Martin Scorsese: the obsession, accomplishment and glory - Martin Scorsese has won many awards and is one of the most well-known names in the film industry. But most people don't know that this man, who almost became a priest, has had many ups and downs in his career. The American director had to overcome problems with drugs and harsh criticism on his way to becoming one of the biggest names in the industry. Learn more about the director in the following gallery.

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Birthday boy - Martin Charles Scorsese was born on 17 November 1942 in New York.

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Career - Scorsese is a multi-award winning director, film producer, and screenwriter.

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Natural artist - The director, who is of Italian descent, has been immersed in the world of cinema since he was young. He started producing short films while he was a student at New York University.

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First movie - 'Who's That Knocking At My Door' was his first full-length movie, which he produced with a university classmate.

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Chronic illness - During his childhood, he suffered from asthma, which was severely limiting for him. His family kept him entertained through trips to the cinema.

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Obsessed - In 1995, he produced a documentary called, 'A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies.' The film was almost 4 hours long and contained numerous confessions on his obsession with the art of cinema.

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Priest - Scorsese was studying to be a priest but was kicked out of the seminary for being too boisterous.

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Woodstock - He edited the now infamous 'Woodstock' documentary, released in 1970.

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The 70's - After that, he became a part of the 'Movie Brats' gang with Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas and Brian de Palma.

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Long term collaboration - He became friends with actor, Robert De Niro, in the 1970s and the two worked on various projects together, including 'Mean Streets' (1973), 'Taxi Driver' (1976), 'New York, New York' (1977), 'Raging Bull' (1980), 'The King of Comedy' (1983), 'Goodfellas' (1990), 'Cape Fear' (1991) and 'Casino' (1995).

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'Taxi Driver' - In 1976, he worked with Robert De Niro and Jodie Foster in the iconic movie, 'Taxi Driver,' which depicted the rawness and violence of New York. It received 4 Oscar nominations.

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Based on real facts - 'Taxi Driver' was based on real-life events. The protagonist, Travis Bickle, was inspired by the story of Arthur Bremer, the man who tried to kill presidential candidate, George Wallace, in 1972.

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Decline - After his success with 'Taxi Driver' (1976), Scorsese went in a bolder direction with the musical, 'New York, New York', starring Liza Minnelli. The production, however, was a complete failure and heavily criticized, sending him into a deep depression.

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The come-back - Scorsese refused to stop working even after he developed health problems relating to his asthma. He mustered up the force to produce 'Raging Bull' (1980), which ended up being one of the greatest successes of his career.

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Best friends - At the end of the 1970s, Scorsese overdosed on drugs and found himself in hospital for 10 days. Robert De Niro convinced him to give up drugs and return to work. That was when he directed 'Raging Bull.'

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'Raging Bull' (1980) - The movie became famous worldwide and received eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Robert De Niro), and for the first time, Best Director. De Niro ended up winning the award.

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Further success - In 1990, Scorsese returned to the spotlight with the movie, 'Goodfellas.' Actors included his friends Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci.

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'Goodfellas' (1990) - This was considered by some to be the best gangster movie since 'The Godfather,' directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Scorsese became one of the best directors of cinema.

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'Gangs of New York' (2002) - The movie included stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz, and at the time was considered one of the most expensive and risky ventures of the director's career.

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Most expensive production - 'Gangs of New York' (2002) was one of the most expensive films he ever directed. The budget was roughly $100 million.

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The investment paid off - 'Gangs of New York' may have been expensive but it was a huge success with both fans and critics. The movie received 10 Oscar nominations, including another Best Director nomination for Scorsese.

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More awards - The next year, his movie, 'The Aviator,' received 11 Oscar nominations. The movie ended up winning five awards.

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Gang movie - In 2006, he had another success with 'The Departed' receiving much praise and joining 'Taxi Driver' as one of the best movies of the director's career.

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Golden Globe - Scorsese won a Golden Globe for Best Director for his movie, 'The Departed' (2006). It was also nominated for five Oscar awards, including one for Best Director.

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Double recognition - Scorsese ended up winning awards for Best Director and Best Picture for 'The Departed.'

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In love with the cinema - Scorsese founded the Film Foundation, an organization dedicated to preserving silent films.

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Sweetheart - The director has had a long working relationship with actor Leonardo DiCaprio. The star plays the leading role in many of Scorsese's movies.

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Professor - Scorsese has also given filmmaking classes at New York University.

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Video clip - In 1987, he produced a music video for singer Michael Jackson. 'Bad' was originally 16 minutes long but was shortened for TV.

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