Filmmaker/journalist Edward Zwick was trained in the cinematic arts at the AFI in Los Angeles. In collaboration with Marshall Herskovitz, Zwick produced, wrote, and directed the popular 1980s weekly TV drama thirtysomething. One of his first TV movies was Special Bulletin (1983), a chilling speculation on what might happen if terrorists got hold of a nuclear device in the U.S.; in classic War of the Worlds fashion, the film was convincingly staged as an ongoing series of news bulletins. Zwick's first theatrical film was About Last Night... (1986), a surprisingly soft-pedaled filmization of the stage play Sexual Perversity in Chicago.

In 1989, Zwick directed the critically acclaimed Civil War drama Glory and was nominated for a Golden Globe for his efforts. He received another Best Director Golden Globe nomination in 1994 for Legends of the Fall, but was again beaten out. The sting of Zwick's Golden Globe defeats was softened considerably four years later, though, when he shared Shakespeare in Love's Best Picture Academy Award for serving as one of the film's producers. Further showing his strength as a producer, Zwick nearly repeated the feat in 2000, when Traffic received a Best Picture Oscar nod.

In 2003, Zwick saw the cancellation of his cult-favorite television drama Once and Again after it had struggled for years to find a wider audience. In the wake of the setback, he returned to directing for the first time since 1998's poorly received The Siege, helming his second Civil War-era action drama, The Last Samurai. Starring Tom Cruise as a 19th century American who travels to the Far East to train Japanese troops, the film was a modest financial success domestically and an even bigger one internationally, and went on to be honored with four Academy Award nominations. Though The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King maintained the spotlight on Oscar night, Zwick was recognized as the year's Best Director by The National Board of Review.

Credit: mtv.com