Mark Romanek was born in Chicago in 1959 and was inspired to become a filmmaker after seeing Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey at a young age. While he directed feature films like One Hour Photo, Romanek is best known for his innovative music videos for artists such as Jay-Z, Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Nine Inch Nails. Romanek's gritty and surreal directorial style is evident in acclaimed videos such as "Hurt" by Johnny Cash and "Closer" by Nine Inch Nails, both of which are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.