An American director who was born on February 3, 1939, in New York. He obtained a BFA in painting from Yale University (1961) and then a master's degree from New Haven University (1963) before he began directing advertisements for television. In 1971, he moved to Los Angeles, where he ventured into writing scripts. He is best known for The Deer Hunter (1978), Desperate Hours (1990), and The Sunchaser (1996). He passed away on July 2, 2016 at the age of 77.