D. W. Griffith
director, 1875-1948
"David Wark Griffith is considered as one of the most important filmmakers of his generation. He pioneered the feature-length movie and cinematic techniques, such as the close-up. His film ""The Birth of a Nation"" (1915) broke box-office records, but also attracted controversy over its racist content. Several of Griffith's later films, although critically successful, were commercial failures. He had made roughly 500 films by the time of his final feature, ""The Struggle"" (1931). Together with artists like Charlie Chaplin he founded United Artists in order to evade the control of the studios. Griffith was also among the founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences."
Source: Wikipedia