Woody Allen

Heywood "Woody" Allen (English: Heywood "Woody" Allen, November 30, 1935 -), whose real name is Allen Stewart Konigsberg, is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, comedian, writer, playwright and musician. His career has spanned more than 50 years. Allen's distinctive films, which range from drama to screwball comedy, have made him one of the most respected living directors in the United States. Allen is also famous for his rapid filming speed and large number of film works. Allen has directed more than forty films to date. Allen's films often feature writers, directors, and sometimes even actors himself. Allen draws inspiration from literature, sex, philosophy, psychology, ancient Greece, Jewish identity, European art films, and his birthplace and lifelong residence: New York City. Allen began writing short jokes for television programs and publications in the 1950s. In the early 1960s he appeared in a number of burlesque shows. He often plays restless, irritable and neurotic characters and insists on completely distinguishing these characters from his real self. In 2004, Comedy Central ranked Allen fourth on their list of the 100 stand-up comics, and a British poll ranked Allen the third greatest comedian. By the mid-1960s, Allen was writing and directing slapstick comedies. In the 1970s, influenced by European art films, Allen's films changed to a more artistic and dramatic film style. Allen is generally considered one of the American New Wave filmmakers of the mid-1960s to late 1970s. Allen often starred in his own films, and as in his early years, his characters were often pessimistic, restless, and neurotic. His most famous films include "Annie Hall" (1977), "Manhattan" (1979), "Hannah and the Sisters" (1986), "Midnight in Paris" (2011), etc. Film critic Roger Ebert described Allen as "a treasure of the cinema". Allen has so far been nominated for 23 Academy Awards and won 4 Academy Awards: three Oscars for Best Original Screenplay and one Academy Award for Best Director ("Annie Hall").