Stefan Ruzowitzky

Highest Rated: 93% The Counterfeiters (2007)

Lowest Rated: 7% All the Queen's Men (2001)

Birthday: Dec 25, 1961

Birthplace: Vienna, Austria

Many foreign writer-directors come to the attention of North American audiences after their film is a beneficiary of a Best Foreign Feature Oscar. Such was the case in 2009 for Austrian filmmaker Stefan Ruzowitzky with the 2007 World War II drama "The Counterfeiters." Based on the fascinating true story of a counterfeiting ring set up by the Nazis, it was an artistic masterpiece of unified story, performance, and production design; Ruzowitzky himself adapted the source Adolf Burger book into screenplay form. In 2001, he made the forgotten war comedy "All the Queen's Men," starring "Friends" TV series regular Matt LeBlanc. Following his success with "The Counterfeiters," the filmmaker made the family drama "Lilly the Witch" before setting up another high-profile vehicle, this time with Ben Kingsley and Noomi Rapace. The horror tale tells the story of a ship doomed to disaster as it transports the coffin of Count Dracula from England to Transylvania.