American choreographer and filmmaker Rob Marshall was BOTD in 1960. Born in Madison, Wisconsin, he was raised in Pittsburgh, and studied at Carnegie Mellon University. After graduation, he moved to New York City, where he worked as a dancer in Broadway musicals. A herniated disc halted his performing career, and he transitioned into directing and choreography. After directing a TV movie of the musical Annie, he scored global success with Chicago, the 2002 film adaptation of John Kander and Fred Ebb‘s musical about Jazz Age murderesses. A critical and commercial hit, the film was nominated for 13 Oscars, including for Marshall’s direction, and became the first musical film in 34 years to win Best Picture. His next project, Memoirs of a Geisha, was also box office success, despite widespread criticism about commercial appropriation, and was nominated for four Oscars. His 2009 Nine, a musical based on Federico Fellini‘s film 8 1/2, featured a starry cast including Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard and Penélope Cruz, but was a commercial flop, relegating him to the directorial B-list. After directing the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie and a lifeless adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s musical Into the Woods, he returned to box office success with Mary Poppins Returns, a 2018 sequel to the beloved Disney musical film, and a 2023 live-action remake of the musical The Little Mermaid. Openly gay since forever, Marshall is married to producer John DeLuca.