Constantin Costa-Gavras made his reputation as the preeminent director developing the political thriller from the late 1960s through the 80s. Several of his films ("State of Siege" 1973, "Missing" 1982) are archetypes of the genre and "Z" (1969) is a crucial fictional account of political repression in the 20th century.

Born to a Russian father and a Greek mother, Costa-Gavras was mesmerized as a boy by the energy and movement of the many American films he saw. Because of his father's activities in the Greek resistance during WWII, Costa-Gavras's educational and occupational opportunities were