A noted film critic who became an acclaimed director, Peter Bogdanovich was born July 30, 1939, in Kingston, N.Y. In the early '60s, Bogdanovich published several studies of famous film directors, including Orson Welles, John Ford and Howard Hawks, idols who would inspire much of his later work.

In 1966, Bogdanovich allied with B-movie king Roger Corman, assisting him on The Wild Angels and shooting new scenes for a dubbed Russian space epic retitled Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women. Bogdanovich's first solo directing effort, Targets, featured Boris Karloff in his last significant role.

In 1971, The Last Picture Show brought Bogdanovich Oscar acclaim and a name as the greatest new director of his generation. He enjoyed further success with What's Up, Doc?, Paper Moon and Saint Jack (1979). He had another hit in the '80s with Mask and has since directed several TV movies.