Phil Alden Robinson

Phil Alden Robinson, born on March 1, 1950, is an acclaimed American film director and screenwriter. With a career spanning multiple decades, Robinson's filmography includes celebrated classics such as 'Field of Dreams', 'Sneakers', and 'The Sum of All Fears'. Born and raised in Long Beach, New York, he showed a keen interest in film and scriptwriting from a young age, inspired by his father, a drama critic for the New York Journal American. Robinson graduated from Union College in Schenectady, New York, with a bachelor's degree in political science and later received an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the same institution in 1996. Throughout his career, Robinson's work has been recognized by major industry bodies, with his movie 'Field of Dreams' earning him nominations for the Directors Guild of America Award, the Writers Guild of America Award, and an Oscar for Best Screenplay Adaption. His TV drama 'Freedom Song' won the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Longform Screenplay and garnered a slew of other nominations. Evidence of his influential role within the industry can be seen in his roles as Vice President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and as a past board member of the Writers Guild of America. Apart from his filmography, Robinson is well recognized for his philanthropic ventures, including his work as an observer on relief missions for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, which led to him writing and directing five documentaries for ABC News Nightline.