Mr. Cimino was born in New York City in 1939. He attended Yale University and upon graduating quickly found work in advertising. After setting his sights higher, he moved to Los Angeles to become a screenwriter, co-writing the Dirty Harry film Magnum Force. Cimino caught the eye of star Clint Eastwood, who bought the script for Cimino's directorial debut- Thunderbolt and Lightfoot. The success of the film made Cimino a hot product in Hollywood at a time when studios were finding great success in giving directors full latitude in all aspects of their films, which led to his masterpiece- The Deer Hunter. The film would earn five Academy Awards including two for Mr. Cimino.
While Mr. Cimino was able to take advantage of the unprecedented freedom given to directors in the 1970's, some blame his next project for ending everything in 1980. Heaven's Gate was a huge critical and box office disaster, resulting in the collapse of United Artists and the end of the freedom given to directors in the 1970's by the major studios.
Cimino left Hollywood and did little work afterwards. In recent years, his biggest flop was being re-evaluated by critics and audiences and saw a hugely successful DVD reissue in a Director's Cut version.
