Steven Soderbergh won an Oscar Award for Best Director for his 2000 ensemble drama Traffic. He had earned dual Best Director Oscar nominations that year, also receiving one for Erin Brockovich, starring Julia Roberts in her Oscar-winning performance.
Soderbergh had earlier gained an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay for sex, lies, and videotape, which marked his feature film directorial debut. The film also won the Palme d’Or at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival.
Most recently, he directed The Informant, starring Matt Damon. A true story, the movie is based on the FBI’s investigation of price-fixing at Archer Daniels Midland, one of the largest agri-businesses in the world. Among his other credits are Che, Ocean’s Thirteen, The Good German, Bubble, Ocean’s Twelve, Solaris, Full Frontal, Ocean’s Eleven, The Limey, Out of Sight, Gray’s Anatomy, Schizopolis, The Underneath, King of the Hill and Kafka.
He also wrote, directed, photographed and edited “Equilibrium,” starring
Alan Arkin, Robert Downey, Jr. and Ele Keats, which was one of a trio of short eroticism-themed films released as Eros. Michelangelo Antonioni and Wong Kar-wai directed the other two segments. The film had its premiere at the 2004 Venice Film Festival.
In addition, Soderbergh has produced or executive produced a wide range of features. Most recently he produced Solitary Man, directed by Brian Koppelman and David Levien and executive produced I’m Not There, directed by Todd Haynes and starring Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger and Ben Whishaw; Michael Clayton, directed by Tony Gilroy and starring George Clooney and the documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, directed by Marina Zenovich.
Other producer or executive producer credits include Gregory Jacobs’ films Wind Chill and Criminal; George Clooney’s Good Night and Good Luck and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind; A Scanner Darkly, directed by Richard Linklater; Rumor Has It… directed by Rob Reiner; Syriana, directed by Stephen Gaghan; Lodge Kerrigan’s Keane, which played at the Telluride, Toronto and New York Film Festivals; John Maybury’s The Jacket; Far From Heaven, directed by Todd Haynes; Insomnia, directed by Christopher Nolan; Anthony and Joseph Russo’s Welcome to Collinwood; Gary Ross’ Pleasantville and Greg Mottola’s The Daytrippers.