Born July 22, 1946, in Grand Rapids, Mich., into a strict Calvinist home, Paul Schrader was 18 years old before he saw his first movie. He began his studies as a theology student but switched his focus, eventually enrolling in graduate film school at the University of California, Los Angeles.

After a successful stint as a movie critic, Schrader turned to screenwriting. His first script, The Yakuza (1974), brought a record sum, and in 1976 he sealed his reputation by penning director Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver. During the '80s, they collaborated on two of the decade's most important (and controversial) films: Raging Bull and The Last Temptation of Christ.

Meanwhile, Schrader was also beginning to direct with movies such as American Gigolo (1980). Other significant directorial efforts for Schrader include Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985), Affliction (1998) and Auto Focus (2002).