Robert Zemeckis (born May 14, 1952) is an American movie director, producer and writer. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Zemeckis graduated from the University of Southern California's School of Cinema-Television. Propelled forward after winning a student Academy Award for his film, A Field of Honor, he went on to write and direct many films which have won numerous awards.

He often works with composer Alan Silvestri and writer Bob Gale.

He is known for his innovative use of special effects, especially in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which combined live action seamlessly with traditional animation, and Forrest Gump, in which he placed Tom Hanks in scenes with well-known historical figures such as John F. Kennedy. His most recent project, 2004's The Polar Express, based on the children's book by Chris Van Allsburg, utilized a revolutionary computer animation technique known as performance capture, whereby the movements of the actors are captured digitally and used as the basis for the animated characters.

Since becoming a well-known Hollywood director, he has been nominated for and won several awards, including an Academy Award for directing Forrest Gump in 1994.

Selected filmography

• The Polar Express (2004)
• Cast Away (2000)
• What Lies Beneath (2000)
• Contact (1997)
• Forrest Gump (1994)
• Death Becomes Her (1992)
• Back to the Future Part III (1990)
• Back to the Future Part II (1989)
• Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
• Back to the Future (1985)
• Romancing the Stone (1984)
• Used Cars (1980)
• I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978)
• A Field of Honor (1973)
• The Lift (1972)

External links

• Online Video, Full Biography, and Photo Gallery at Achievement.org