Oliver Stone facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Oliver Stone
Stone in 2016
Born	William Oliver Stone (1946-09-15) September 15, 1946 (age 78) New York City, U.S.
Alma mater	Yale University New York University (BFA)
Occupation	Film director screenwriter producer author
Years active	1971–present
Spouse(s)	Najwa Sarkis ​ ​ (m. 1971; div. 1977)​ Elizabeth Burkit Cox ​ ​ (m. 1981; div. 1993)​ Sun-jung Jung ​ (m. 1996)​
Children	3, including Sean Stone
Awards	Full list
Military career
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army United States Merchant Marine
Years of service	1966 (Merchant Marine) 1967–1973 (Army)
Unit	25th Infantry Division 1st Cavalry Division
Battles/wars	Vietnam War

William Oliver Stone (born September 15, 1946) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known for making movies that often deal with important and sometimes debated topics. These topics include the Vietnam War, American politics, and true stories about people's lives.

Oliver Stone has won many awards for his work. These include four Academy Awards (also known as Oscars), a BAFTA Award, and five Golden Globe Awards.

Stone was born in New York City. He later joined the United States Army in 1967 during the Vietnam War. He served in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968 and was wounded twice. His experiences in Vietnam greatly influenced his later films about war.

He started his film career by writing screenplays. Some of his early works include Midnight Express (1978) and Scarface (1983). He became famous as a writer and director with his Vietnam War films. These include Platoon (1986) and Born on the Fourth of July (1989). He won Oscars for Best Director for both of these movies. Other notable films he directed include Wall Street (1987), JFK (1991), and Snowden (2016).

Many of Stone's films look at important American political issues. These movies were often discussed a lot when they were first released. Stone has also made documentaries about world leaders and historical events.

Early life and military service

Stone was born in New York City. His mother was French, and his father was a stockbroker. He grew up in Manhattan and Stamford, Connecticut. His parents met during World War II.

Oliver Stone went to Trinity School and then The Hill School. His parents divorced when he was away at school, which was a big event for him. He often spent summers with his grandparents in France. At 17, he worked in Paris, which later inspired his film Wall Street. He speaks French very well.

After high school, Stone went to Yale University. He left Yale to teach English in South Vietnam for six months. He also worked on a ship in the United States Merchant Marine. He returned to Yale but left again to write a book.

Joining the U.S. Army

In April 1967, Stone joined the United States Army. He asked to serve in the Vietnam War. He was in Vietnam from September 1967 to February 1968. He was part of the 25th Infantry Division and was wounded twice. He later joined the 1st Cavalry Division.

For his service, he received several military awards. These include the Bronze Star for bravery and the Purple Heart (twice) for being wounded. His time in Vietnam deeply influenced his future films.

Awards and honors from military service

(while with the U.S. Army)

Filmmaking career

Starting in the 1970s

Stone in February 1987

Oliver Stone graduated from New York University in 1971 with a degree in film. One of his teachers was the famous director Martin Scorsese. Before becoming a successful filmmaker, he worked many different jobs, like a taxi driver.

In 1979, Stone won his first Oscar for writing the screenplay for Midnight Express. This movie was based on a true story about a prison.

Big successes in the 1980s

Stone wrote other popular films, including Scarface. His career as a director and writer really took off in 1986. He often wrote or co-wrote most of the films he directed.

In 1986, he directed Salvador and his Vietnam War film Platoon. Platoon became very famous. It won many awards, including Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director. It is considered one of the best war films ever made.

Platoon was the first of three films Stone made about the Vietnam War. The others were Born on the Fourth of July and Heaven & Earth. Each film showed a different side of the war. Platoon was based on Stone's own experiences. Born on the Fourth of July told the story of a US Marine who became a peace activist. Heaven & Earth was about a Vietnamese girl whose life was changed by the war.

Stone also directed Wall Street in 1987. This film was about the world of finance. The main actor, Michael Douglas, won an Oscar for his role.

Movies in the 1990s

In 1991, Stone directed The Doors, a movie about the famous rock band. Later, he directed JFK, a very ambitious and talked-about film about the assassination of John F. Kennedy. This movie was shown to the U.S. Congress and helped lead to a law about releasing assassination records.

Stone also directed Nixon in 1995, a movie about former President Richard Nixon. In 1999, he directed Any Given Sunday, which was about an American football team.

Films in the 2000s and 2010s

Stone and Argentina's President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, January 14, 2009

After making many films quickly, Stone slowed down in the 2000s. In 2004, he directed Alexander, a movie about Alexander the Great. He later re-edited this film several times.

In 2006, Stone directed World Trade Center. This film was based on the true story of two policemen who survived the September 11 attacks. He also directed W. in 2008, a film about former President George W. Bush.

Oliver Stone with Rino Barillari in Rome – September 25, 2012

In 2010, Stone made a sequel to Wall Street, called Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. In 2016, he directed Snowden, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Edward Snowden. This movie was about a whistleblower who revealed secret government information.

The cast of Snowden speaking at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con International

Recent work in the 2020s

In 2020, Oliver Stone announced he would mostly focus on documentaries. He released his first memoir, Chasing the Light, which tells about his early life and filmmaking career.

Documentaries and other projects

Stone with Hugo Chávez at the Venice International Film Festival, July 9, 2009

Oliver Stone has made several documentaries. He made three films about Fidel Castro, the former leader of Cuba. He also made Persona Non Grata, which explored relations between Israel and Palestine.

In 2009, Stone released South of the Border. This documentary looked at the rise of left-wing governments in Latin America. It featured several presidents who were critical of U.S. foreign policy.

In 2012, Stone co-wrote, directed, and narrated a documentary miniseries called Oliver Stone's Untold History of the United States. This series explored different parts of American history.

He also produced Ukraine on Fire (2016), a documentary about the history of divisions in Ukraine. In 2017, Stone released The Putin Interviews, a series of interviews with Russian president Vladimir Putin.

In 2021, his documentary JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass was shown at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. He also produced Qazaq: History of the Golden Man, a film about the former leader of Kazakhstan.

Directorial style

Many of Stone's films focus on important American political issues. These films often combine different camera styles and film types within the same scene. You can see this in movies like JFK (1991) and Natural Born Killers (1994).

Personal life

Family

Oliver Stone and his wife Sun-jung Jung at the 2018 Fajr International Film Festival in Tehran

Oliver Stone has been married three times. His first marriage was to Najwa Sarkis. He then married Elizabeth Burkit Cox, and they had two sons, Sean Stone and Michael Jack. Sean has appeared in some of his father's films. Stone is currently married to Sun-jung Jung from South Korea, and they have a daughter named Tara.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and honors

Honors

• Commander of the Order of Intellectual Merit (Morocco, 2003)
• 2007: Lifetime Achievement Award of Zurich Film Festival

See also

In Spanish: Oliver Stone para niños

• The Untold History of the United States