Roland Emmerich

Born in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Roland Emmerich showed an interest in the arts from a young age, painting and sculpting, and enrolling in the director's program at film school in Munich. He made a name for himself with his 1981 student film The Noah's Ark Principle, the most expensive student film made in Germany, which became a huge success and was sold to more than 20 countries. Forming his own production company he produced the 1985 supernatural film Making Contact (a.k.a Joey) which showcased his knowledge of special effects. Crossing the Atlantic Ocean to make mainstream studio films, his first release, the 1990  sci-fi thriller Moon 44 was a bad start, but his 1992 action film Universal Soldier was the beginning of a string of hits.