Milos Forman was born in 1932 in Czechoslovakia, where he grew up during World War Two and the soviet domination that happened afterwards. He studied screenwriting at the Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts in Prague. Shortly after completing his studies Forman started directing shorts and feature films in his country, some of which were banned by the soviet censorship.
His first American film was Taking Off (1971) which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the Palme d`Or, giving him worldwide recognition. In 1975, Forman directed One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (1975), one the most popular adaptations of American movie history. The film won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
His subsequent filmography includes many award winning masterpieces such as Amadeus (1984), which won eight Academy Awards, The People VS Larry Flint (1996) and Man on the Moon (1999).
In 1997, Milos Forman received the John Huston Award from the Film Foundation for his efforts to protect and promote the rights of artists against unauthorized film alteration. In 2008, Forman was honored by the Directors Guild of America for his body of work as a filmmaker and his conviction and activism as a long-time champion of artists rights.
Forman died in April 2018.
