Date of Birth: 26 October 1951 - Brooklyn, New York City

theOscarSite Bio: Julian Schnabel grew up in a Russian-Jewish neighborhood near Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn. By three he was already painting, and by nine was studying at the Brooklyn Museum of Art He received his B.F.A. from the University of Houston in 1973, and that same year returned to New York to attend the Whitney Museum's Independent Study program for young artists.

In 1975, Schnabel had his first solo show at the Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston. Over the next few years he traveled frequently to Europe, where he was enormously impressed by the work of Antoni Gaudi, Cy Twombly and Joseph Beuys.

It was with his first solo show, at the Mary Boone Gallery in 1979, however, that Schnabel would truly come to be regarded as a major new force in the art world. Here he exhibited his now famous "plate paintings" -- large-scale paintings set on broken ceramic plates that created a striking tangle of dinnerware and plaster. Critical response to the exhibition was as boisterous as it was divided. But what was beyond doubt was the vibrancy that Schnabel brought to the art scene. Using kabuki theatrical sets, velvet and animal hides, his bold, somewhat confrontational style recalled the energy and daring of Picasso and Pollock.

Beyond the work, there was also the figure of Julian Schnabel himself. With a booming stock market driving up prices for contemporary art to unprecedented levels, artists were being transformed into a new kind of media star. Schnabel, brash and outspoken, reviled and adored, came to epitomize this resurgence of American art as part of popular culture.

Schnabel's entry into filmmaking was 1996's BASQUIAT (aka BUILD A FORT, SET IT ON FIRE), for which he wrote the script, composed the music and directed. Not surprisingly, it tells the story of the meteoric rise of a youthful street artist in the New York art world. The film received a Special Recognition Award from the National Board of Review for excellence in filmmaking.

He followed this in 2000 with BEFORE NIGHT FALLS / ANTES QUE ANOCHEZCA, an episodic look at the life of Cuban poet and novelist, Reinaldo Arenas (1943-1990), from his childhood in Oriente province to his death in New York City. Javier Bardem's performance as Arenas and Schnabel's direction were honored with awards and nominations worldwide, including a 2001 Academy Award® nomination for Best Actor for Bardem.

2007 saw the release of LE SCAPHANDRE ET LE PAPILLON / THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY, the story of ELLE France editor Jean-Dominique Bauby, who suffered a stroke at the age of 43 and, using his left eye only, blinked out his memoir. It proved to be Schnabel's most widely praised film to date, receiving 4 Oscar® nominations and netting Schnabel the Best Director Award at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and a 2008 Golden Globe Award. SCAPHANDRE drew awards from film festivals and critics' societies in Europe and the US.

In 200y, Schnabel released his most recent film, LOU REED'S BERLIN, a documentary about Reed's 2006 live concert performances of his 1973 concept album "Berlin", filmed over five nights at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn, NY.

Schnabel is married to actress and producer Olatz López Garmendia.

· Achievement in Directing 2007: LE SCAPHANDRE ET LE PAPILLON (THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY)