M. Night Shyamalan

Manoj Nelliyattu, widely recognized as M. Night Shyamalan, is an American director and actor celebrated for his unique storytelling, often featuring supernatural themes and unexpected plot twists. Born in Mahé, India, he was brought up in Penn Valley, Pennsylvania. Shyamalan made his directorial debut in 1992 with Praying with Anger and followed it up with the comedy-drama Wide Awake in 1998. His most acclaimed films include the supernatural thriller The Sixth Sense, which premiered in 1999, the superhero thriller Unbreakable in 2000, and the sci-fi thriller Signs in 2002.

However, his subsequent works received mixed reviews, despite some achieving commercial success. These include The Village (2004), Lady in the Water (2006), The Happening (2008), The Last Airbender (2010), and After Earth (2013). Following the underperformance of After Earth, Shyamalan experienced a career resurgence with the horror film The Visit (2015), the psychological thriller Split (2016), and Glass (2019), the latter being the concluding chapter of his Unbreakable trilogy initiated in 2000.

In addition to directing, Shyamalan contributed to the horror film Devil (2010) as a story creator and producer. He also did uncredited rewrites for the teen film She's All That (1999) and was a writer for Stuart Little (1999). Known for setting many of his films in the Philadelphia area, Shyamalan's successful projects were often released by Touchstone, Hollywood Pictures, and Universal, all under the umbrella of Walt Disney Studios. In recognition of his contributions to cinema, the Indian government honored him with the Padma Shri in 2008.