Woody Allen

Allen tied the nuptial knot thrice, first to Harlene Rose (1954-59), then to Louise Lasser (1966-69) and lastly to Soon Yi Previn (1997-present).

He is said to have shared romantic liaisons with a few others namely Diana Keaton, Stacey Nelkin and Mia Farrow.

He has two adopted daughters, Bechet Dumaine (1999) and Manzie Tio (2000).

Born as Allan Stewart Konigsberg to Nettie and Martin Konigsberg, Woody Allen was the first child of the two children of the couple. His sister, Letty, was born in 1943.

Allen’s childhood was not a very remarkable one - the tempestuous relationship of his parents and the temperamental nature of his mother Nettie left a bad impact on young Allen.

He changed various schools and educational institutes at a young age before enrolling himself at the Midwood High School. Allen was not particularly interested in course curriculum and instead showed greater interest in extra-curricular activities.

At the age of seventeen, Allen legally changed his name to Heywood Allen with an aim to salvage himself from the ill treatment meted out to him at the inter-faith summer camps by other children of different race and creed.

Post high school, he attended New York University, where he studied communication and film. After a brief stint at the City College in New York, where he flunked out, Allen switched to self-study.

Endowed with an exemplary skill for writing gags, Allen’s career took shape when he was still in high school. He started writing monologues and became a full time humourist.

His career took-off in the year 1954 when he assisted Caesar in writing scripts for shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show, and the rest. It was during this time that Allen’s writing style took a definite form.

Allen inherited the nature of work wanderlust from his father, jumping from one project to the other when he got bored. As such, in 1961, he tried his hand at stand-up comedy, his debut being at a Greenwich Village Club, called Duplex.

The sharp wit, concise one-liners, and boxer timing helped Allen bring innovation and style in the genre of comedy monologues. His stand-up comedy was considered influential as was his move of posing as a neurotic, nervous and intellectual persona in the stand-up routine. It was due to this that he secured himself regular gigs at the nightclubs and in television.

He next took to writing short stories and eventually became a playwright. Most of the early comic fictions written by Allen have been inspired by the pun-ridden humor of S. J Perelman.

“Annie Hall” marked Allen’s walk to fame. It not only garnered a lot of critical acclaim and positive response but went on to win four Academy Awards. What’s more, the film is ranked at No. 35 on the American Film Institute's "100 Best Movies" and at No. 4 on the AFI list of "100 Best Comedies."

“Match Point” significantly enhanced Allen’s reputation as a film-maker. The film earned more than $23 million domestically and over $62 million at international box office.

Till date, “Midnight in Paris” is Allen’s most successful film at the box office in United States. 93% of critics at Rotten Tomatoes have given the film a thumbs-up. It has earned more than $56 million in North America, thus becoming the highest grossing film of Allen. It won numerous awards, including Golden Globe Award, Academy Awards and Goya Award (Spanish equivalent of Academy Award).