Michael Mann

Michael Kenneth Mann (born February 5, 1943) is an American film director, screenwriter, author, and producer, best known for his stylized crime dramas. He has received numerous accolades, including a BAFTA Award and two Primetime Emmy Awards, as well as nominations for four Academy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. Mann's acclaimed works include the films Thief (1981), Manhunter (1986), The Last of the Mohicans (1992), Heat (1995), The Insider (1999), Ali (2001), Collateral (2004), Public Enemies (2009), and Ferrari (2023). He also played a key role as executive producer on the popular TV series Miami Vice (1984–90), which he adapted into a 2006 feature film. Mann's work is noted for its authenticity and detail, often working with raw audio and practical effects to accurately present action scenes. His daughter Ami Canaan Mann is also a film director and producer.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Mann graduated from Amundsen High School, then studied English literature at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, followed by a Masters from the London Film School. His passion for the film industry was incited after seeing Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove. He moved to London to attend graduate school in Cinema and began his career in the mid-1960s, working on commercials and notable films including Jaunpuri which won the Jury Prize at Cannes in 1970. Returning to the U.S, Mann wrote episodes for Starsky and Hutch and Vega$. His first feature film was The Jericho Mile, followed by his directorial debut in cinema with Thief. In recent years, Mann is noted for experimenting with digital cameras, filming his action thriller Collateral predominantly with them leading to Academy Award nomination for Jamie Foxx.