Because of his start as a writer, actor and teacher in theater, filmmaker Anthony Minghella directed some of the most emotionally compelling films of the late-20th century and beyond. Ever since his directorial debut, "Truly Madly Deeply" (1990), it was evident that Minghella was on a path to make films of extraordinary depth and richly-textured nuance. When he made his multi-Academy Award winning epic, "The English Patient" (1996), Minghella's status as a top shelf writer-director who was able to compel great performances from actors was only confirmed. He continued forging his legacy with strong adaptations of difficult novels, "The Talented Mr. Ripley" (1999) and "Cold Mountain" (2003), both of which earned critical kudos and numerous award nominations. After delving into opera with a 2005 staging of "Madame Butterfly" and helming the sub-par comedy-drama, "Breaking and Entering" (2006), Minghella's artistic output was cut short at the age of 54, when he died suddenly from a fatal brain hemorrhage. But he left behind a strong, yet incomplete body of work that would long rival the great directors of any generation.