Sir Christopher Nolan is a British/American filmmaker. He has won many awards and is considered to be one of the most significant and talented filmmakers of the 21st century. 

Born in Westminster, London, on July 30 1970, Nolan was raised alongside his two brothers. Heavily inspired by the works of Ridley Scott, Nolan began making films at the age of 7, using action figures to create stop-motion videos. He continued to make films with his classmates from prep school, with Nolan and Roko Belic’s 1989 film Taranella being broadcast on the Public Broadcasting Service’s Image Union independent film showcase. 

After graduating from University College London in 1993, Nolan worked many jobs in the film industry. He directed a series of short films before releasing his debut film, Following, in 1998. The film won many awards during its festival run and launched Nolan’s career. His second film, Memento (2000), based on a short story by his brother Jonathan,  is what really put his name on the map. Nolan and his wife, Emma, founded the production studio Syncopy in 2001. In the next few years, he went on to direct Insomnia (2002), Troy (2004), The Dark Knight Trilogy (2005-2012), The Prestige (2006), and Inception (2010). 

He continued to see success with films like Interstellar (2014), Dunkirk (2017), and Tenet (2020). His most recent film, Oppenheimer (2023) became the third-highest grossing film of 2023, earning almost $976 million. It also won 7 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. 

Throughout his career, Nolan has been nominated and won numerous awards. His work has also been considered culturally significant enough for the US Library of Congress to preserve Memento, The Dark Knight, and Inception in the National Film Registry. He was knighted in 2024 after being appointed as a CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire). In 2025, Nolan was elected President of the Directors Guild of America. 

He is currently working on The Odyssey, which is set to release later this year on July 17.