About
Miloš Forman, born Jan Tomáš Forman in Čáslav, Czechoslovakia, was a leading figure of the Czechoslovak New Wave before emigrating to the United States after the 1968 Soviet invasion. Orphaned at a young age (his parents died in concentration camps), he studied at FAMU in Prague. His early films, such as Loves of a Blonde (1965) and The Firemen's Ball (1967), were Oscar-nominated. In America, he achieved critical and commercial success with One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), which swept the five major Oscars, and Amadeus (1984), which won eight. His work explores individual rebellion against authority, with films like Hair (1979), Man on the Moon (1999), and Goya's Ghosts (2006).
* 1932-02-18 — † 2018-04-13
Major works
- Black Peter (1963)film
- Loves of a Blonde (1965)film
- The Firemen's Ball (1967)film
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)film
- Amadeus (1984)film
Key milestones
- 1975One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest wins all five major Oscars (Picture, Director, Screenplay, Actor, Actress).
- 1984Amadeus wins eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
- 2013Receives the Directors Guild of America Lifetime Achievement Award.
Themes
Rebellion against authorityIndividual freedomExile and identityArt and creativityHumor and social satire
Sources: arts.columbia.edu · carnegie.org
