M. Night Shyamalan's new film, "The Village," is scheduled for release in theaters nationwide today. He also wrote and directed the suspense films "The Sixth Sense," "Unbreakable" and "Signs," and wrote the screenplay for "Stuart Little," based on the children's book by E.B. White. Shyamalan is often referred to as the new Alfred Hitchcock.
Early years: M. Night Shyamalan was born Manoj Nelliyattu Shyamalan in Madras, India, on Aug. 6, 1970. He and his parents, both doctors, moved to the posh suburban Penn Valley area of Philadelphia. Though all of his relatives were doctors, he took an early interest in filmmaking. Shyamalan received his first Super-8 camera at age 8 and began making films, modeling his career after his hero, Steven Spielberg. By the time Shyamalan was 17, he had made 45 home movies.
Career: In 1992, the same year he graduated from the Tisch School for the Arts at New York University, Shyamalan made his first feature film, "Praying with Anger," which was partly based on his trip back to India. The critical success of this film raised funds for making his second film, "Wide Awake," which he wrote, directed and starred in. Though it failed to do well in the box office, he made a second effort with "The Sixth Sense." This film, starring Bruce Willis, was his career breakthrough and was 1999's No. 2 box office phenomenon, surpassed only by "Star Wars: Episode I."
Family: His father, Nelliate Shyamalan, is a cardiologist; his mother, Jayalakshmi Shyamalan, is an obstetrician. He has one sister, Veena Shyamalan. He married his wife, Bhavna Shyamalan, in 1993, and they have two daughters.
In his words: "My biggest fear in life is to be average."
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Web link: mnight.com
Compiled by Krista Baumann Sources: imdb.com, eonline.com, movies.yahoo.com
