Educated at Yale and New York University.
Born at 9:58am-EDT
Did a tour of duty in Vietnam.
In Vietnam Stone won the Bronze Star for Valor and the Purple Heart with First Oak Leaf Cluster. Stone was jailed for marijuana possession in Mexico at the age of 21.
Children: With Elizabeth Stone (divorced) Sean Stone, Michael Jack Stone. With Chong Son Chong (girlfriend), Tara Chong Stone.
His father Lou Stone was a successfully stockbroker on Wall Street then he suffered some financial setbacks due to bad investments and a bitter divorce to Oliver's mother Jacqueline. The movie Wall Street is supposed to be modeled after Lou.
Oliver's father met his mother while he was in Eisenhower's cabinet in WWII in France. As a child Oliver was raised by a nanny because his mother frequently took vacations to France. Oliver grew up as a child of privilege.
Arrested for drunken driving and possession of hashish. [June 1999]
Says he kicked a cocaine habit by moving to France while writing Scarface (1983).
Friends with Lloyd Kaufman, founder and president of Troma.
Speaks French fluently.
Underwent infantry training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
Shares the exact same birthday as good friend and star of some his films, Tommy Lee Jones. Both were born on September 15, 1946.
The same drum theme playing in the beginning of "JFK" (for which he was a producer), plays three times in "The Day Reagan Was Shot" ( for which he was an executive producer).
Is a friend and admirer of Cuban Premier Fidel Castro, and recently shot a documentary about the world's longest reigning Communist leader, titled Comandante (2003). It was to air on HBO in May 2003, but due to protests by anti-Castro Cuban-American activists, it was shelved until 2003.
Directed two comedians/comic actors in their first and only dramatic roles; John Candy in JFK (1991) and Rodney Dangerfield in Natural Born Killers (1994).
On September 14, 1967 he left for Vietnam and was assigned to the 2nd Platoon of Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Infantry, stationed near the Cambodian border as "Private Bill Stone" (fearing that "Oliver" was too effeminate).
Wrote a collegiate letter of recommendation for Claire Danes when she applied for Stone's alma mater, Yale University. She was quickly accepted.
Often talks about the experience of his father Louis Stone taking him to lose his virginity to a prostitute in his mid-teens.
Was voted the 43rd Greatest Director of all time by Entertainment Weekly.
All the feature-length commercial films he's directed have been rated "R", except for Seizure (1974), which was rated "PG".
His mother is French.
Was taught by Martin Scorsese at New York University Film School.
His 11-minute student film made at NYU is called 'Last Year in Viet Nam'.
As of 2004, Oliver stone is attached to direct several projects. "Spite House", which he wrote and will direct about Vietnam. "The Fountainhead", based on the Ayn Rand novel. "Lennon", a biopic of 'John Lennon' , and a biopic of Margaret Thatcher, and a biopic of sorts about an attempted assassination plot by the Republican party against FDR in the 1930s. Plus a script is being written specifically for Stone to direct.
Directed 8 different actors in Oscar-nominated performances: James Woods, Tom Berenger, Willem Dafoe, Michael Douglas, Tom Cruise, Tommy Lee Jones, Anthony Hopkins and Joan Allen. Douglas won an Academy Award for Wall Street (1987).
Known for the political content of his films, Stone was a member of the Class of 1968 at Yale University along with Clinton administration adviser Strobe Talbot and future President George W. Bush (John F. Kerry was also there at the same as Stone, though he was several classes ahead of '68). Stone left Yale after only one year (he failed all his second semester freshman classes) and ended up joining the military and fighting in Vietnam. He never returned to graduate from Yale.
Was attached to direct "American Psycho" with Leonardo DiCaprio in talks to star as Patrick Bateman. After DiCaprio left the project to make "The Beach", Stone abandoned ship.
Received two Academy Award nominations for best original screenplay in the same year (1987 - Salvador & Platoon) but lost to Woody Allen for Hannah and Her Sisters.
Has directed 4 actors into best lead role nominations, and 3 actors to best supporting role nominations. Lead roles were James Woods (Salvador), Michael Douglas (Wall Street), Tom Cruise (Born On The Fourth of July), and Anthony Hopkins (Nixon). Supporting roles were Willem Dafoe & Tom Berenger (Platoon) and Tommy Lee Jones (JFK).
Attended the first Ivy League Film Festival at Brown University in 2002 where he gave a conference to then-college student Kai Wong.
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