After first entering the entertainment business as a comic writer and performer, writer-director-producer and occasional onscreen performer Barry Levinson developed into a courageous filmmaker who took creative risks while scoring big commercial hits in several different genres. Having formed a comedy duo with actor Craig T. Nelson, Levinson became an Emmy-winning writer for "The Carol Burnett Show" (CBS, 1967-1978) before graduating to independent filmmaking with the poignant semi-autobiographical "Diner" (1982). With "The Natural" (1984), Levinson directed a lasting homage to the greatness of baseball. In the latter half of the decade, Levinson scored two huge hits: the manic comedy-drama "Good Morning, Vietnam" (1987) and the Academy Award-winning drama, "Rain Man" (1988), both of which announced him as one of Hollywood's top directors. Meanwhile, he ventured into television by directing and producing episodes of "Homicide: Life on the Streets" (NBC, 1993-2000) while maintaining a steady onscreen presence with "Bugsy" (1991), "Sleepers" (1996) and "Wag the Dog" (1997). Movies in the 21st century included "Bandits" (2001), "Envy" (2003) and "Man of the Year" (2006).
