Born This Week in Film #2: Roland Emmerich and More HotFlick

Two directors with very different careers share this week’s birthdays: Martin Davidson on November 7 and Roland Emmerich on November 10. Several other actors and filmmakers, including Kamal Haasan, Eric Dane and Ryan Gosling, also have birthdays between November 7 and 12.

Martin Davidson, born November 7, 1939

Davidson was born in Brooklyn, New York, on November 7, 1939. He is an American director, producer, screenwriter and television director whose credited work runs from 1974 to 2007.

Before he directed, he attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. He then worked as an actor for about four years in Off Broadway shows and regional theater.

His films include The Lords of Flatbush (1974), which he co-directed, and Eddie and the Cruisers (1983). His TV film Long Gone earned him a CableACE award.

Roland Emmerich, born November 10, 1955

Emmerich was born in Stuttgart, then West Germany, on November 10, 1955. He studied production design and direction at the Munich Film and Television School. He began as a director with The Noah’s Ark Principle (1984), made as part of his university thesis, and in 1985 he co-founded the company Centropolis Entertainment with his sister.

He moved into Hollywood action and science fiction with Universal Soldier (1992) and Stargate (1994). Independence Day (1996), which he directed, co-wrote and executive produced, became his breakthrough. He followed it with Godzilla (1998) and The Patriot (2000).

He wrote and directed The Day After Tomorrow (2004), a story about a sudden ice age. His later directing credits include 10,000 BC (2008), 2012 (2009), White House Down (2013), Independence Day: Resurgence (2016) and Midway (2019).

Other birthdays, November 7–12

Several other film figures have birthdays this week:

November 7: Kamal Haasan, an actor, director and producer. Nandita Das, an actress, director and producer. Kiran Rao, a director and producer.
November 9: Eric Dane, an actor.
November 10: Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, a director, producer and story writer.
November 12: Ryan Gosling, an actor and producer. Gustaf Skarsgård, an actor. Stephen McFeely, a screenwriter.