Neil Jordan was born in Sligo County, Ireland on February 25, 1950. Jordan began his career as an acclaimed fiction writer. In 1981 he entered the film industry as a script consultant on John Boorman's Excalibur. In 1982 he wrote and directed his first film, a crime drama called "Angel". But it wasn't until 1986 that he received real success, when at the Cannes Film Festival, "Mona Lisa" was shown in competition. Staring Bob Hoskins who received numerous honours, including a BAFTA award. In 1988 and 1989 his reputation suffered with "High Spirits" and "We're no Angels," two comedies that both proved to be massive disappointments in the U.S, but in 1992 his career was truly established with the "Crying Game." He received a score of honours for the film, including an Oscar and a New York Film Critics Circle Award for his screenplay. Next came two highly popular films, "Interview with the Vampire" and "Michael Collins". Next he returned to the realm of psychological terror with "The Butcher Boy." After a disappointing Hollywood outing, the thriller "In Dreams," Jordan resurfaced later that year with, "The End of The Affair."