Irish filmmaker and playwright Jim Sheridan is one of the most versatile directors of all time. Between 1989 and 1993, Sheridan directed three critically acclaimed films set in Ireland: My Left Foot (1989), The Field (1990), and In the Name of the Father (1993), and later directed the films The Boxer (1997), In America (2003), and Brothers (2009). Sheridan has received six Academy Award nominations for his work. (Plus he even did the 50 Cent biopic!)

This article is part of a special year-long series of anecdotes, reflections and thoughts about the Academy Awards.