A former photographer, freelance writer of Hollywood-themed articles and editor of Cinema magazine, Curtis Hanson honed his filmmaking skills by writing screenplays for low-budget thrillers before establishing himself as a director of Oscar-caliber work. Born on March 24, 1945 in Reno, NV, Hanson grew up in Los Angeles, CA. As a youngster, Hanson came to appreciate all forms of storytelling—he read the works of Dickens, Twain and Conrad—but he especially fell in love with filmmaking. While in high school, he and old friend Willard Huyck (who later penned “American Graffiti”) picked up an
