Robert Altman
Robert Bernard Altman (February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. Altman developed a reputation for being "anti-Hollywood" and non-conformist in both his themes and directing style. Actors especially enjoyed working under his direction because he encouraged them to improvise, thereby inspiring their own creativity. He developed a multitrack recording technique which produced overlapping dialogue from multiple actors. Critic Pauline Kael, writing about his directing style, said that Altman could "make film fireworks out of next to nothing."
