Oliver Stone  (born September 15, 1946) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer.  Stone came to public prominence between the mid-1980’s and the early 1990’s for writing and directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, in which he had participated as an infantry soldier.  Many of Stone’s films primarily focus on controversial American political issues during the late 20th century, which they were considered dangerous at the time of its release.  Stone has received three Academy Awards for his work on the films Midnight Express, Platoon, and Born on the Fourth of July.  (More from Wikipedia)