" feeling that, once a film has been completed, it should not be further altered in any way

He lost three Best director - and best picture - Oscars to leading-man actors turned directors: Robert Redford, Kevin Costner, and Clint Eastwood (Raging Bull (1980) lost to Redford's Ordinary people (1980); Goodfellas (1990) to Costner's Dances with Wolves (1990); The Aviator (2004) to Eastwood's Million Dollar Baby (2004)).

In 1975, he accepted the Oscar for "Best Actress in a Leading Role" on behalf of Ellen Burstyn, who wasn't present at the awards ceremony. She won for her performance in Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)

President of jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1998

Has mentioned that he thought Robert De Niro's Best performance under his direction was as Rupert Pupkin in The King of Comedy (1983).

Ranked #3 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Greatest directors ever!" [2005]

His favorite films include: Citizen Kane (1941), The Red Shoes (1948) and Gattopardo, Il (1963).

Was friend, prot

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