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Born and raised in Taiwan, Ang Lee moved to the United States in 1978. After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in theater from the University of Illinois, he went on to New York University to complete a Masters of Fine Arts Degree in film production. At NYU, his short film Fine Line won Best Director and Best Film awards at the NYU Film Festival.

Lee's first feature film, Pushing Hands, was screened at the 1992 Berlin Film Festival and won Best Film at the Asian-Pacific Film Festival. The film was nominated for nine Golden Horse Awards, the Taiwanese equivalent to the Oscar. It was also the first film in Lee's Father Knows Best trilogy. His next film, The Wedding Banquet, premiered at the 1993 Berlin Festival, where it scored the festival's top prize and went on to international acclaim. The film received Best Foreign Language Film nominations from the Academy Awards and the Golden Globe Awards. The film also received six Independent Spirit Awards. It was the second film in Lee's Father Knows Best trilogy.

Lee's third feature film was the final entry in his trilogy: Eat Drink Man Woman. The film was selected as the opening night feature for the Directors Fortnight series at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival; it was awarded Best Foreign Language Film by the National Board of Review.

In 1995, Lee directed Sense and Sensibility, starring Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman and Hugh Grant. The film, adapted by Emma Thompson from Jane Austen's novel of the same name, was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, winning Best Screenplay Adaptation. The film also received Golden Globe Awards for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. Cited on more than 100 critics' Ten Best lists, the film was named Best Picture by the Boston Film Critics and the National Board of Review. Lee was named Best Director by the New York Film Critics Circle, as well as by the Boston Society of Film Critics. When it was shown at the 1996 Berlin Film Festival, the film won the Festival's top prize.

Ang next directed 1997's The Ice Storm, adapted by James Schamus from Rick Moody's novel. The film starred Joan Allen, Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Christina Ricci and Tobey Maguire. The Ice Storm premiered at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, was selected as the opening night film of the 1997 New York Film Festival and went on to become one of the year's best reviewed films.

Lee's next film was the powerful Civil War drama Ride with the Devil. The film, with a screenplay by James Schamus based on the novel by Daniel Woodrell, starred Tobey Maguire, Skeet Ulrich and Jewel, in her feature film debut.

Ang's most recent film is the critically acclaimed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival 2000 and won Best Picture at the

Toronto Film Festival. Ang received a Golden Globe Award and a Directors Guild Award for Best Director. The film also received awards for Best Original Score by Tan Dun and Best Foreign Language Film. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon won four Academy Awards, including Best Foreign Film.

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