A former film critic (for such magazines as FILM CULTURE, MOVIE and ESQUIRE), Peter Bogdanovich published a series of book-length studies on directors including Howard Hawks, Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock before entering film production under the aegis of Roger Corman. After two pedestrian writing assignments, Bogdanovich was allowed to direct his first film, "Targets" (1968), the initial in a series of critical and financial successes that proved his mastery of a wide range of genres. Highlights were 1971's "The Last Picture Show" (still considered his masterpiece), the screwball comedy, "What's Up, Doc?" (1972) and the Depression-era comedy/drama, "Paper Moon" (1973). Bogdanovich's fortunes began to flag with the ill-conceived costume drama "Daisy Miller" (1974); his subsequent output has been somewhat uneven, and not without its outright flops ("Illegally Yours" 1988). In 1990, "Texasville", a sequel to "The Last Picture Show", was released to mixed reviews.
Peter Bogdanovich