RATINGS: Cast & Crew

DOB: 1961

Background: Hillcoat was born in Queensland, Australia, but raised in Ontario, Canada. His childhood paintings were featured in the Art Gallery of Hamilton.

Filmography: He wrote and directed the Australian films "Ghosts ... of the Civil Dead" (1988) and "To Have & to Hold" (1996), but gained international attention for his Outback-set western "The Proposition" (2005), which he followed with a film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's post-apocalyptic novel "The Road." His latest film, "The Wettest County in the World," will be released later this year.

Australian Film Institute: Nominations - Best Director ("The Proposition," 2005); Best Original Screenplay ("Ghosts ... of the Civil Dead," 1989)