American film director, screenwriter and producer, born 5 February 1943 in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Born at 12:45am-CWT.
Michael attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison and received a B.A. in English. He went to the UK in 1965 to study film and graduated from the London International Film School. After gaining first working experiences in TV and film production Mann returned to the USA in 1971.
Was Will Smith s personal choice to direct Ali . Spike Lee campaigned vigorously against Mann, saying that only a black director could do Alis story justice.
Father of director Ami Canaan Mann and production designer Aran Mann.
Has an impressive knowledge of criminality and police procedures gained through empirical research in law enforcement.
Was a close friend of legendary author Edward Bunker , since they both worked together on an adaptation of his novel "No Beast So Fierce", published in 1973. It later became the screenplay for Straight Time , but Mann is not credited anymore as a writer.
Is one of Robert De Niro s favourite directors.
Directed Manhunter , the first Hannibal Lecter film based on the novel "Red Dragon", published by author Thomas Harris in 1981. Brett Ratner s Red Dragon is the second film based on the novel. Both films share the cinematographer Dante Spinotti and the (executive) producer Dino De Laurentiis but are very different adaptations.
Member of the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Directors Branch) [2000-2006]
In 1985, sued William Friedkin for plagiarism, claiming that Friedkin stole the entire concept of "Miami Vice" when he made the movie To Live and Die in L.A. (which, ironically, starred William Petersen , who later played Will Graham in Manhunter ). Mann lost the lawsuit. Despite this, the two directors are close friends nowadays. Friedkin even tease Mann in several interviews by saying "Michael Mann is one of my favorite directors because he tries to make films like mine!".
He was executive producer of the "Miami Vice" TV series and among other things greatly responsible for the shows unique look and feel.
Tried to make an epic film about drug-trade in Southern California with screenwriter Shane Salerno. But they abandoned the project after Steven Soderberghs rival project, Traffic , got green-lighted.
Michael Mann listed in BFIs Sight and Sound Poll 2002 the following 10 films as the best ever: John Ford s My Darling Clementine , Sergei M. Eisenstein s Bronenosets Potemkin (1925) , F.W. Murnau s Faust: Eine deutsche Volkssage (1926) , Francis Ford Coppola s Apocalypse Now , Sam Peckinpah s The Wild Bunch , Alain Resnais Lanne dernire Marienbad , Carl Theodor Dreyer s La passion de Jeanne dArc , Martin Scorsese s Raging Bull , Orson Welles Citizen Kane and Stanley Kubrick s Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb .
Frequently uses the "thumbs up" sign after he feels that last take was the one.
During production of Manhunter , he wanted Francis Dollarhyde (Tom Noonan ) to have a tattoo of William Blake s "Red Dragon" painting on his back, but ended up discarding the idea after deciding the tattoo trivialized Dollarhydes inner struggles. In Red Dragon , the second adaptation of Thomas Harris s novel, director Brett Ratner decided to include the tattoo and the subplot about Blakes painting "The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed with the Sun" (ca.1803-1805).
Directed four different performers in Oscar-nominated performances: Russell Crowe , Will Smith , Jon Voight and Jamie Foxx.
Has Ukrainian roots from his fathers side.
Owns a house in the canals of Fort Lauderdale, Fl, which was used in some "Miami Vice" TV scenes.
As of 2007, he has used Mick Gould as a technical advisor on three of his films: Heat , Collateral and Miami Vice . For all three of these films, Gould served as a weapons trainer, instructing cast members how to properly handle firearms.
Was 38 years old when he released his first feature film.
Is a friend of independent film director Abel Ferrara. Ferrara directed at the beginning of his career 2 episodes of executive producer Manns popular TV series "Miami Vice" and the pilot of Manns second TV series "Crime Story".
President of the Official Competition jury at the 69th Venice International Film Festival in 2012.
Announced that he will direct and co produce with George Clooney Gates of Fire, based on the epic Greek Battle of Thermopylae in 480BC when 300 Spartan warriors held back rampaging soldiers from the Persian Empire for six days before being slaughtered.
Went to Gonzaga College High School in Washington DC.
Is the brother of Kevin Mann
Class president of high school, 2004
That hope for an outcome, that transcendence, is what the show is,really about.
Miami is one of these great places that is a really sensual, physically beautiful place. .
