Woody Allen

Woody Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg) is a filmmaker, writer and actor best known for directing and starring in films like Annie Hall, Manhattan and Sleeper. Allen grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and demonstrated an interest in comedy from a young age. He began writing jokes for newspapers and TV shows as a teenager and later attended New York University and City College of New York but did not graduate from either.

Allen started as a comedy writer and stand-up comic in the 1950s before moving into screenwriting. He made his directorial debut with What’s Up, Tiger Lily? in 1966 and found early success with films like Take the Money and Run (1969) and Bananas (1970). By the 1970s, he became known for his distinctive directing style and neurotic, intellectual characters.

He has written and directed over 50 films including Annie Hall (1977), which won four Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director. Other notable works include Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) and Blue Jasmine (2013). He has won four Oscars and received over 20 nominations throughout his career.

Allen has been romantically linked to Harlene Rosen, Louise Lasser and Mia Farrow, with whom he adopted two children, including Dylan Farrow (born in 1985) and Moses Farrow (born in 1978). He married Soon-Yi Previn, Farrow’s adopted daughter, in 1997. The couple has two adopted daughters, Bechet (born in 1999) and Manzie (born in 2000).