Martin Scorsese is an influential American film director born in 1942. He is renowned for directing iconic films like Taxi Driver and The Departed, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Scorsese has also won several Golden Globes and has been nominated for many other awards. He taught filmmaking at NYU and his students included Jonathan Kaplan and Oliver Stone. Scorsese is considered one of the greatest American directors of all time due to his impact on Hollywood and memorable films across different genres.