Nolan, Christopher Jonathan James (1970– )

English film director and screenwriter. He first became known for the fast-paced, gritty thriller Memento (2000), which he wrote and directed. He followed with Insomnia (2002; director), a remake of a 1997 Norwegian thriller, and Batman Begins (2005; screenwriter and director), part of the series of films based on the popular comic.

He wrote, directed, shot, edited, and produced his first full length feature, Following (1998), a low budget black-and-white film that nevertheless established his career through critical acclaim and several awards, including the Rotterdam International Film Festival's Tiger Award and the Slamdance Film Festival Black-and-White Award. This set him up for Memento, an innovative and psychological film noir about a man set on revenge but struggling to compensate for his lack of short-term memory.

He was born in London, England, to a British father and US mother, and began shooting films at the age of seven using action figures and his father's Super 8mm camera. He studied English literature and was a member of the film society at University College London. He created several short surreal science-fiction films, including Tarantella, broadcast by the US Public Broadcasting System (PBS) network in 1989, Larceny, aired at the Cambridge Film Festival in 1996, and Doodlebug (1997).