On Dec. 1, 1935 -- Woody Allen born in Brooklyn, NY

from IMDb Biography web posting (from "Biography & Trivia section")

Woody Allen was born December 1, 1935 in Brooklyn, New York. As a young boy he became intrigued with magic tricks and playing the clarinet, two hobbies that he continues today.

He broke into show business at age 15 when he started writing jokes for a local paper, receiving $200 a week. He later moved on to write jokes for talk shows but felt that his jokes were being wasted. His agents, Charles Joffe and Jack Rollins, convinced him to start doing stand-up and telling his own jokes. Reluctantly he agreed and, although he initially performed with such fear of the audience that he would cover his ears when they applauded his jokes, he eventually became very successful at stand-up.

After performing on stage for a few years, he was approached to write a script for Warren Beatty to star in What's New Pussycat? and would also have a moderate role as a character in the film. As production was ongoing for the film, Woody gave himself more and better lines and left Beatty with less compelling dialogue. Beatty inevitably quit the project and was replaced by Peter Sellers, who demanded all the best lines and screen time. It was from this experience that Woody realized that he could not work on a film without complete control over its production. . .IMDb Mini Biography By: Michael Castrignano

One of the most prolific American directors of his generation, he has written, directed, and more often than not starred in a film just about every year since 1969.

Billing his actors alphabetically on opening credits;
His films often include opening Narration or the protagonist talking directly to the audience;
His female characters are often free spirited but naive and often come from small town backgrounds;
References to famous writers and literary classics;
References to classic Films, particularly the works of Ingmar Bergman;
Brooklyn Accent;
Stumbling and nervous delivery;
Often bases films on his own life experiences.