Curtis Hanson Movies and Career Information

Curtis Lee Hanson (born March 24, 1945) is an American filmmaker. Hanson was born in Reno, Nevada and grew up in Los Angeles, the son of Beverly June, a real estate agent, and Wilbur Hale "Bill" Hanson, a teacher. Hanson dropped out of high school, finding work as a freelance photographer and editor for Cinema magazine. In 1970, Hanson co-wrote The Dunwich Horror , an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's short story. Hanson wrote and directed his next feature Sweet Kill in 1973, then in 1978 wrote and produced The Silent Partner, starring Elliot Gould and Christopher Plummer. As the 1980s and 1990s began, he directed a string of comedies and dramas. He did thrillers, too: many of them would deal with people who would lose a sense of control or security when facing danger and the threat of death. Some, like the attorney in Bad Influence and the police officers in L.A. Confidential unexpectedly walk into violence and disaster. In the 1990s Hanson found box-office success with The Hand That Rocks the Cradle and The River Wild, and significant critical acclaim with L.A. Confidential, an adaptation of the James Ellroy novel. The film was nominated for 9 Academy Awards including Best Picture