Born Sept.10, 1968, in Hatfield, England, writer-director Guy Ritchie struggled with dyslexia throughout his youth and dropped out of school at age 15. After working as a laborer for a decade, he set his sights on film, securing work first as a film runner and then as a music video director.

Churning out videos and commercials, Ritchie mastered the craft of filmmaking and developed the splashy visual style that marked his feature film debut, 1998's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. The clever caper flick branded Ritchie as a director to watch, and in short order, he delivered another witty heist film, Snatch, starring Brad Pitt and Benicio Del Toro.

In 2002, Ritchie collaborated with Madonna on a remake of the Lina Wertmüller comedy Swept Away; however, the picture proved a critical and commercial disaster.