Quit college to work on an offshore oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico

Moved to Austin Texas, co-founded the Austin Film Society in 1985 (with cinematographer Lee Daniel) and began making films

Completed first film, "It's Impossible to Learn to Plow By Reading Books"

Made first feature, "Slacker" (shot in summer 1989)

Wrote and directed first Hollywood feature, "Dazed and Confused"; cast included numerous up and comers including Ben Affleck, Parker Posey, Nicky Katt, Matthew McConaughey, Renee Zellweger, Jason London and Anthony Rapp

Signed a two-year, first-look deal with Castle Rock

First film under the Castle Rock deal, "Before Sunrise", a two-character romance starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy

Appeared in Steven Soderbergh's "The Underneath"

Voiced a character in the animated feature "Beavis and Butt-head Do America"

Helmed the feature adaptation of Eric Bogosian's stage play "subUrbia", featuring Nicky Katt, Parker Posey and Steve Zahn

Directed the based-on-fact "The Newton Boys", about early 20th-century bank-robbing brothers, featuring Ethan Hawke, Matthew McConaughey, Skeet Ulrich and Vincent D'Onofrio

Had two films premiere at Sundance Film Festival: "Waking Life", made with live actors (inlcuding Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) and then animated; and "Tape", shot digitally and starring Hawke, Uma Thurman and Robert Sean Leonard

Played a cool spy in Robert Rodriguez's children's feature "Spy Kids"

Appeared in Ethan Hawke's "Chelsea Walls"

Directed Jack Black in the comedy hit "School of Rock"

Reunited with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy for "Before Sunset" wrote and directed; received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Screenplay; received an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay

Directed Billy Bob Thornton in the remake of "The Bad News Bears"

Adapted Philip K. Dick's novel "A Scanner Darkly" which starred Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder; also directed

Helmed the adaptation of Eric Schlosser's best-selling book, "Fast Food Nation"