Born in
Rome, Gabriele Muccino started his studies at
Sapienza University of Rome in
Italian literature but dropped out of University to pursue a career as a director. His first on-set film experience was as a volunteer director's assistant. This inspired his passion for filmmaking and led him to take courses in screenwriting and enroll in a directing program at
Rome's Experimental Cinematography Institute. While there, Muccino created a few short films that were aired on Italian television. He then began directing a number of documentaries. Following these accomplishments, Muccino was given the opportunity to direct a segment of the Italian
anthology film Intolerance (1996).
But Forever in My Mind was the next film he directed, starring his younger brother
Silvio. Muccino's third feature film,
The Last Kiss, directed in 2001, was the breakthrough that brought him international attention. The film's success led to Muccino signing a two-picture deal with Miramax. His success continued to grow with his next film,
Remember Me, My Love in 2003. He has currently made the switch to directing
Hollywood films after
The Last Kiss won the Audience Award for World Cinema at the 2002
Sundance Film Festival bringing him to the attention of the American film industry. Muccino was personally chosen by
Will Smith to serve as the director of
The Pursuit of Happyness. Muccino said in an interview afterwards, "Will had to defend me as a choice to the studio; I could barely speak English and could barely express my vision. I felt protected and that I could push my ideas even when they weren't totally conventional. The reason I found respect, and respect for my ideas, was because of Will." Muccino also directed Smith's later film
Seven Pounds.
Playing for Keeps was his next major work, starring
Gerard Butler,
Dennis Quaid and
Uma Thurman. Muccino's next film
Fathers and Daughters also features A-list celebrities such as
Amanda Seyfried,
Russell Crowe, and
Aaron Paul. One of his latest movies,
Summertime, is a coming of age story of two Italian teenagers traveling to the States for the first time during the summer between high school and college. ==Awards and nominations==