Robert Bernard Altman was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. A five time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director and an enduring figure from the New Hollywood era, Altman was considered a "maverick" in making films that are highly naturalistic, but with a stylized perspective unlike most Hollywood films. He is consistently ranked as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in history. His style of filmmaking was unique among directors in that his subjects covered most genres but with a "subversive" twist, typically relying on satire and humor to express his personal vision. Altman developed a reputation for being "anti-Hollywood" and non-conformist in both his themes and directing style. However, actors especially enjoyed working under his direction because he encouraged them to improvise, thereby inspiring their own creativity. He preferred large casts for his films, and developed a multitrack recording technique which produced overlapping dialogue from multiple actors. This produced a more natural, more dynamic, and more complex experience for the viewer. 

February 20th, 1925 in Kansas City  /  Died:   Nov 20th, 2006 - at the age of 81