Kathryn Bigelow: The First Female to Win an Oscar for Best Directing

On the first Sunday in March 2010, the 82nd Academy Awards took place and the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles, California was the center of the entertainment world. While Steve Martin and newbie co-host Alec Baldwin were trying to steal the show, the rest of the film world was wondering if history would be made. And, it was! Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win the Best Director Oscar for her film the Hurt Locker.

On November 27, 1951, Kathryn Ann Bigelow was born in San Carlos, California. Her parents a paint factory manager and librarian were proud of their only child, who showed a creative side early.

Bigelow attended San Francisco Art Institute and earned a Bachelor's in Fine Art in 1972. At the age of 20, Bigelow, an accomplished painter, won a scholarship to the Whitney Museum's Independent Study Program. Eventually, she would be interested in film and entered the film program at Columbia University. While at Columbia, Bigelow's vision for film was recognized. She directed her first short, The Set-Up (1978), which featured two men beating each other while two professors analyzed the philosophy of their actions.

Bigelow eventually earned her Masters from Columbia and went on to produce her first feature length film in 1982. That film, The Loveless, was a drama about a motorcycle gang heading to Daytona. William Dafoe provided a stellar performance for this film that Bigelow co-wrote with Monty Montgomery.

Ultimately, Bigelow's projects took on a darker edge. In the eighties and nineties, she directed films such as Near Dark (1987), Blue Steel (1989) and Point Break (1991). While working on a these films, Bigelow married John Cameron (Titanic) in 1988 and divorced the fellow Oscar winner in 1991. Bigelow continued to work on a number of projects including Strange Days (1995), a sci-fi thriller penned by her ex-husband John Cameron. For this film, Bigelow earned a Saturn for Best Directing and audiences were entertained by the talents of Angela Bassett and Ralph Fiennes. Her work, the Weight of Water (2000) also earned her more recognition.

The perceptive Bigelow did not limit her scope and took on television projects as well. Wild Palms (1993) and Homicide: Life on the Street (1988-1989) were two series on which she continued to hone her directing craft. She also did not overload herself with projects, but worked steadily- sometimes taking years off. In 2002, Bigelow was fortunate to land a wonderful film K-19: The Widowmaker. In this war film starring Liam Neeson is considered by some as one of the best submarine movies ever made. It was clear that Bigelow did not shy away from gritty stories.

Then in 2008 and 2009, The Hurt Locker, was getting notice. This film about an Army bomb squad in post invasion Iraq was Bigelow's signature work. The film did not have A-list actors and was not a big studio project, but it was well acted and allowed viewers insight into the psyche of soldiers. After winning several other awards for its director, helped Bigelow earn the first Academy Award for Best Directing for a female.

While Kathryn Bigelow is one of only three women in the history of the Academy to be nominated for Best Director, but Bigelow is the first in the eight decade history of the Oscars. She has served as an inspiration for other women dreaming of helming films and earning recognition in the film industry.