Michael Cimino was an American film director, screenwriter, producer and author. Cimino was born in New York City and graduated from Yale University in 1963. Beginning his career filming commercials, he moved to Los Angeles to take up screenwriting in 1971. After co-writing the script of Magnum Force and Silent Running, he wrote the preliminary script Thunderbolt and Lightfoot. Clint Eastwood read the script and sent it to his personal production company, which allowed Cimino to direct the film. After its success, Cimino co-wrote, directed, and produced the 1978 Academy Award-winning film The Deer Hunter. His next film, Heaven's Gate, proved to be a financial failure. Cimino directed four movies after Heaven's Gate, but none were as successful as The Deer Hunter.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Cimino